The Buffalo Bandits make their return to Banditland in front of a sellout crowd for the first home game of the season and the 2024 NLL Championship banner-raising ceremony on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. against the Rochester Knighthawks.
The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN+, while Canadian viewers can watch it live on either TSN+ or the new NLL+ streaming platform. You can also listen to the radio locally on 1520 AM.
The Bandits opened the 2024-25 season against the Knighthawks in Rochester, winning 15-7 thanks to an eight-goal fourth quarter and 11 points from Dhane Smith (3+8).
The first quarter featured just one goal for either team, with Tehoka Nanticoke scoring the first goal of the 2024-25 season for the Bandits. Then, after the Knighthawks answered with a goal, the Bandits went on a 3-0 run to end the first half featuring two goals from Smith and one from Josh Byrne.
Rochester came back in the third quarter, scoring four consecutive goals to take their first and only lead of the game, 5-4. In response, Buffalo went on an 11-2 run to close out the game, opening their quest for a three-peat with a win.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Bandits first home game of the season.
Overseers of Ottawa
The Bandits are coming off a complete domination of the Ottawa Black Bears after beating them in Ottawa 18-7, leading for all but 50:12 of the game. Byrne (2+8), Smith (2+7), and Chase Fraser (2+5) notched seven-plus points each while Byrne and Smith recorded their 500th and 1100th NLL points, respectively.
After Ottawa scored the first goal of the game, the Bandits scored four straight first-quarter goals to take a 4-1 lead. To start the second quarter, the teams traded goals to make it 6-3 before the Bandits scored three straight goals to take a 9-3 lead into the half.
The two teams traded goals again to open the second half before each went on two-goal runs. While it looked like the Black Bears had a chance to come back after scoring the first goal of the final frame to make it 12-7, Buffalo shut that down immediately and went on a six-goal run to close out the game and win their second consecutive to open the season.
“I thought we were much better than the first game,” head coach John Tavares said. “I thought in the first game we just were very impatient. Our shot selection wasn’t the best. Going into Ottawa, we talked about being a lot more selective and a lot more patient and trying to get more people involved on each possession. I think that’s one of the reasons why we were more successful offensively in Ottawa.”
MacKay Mania
Ian MacKay scored a career-high five goals in the win over Ottawa. MacKay scored a hat trick in 24 minutes of game action, including two goals from X in which he dove over the crease and backhanded the ball into the net.
According to Tavares, MacKay played “half and half” during the game, playing as both a transition player and as a forward. Despite being named as the top transition player in the league before the season, he found success on the offensive end against Ottawa.
“He’s very versatile and his ability to play both ends gives us a lot more diversity in terms of what we can do on the floor,” Tavares said. “We use him in transition, he scored, we use him on offense, he’s scoring. He’s a really smart, all-around lacrosse player and again, he’s a big part of our successes and we’re lucky to have them on our team.”
Raise the Banner
For the sixth time in franchise history, the Buffalo Bandits are raising a banner to the rafters of the KeyBank Center.
Last season on Banner Raising Night, the Bandits beat the San Diego Seals 12-9 thanks in part to a five-goal run in the third quarter from Buffalo that took San Diego’s lead from 7-5, to being down 10-7. Byrne (4+3) and Smith (0+7) both recorded seven points in the win.
“I’m a little nervous about it because it’s such an exciting night and it’s a big night for us,” Tavares said. “It’s a big night for our fans and it’s easy to lose focus with the game at hand and seeing how we just played Rochester last week and beat them. They’re going to be really hungry to upset our banner night. So, I want to make sure that the guys are still focused on why we’re there. Obviously, it’s exciting but once the game starts, it’s going to be all about Rochester.”
Scouting the Knighthawks
The Knighthawks are coming into their second matchup against the Bandits on a three-game losing streak, losing their last game on Dec. 21 to the Saskatchewan Rush 14-12.
Rochester led after the first half, 5-4, but Saskatchewan scored five consecutive goals to start the second half, taking a 9-5 lead before Rochester responded to make a 9-6 going into the fourth quarter.
The Rush scored three more goals to start the quarter before Rochester and Saskatchewan traded goals, making it 13-7. Rochester scored five unanswered to cut the lead down to one with 4:55 left but were unable to get another before the Rush added an insurance goal with 13 seconds left.
Ryan Lanchbury and Ryan Smith both had hat tricks in the loss for Rochester while Lanchbury and Connor Fields had four assists each.
Rochester goalkeeper Riley Hutchcraft had saved 33 of 44 shots he faced before getting pulled in the fourth quarter for Kevin Orleman.
Tavares said of his team ahead of their second matchup against the Knighthawks that “we need to improve offensively.”
“I would like to play more like we played against Ottawa offensively where when we moved the ball, guys were crisper, there was a little more chemistry, probably because it was the second game of the year too, right?” Tavares said. “The first game, guys probably a little bit on the nervous side, anxious side, we tried to do a little too much, too early. I think just possessing the ball better against Rochester would be a huge key for us.”