Open Ticket Takeout Food
It’s another jam-packed Buffalo sports schedule, even more than last week!
Five days of action featuring the Sabres (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday), Bandits (Friday night), and Bills, including a back-to-back Saturday with the Sabres game at 12:30 pm and the Bills’ divisional playoff game vs. the Broncos in Denver at 4:30 pm.
The 12 days of Christmas couldn’t match the sports action and excitement in our town!
Amid the schedule is the Bandits game on Friday night at KeyBank Center against the Ottawa Black Bears, with a 7:30 pm faceoff. It’s Y2K night, so step back and relive the 2000s!
About Saturday Night
Okay, yes, you’re probably wondering why I’m skirting the 12-9 loss to the Knighthawks last Saturday night. I wish I had a full explanation for the team’s performance, but the bottom line is that Rochester was the better team, period.
I must say, what a marvelous Banditland crowd jammed the Blue Cross Arena, proudly filling the seats in orange and black.
By the Numbers
Buffalo had their chances with some solid shots, but several went off the posts and crossbar, resulting in a low 13 percent from the floor and 32 turnovers. And Knighthawks netminder Rylan Hartley made 42 saves, many of which were from high-danger Bandit shots.
Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne shot half of the Bandits’ 51 attempts on net, setting up some nice plays for Kyle Buchanan’s four tallies, shooting 66 percent from the floor.
Man in the Isle
I had my handheld recorder on while making my way down to the Bandits team hallway in Blue Cross Arena, and one of the Bandit fans stopped me and immediately said:
“It appeared the Bandits were a bit sluggish, a half-step behind, and not as energetic as they normally are in games like this,” and then he walked away.
Great Contributors
Not the time to rip the sweater off. The club had its moments, and as secondary scoring greases the wheels, players who don’t get much recognition are starting to come to the forefront.
“Clay Scanlan and Tehoka Nanticoke,” said Bandits GM and defensive coordinator. “Tehoka is the guy who does all the grunt work, setting hard picks, cutting through the middle, and taking defenders with them to allow Dhane, Josh, and Bucky to get over the top.
“Clay is like an Energizer Bunny on the left side. This year, you see the maturation process, and he knows he’s a guy who can do more than just pick up loose balls; he has such a great touch.
By the Books
Obviously, the whole offense is improving, including the power play, which is number one in the league. The club is scoring an average of 12 goals per game and has a league-leading 19 goals to eight against in the first quarter of play.
“For our offense to continue on, we need guys like Scanlan and Nanticoke to take the next step, and they both have,” Dietrich said.
Smith is third in the loop of scoring (13+24=37), averaging 7.4 points per game with 468 touches (4th in the NLL) and 369 effective passes (3rd).
Byrne is eighth in league scoring with 10+23=33, averaging 6.6 points. Kyle Buchanan leads the club in shooting on net with almost 40 percent (11 goals on 28 shots).
Shots and Soakers
Overall, the Bandits are shooting 16 percent from the floor, 58 percent on faceoffs, and lead the league in blocked shots with 43 (even with the new NLL rule). Paul Dawson is tied with Colorado’s Robert Hope for the top spot with 11 soakers.
“I really never went into the crease too much to block the shot, but with the rule, you have to be quicker on your toes,” said Dawson, now in his 19th NLL season, and overall NLL record holder of blocked shots with 143.
“To be honest, I didn’t really do a ton of it (standing in the crease area). I kind of always stayed at the top of the crease anyway to take an angle.”
By the Way
While discussing defense Saturday before the game, Dawson noted his strategy and how it fits with the overall Bandits scheme.
“You have to adapt and change. I feel that I’ve always thought the game through and watched game tape and tried to be one step ahead, knowing what guys are going to do before they do, that is something I’ve always prided myself on.
“One thing we’ve always done since I’ve been here is by committee. It’s not one guy trying to put the clamps on this guy or that guy, so it’s a collective group, and making sure we get Matt the shots he wants. That’s why we’ve been so successful.”
About that Shot
And while I was sitting in the hotel lobby, I asked Dawson about his attempt of a wrap-around shot of the Calgary net a couple of weeks ago, which almost went in.
“Maybe a couple of years ago, if I had a higher vertical, and the big toe-drag along the crease,” said the 6’5, 225-pound defender.
“It was kind of all I had being in the danger zone with a guy cracking in. I thought there was a little spot to sneak it in, but it didn’t, so we will probably put that one in the back pocket.”
Roster Addition
The Bandits added to their roster earlier in the week with the acquisition of transition player Mike McCannell from Philadelphia for a third rounder in the ’28 NLL Entry Draft.
A first-round pick by San Diego in ’21, the Orangeville, Ontario native played one season with the Seals and two with the Wings for a total of 51 overall career games, scoring 6+19=25, amassing 176 loose balls, 28 caused turnovers, and 10 blocked shots.
Broadcast Information
Friday night’s game will be covered on 1520 AM The Bet & audacy.com. The Pregame Show is set for 7 pm.
Steve Bermel joins me in the Ted Darling Memorial radio booth, as well as Randy Mearns with “Coach Mearns” on the Halftime Report.
Dave Buchanan will be on remote around the building and down by the Bandits bench.
Television coverage will be on CW23, TSN National, ESPN+, and NLL+.
Matt Cullen will be on the call with analyst Brad Challoner and reporter Brianne Foley.