Victory
One thing is for sure with the Buffalo Bandits, there is never a dull moment, especially when there are goals galore.
“Those games never get old – all the fans – that’s what makes it so special,” said Dhane Smith.
And, again, in dramatic fashion! This time, there was a 14-12 come-from-behind victory in front of 18-thousand Banditland fans over the Toronto Rock.
“I thought we played a full sixty minutes from offense, transition, defense, and Matty,” said Bandits head coach John Tavares during his post-game presser. “I thought it was one of our best games in the second half.”
Two victories in a row means so much to this team, fueling the confidence and attitude needed as they now cris-cross the country with three road games in Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Denver.
“Great teams never think they are out of it. The guys stayed positive. We had great chances, and Rosie had a hell of a game as well. We were fortunate to end it on a run,” said Tavares.
The little things
Taking a quote recently read in a newsletter drawn from Albert Einstein’s chalkboard fits with the current description of the Bandits and the entire team effort they have put forth.
“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted, counts.”
Dissecting my interpretation of Messr. Einstein’s would be all of the things that go unseen have just as much value as the glorious goals that have been scored.
In a game, we often don’t see the little things that create momentum in defensive and offensive sets and transition the ball. Or setting a pick, a seal, a slide, capturing a loose ball, or soaking a shot.
Who was that?
During the 60 minutes of play, there might have been a player we didn’t even notice on the turf but who contributed greatly to the team’s success.
And that is what I noticed after rewatching last Saturday night’s game with the Bandits victory.
Every Bandits player involved themselves with the necessary rudiments and little things that created overall success to the victory. Maybe a quick banter of enthusiasm on the bench or a quick dash to get off.
The Great Dhane
And noticeably, a player like Dhane Smith with three goals, four assists, seven shots on net, one soaker, five loose balls, and three – yes, three – caused turnovers. He leads by example, and players thrive off of that.
As I’ve noted, when Tavares was playing, he made you want to be a better player. Smith has established that presence out on the turf. Everybody wants to be better, and the little unseen duties count.
To the point, congratulations to Bandits captain Steve Priolo on eclipsing 1300 career loose balls, becoming only the 17th player in NLL history to achieve that mark, and 250 career caused turnovers, only the fourth player in the league history books when they started counting in 2011.
It’s one of the often-used cliches in sport: “We’ve got to do the little things to be successful.”
Five
The Bandits have five regular season games to go, four on the road, and success will require every player’s effort.
“We are not the Bandits from last year, but we’re still a good team. We have to play our roles and find a different way to win,” said Smith.
“We just need to keep building and stay on the right side of the emotional scale, toning it down near the end. If we stay out of the box, we are a great team.”
Trade Deadline
Back in the day, there might have been four phones connected to other GMs talking deals on the GM’s desk. Now, the passion and excitement are still there for texting, email, and digital phones.
“I talked to everybody. A little eye-opening and a little punch in the gut. Maybe people think we’re worse off than we are, but that’s OK,” said Steve Dietrich, Bandits GM and defensive coordinator.
“A lot of people were calling and asking for our offense, and again, throwing me things out the back door (defensive) that they thought could help.
Dietrich noted he did not want to touch the team’s core but deserved to have someone come in and help.
“We were excited to get Paul Dawson. He’s a winner at every level; he’s been a captain and a leader. He’s big, he’s physical, and I that,” Dietrich said.
Daw-some
Dawson jumped into action Saturday night, wearing number 6, close to family ties as his broth Dan, soon to be in the NLL Hall of Fame, so proudly wore.
Again, the effort was contributed to by four loosies, two caused turnovers, a shot on goal, and three big soakers.
“I’m getting used to the lingo, but the style of the play is pretty much the same. They are expecting me to do my job,” noted Dawson.
“As an elder statesman, I can be another voice on the bench; whether they like it or not, I’m just trying to help the guys along the way.”
Dawson reunited with goaltender Matt Vinc from his championship playing days in Rochester.
“Matty and I have a lot of history. He knows what I’m going to do, and I know what he’s going to do. It makes me slot into this team pretty easily. Anytime you play with the best goaltender of all time, it’s pretty special.”
Minute Man
Congratulations to Vinc, the Bandits’ all-time leader in minutes played, who has passed his coach, Anthony Cosmo. Vno now holds all of the Bandits goaltending records with wins (56), Saves (3,114), and minutes (4,436).
Yeah, I’d say this whole team is pretty special.
Onward.
Broadcast Information
Friday night’s game will be covered on CW23 television, ESPN+, and TSN+, and the broadcast time is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Radio coverage from Dickies Arena will be on 1520 AM The Bet. The pregame show will start at 7:30 p.m. and feature interviews with Bandits head coach John Tavares and player Paul Dawson. From Panther City, head coach Tracey Kelusky and player Jonathan Donville.
If you want to listen to the radio audio with the TV coverage, freeze the TV right at the faceoff, allowing the radio to catch up. Then, unfreeze your TV when the draw goes.