After an early back-and-forth bout, the Buffalo Bandits pulled out a convincing a 16-10 victory over the Albany FireWolves on Saturday at MVP Arena.

With the win, the Bandits locked up home field advantage throughout the NLL Playoffs as the No. 1-overall seed.

The Bandits were led by an assortment of players in the regular-season finale, including Josh Byrne (3+5), Dhane Smith (2+4), Chase Fraser (3+3), and Chris Cloutier (4+1).

Smith finished the season with 96 assists – breaking his own NLL single-season record of 94 set last year – and 132 points, five shy of tying the all-time record of 137, which he set in 2016.

A new single season assists record set and broken by The Great Dhane himself!

96 assists on the 2023 season. Congrats, @dhanesmith92! pic.twitter.com/Clt7LV5Pg7

— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) April 30, 2023

Albany’s efforts were highlighted by Connor Kelly (4+3), Ethan Walker (2+3), Jake Fox (1+3), and Jerome Thompson (1+3).

Matt Vinc added to his franchise-leading win total with 49. He made 40 saves on 48 shots for his league-leading 14th win, while Devlin Shanahan stopped 10 of 12 in relief in the fourth quarter.

Doug Jamieson started the game for Albany, making 21 saves on 33 shots, while Justin Geddie stopped 10 of 14 in 24:56 of action.

LOCK. IT. IN. 🔒

The @NLL Playoffs run through Banditland. pic.twitter.com/rCD4pPBdJ9

— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) April 30, 2023

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST QUARTER

Fraser acted as the catalyst for the eventful first quarter, opening the scoring at 1:34, followed by a Nick Weiss tally at 5:47.

Ethan Walker was the first FireWolf on the board, but Kyle Buchanan responded with his 21st of the year to give the Bandits an early 3-1 lead with 6:58 left.

Bucky's 21st of the year was a beauty! 🤌#LetsGoBandits | @KyleBuchanan9 pic.twitter.com/0QeAXaKlwq

— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) April 29, 2023

The rest of the quarter would see the two teams volleying the scoring with one another, with Kelly cutting the Buffalo lead to one, with Cloutier edging it back to two with 5:30 remaining. Kelly’s second of the quarter would set the score at 4-3 heading into the second frame.

SECOND QUARTER

Kelly opened the second quarter scoring, grabbing an early hat trick in the contest to tie the game 4-4. Thompson’s 10th of the year gave Albany their first lead of the night, but Cloutier ensured it would not last for long, knotting the game at five just 27 seconds later.

Fraser’s efforts added to the offensive trend of the game, returning the lead to Buffalo with his second of the game. Cloutier’s third of the night earned him a hat trick, and the Bandits a two-goal lead once again with 7:25 remaining in the half.

The two-goal lead would only last for 24 seconds, with Fox swinging his stick around his back to net one past Vinc. Byrne joined the fun, ripping one past Jamieson for his first of the night to make it 8-6.

Byrne’s second of the contest would come a minute later, giving the Bandits a three-goal lead with 2:56 left. The high-scoring affair saw the Bandits hold a 9-6 lead over the FireWolves at the half.

THIRD QUARTER

Buffalo opened the third quarter on a 4-0 run. A strike from Nanticoke broke open the second half scoring, followed shortly after by Fraser, who earned himself a hat trick to pile onto the Bandits’ lead, setting the score at 11-6.

Cloutier’s dominant night continued, firing home his fourth of the contest to give the Bandits a six-goal lead. Adam Bomberry joined the goal column on the scoresheet for the first time as a Bandit, netting one against his former team with 9:03 left in the third.

Adam Bomberry turned on the jets for his first of the year! 🚀#LetsGoBandits pic.twitter.com/TI8HkCgaO5

— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) April 30, 2023

Kelly’s fourth of the game finally halted the Bandits’ 6-0 scoring run, setting the game at 13-7 in the final minutes of the third.

FOURTH QUARTER

The fourth was opened by Smith on the power play, whose 35th of the year put the Bandits ahead by seven. Walker notched one for Albany, but the Bandits would snatch the lead back after a Byrne goal, with a hail mary pass from Buchanan.

The Bandits switched out Vinc for backup Devlin Shanahan, allowing the goaltender some valuable reps at the season’s end.

Smith added another with 8:08 left in the matchup, with Albany’s Corson Kealy netting his first of the game a little over three minutes later.

Rookie John Piatelli brought Albany to the 10-goal mark with just under a minute remaining in the contest, but that would be the end of the FireWolves’ scoring and season, as the Bandits closed out their regular season to improve to 14-4 on the year.

A BRAND NEW SEASON

As the No. 1 seed in the NLL playoffs, the Buffalo Bandits earned homefield throughout the NLL playoffs.

The Bandits are scheduled to take on the Rochester Knighthawks in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal on May 6 at KeyBank Center. Tickets are on sale now.

The stage is set. 🗓️

Be there: https://t.co/LcSRJExoai pic.twitter.com/asFOI9waYK

— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) April 30, 2023