At All Cost
It’s come to the point where the Bandits are playing beyond what’s expected of them. They have united as a group to pursue winning at all costs; it’s absolutely necessary because, for many, this could be their last kick at the can.
“As a group, we have put reality to the forefront and understand and say, hey, this could be the last season for a lot of these guys, we must do what’s best for the group,” said Josh Byrne, who had another outstanding Saturday night (3+4=7) in the Bandits’ 12-6 win over Rochester.
“You want to bottle that up. Playing here is a special place, and having the opportunity to go out there with a great group of guys, you don’t take it for granted,” said Matt Vinc, who was named MVP by his teammates, and is a part of a new record for allowing the least number of goals in the last three games (18).
“Give a lot of credit to our locker room for finding ways to win. Obviously, it’s a trust-and-comfort thing; we are feeling pretty good, but we need to get ready for Oshawa,” noted Vinc.
Bandit Kyle Buchanan, voted by his peers as the Teammate of the Year, exemplifies dedication, playing every game, getting into the dirty areas, making hard picks, and scoring points, too. With Buchanan’s 2+4=6 nights against the K-Hawks, the 13-year veteran surpassed the 700-point career mark but remains all business.
“We are going to keep climbing to get home-field advantage in the first round, adding something new to our game, or cleaning something up,” said Buchanan.
“When we win, when you are a close group, spending time together over the last few years, we build bonds that last a lifetime, then add new guys to it and continue to evolve. When you create that culture, you create a good dressing room and want to work for each other.”
No More Good
The above represents a commitment to shed the “Yeah, made a few mistakes, but I played good.” Not anymore. It’s got to be great.
As J.K. Simmons said in the movie “Whiplash” on playing great every time you go out and play: “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job.”
We all know it takes a lot of practice, and even more to keep rising to the next level, avoid repeating mistakes, and play great.
“In life, if you’re going to experience success, you’re going to build confidence, and it’s going to continue to grow. Right now, I keep reminding the guys: every week we win, we gain more confidence, and the guys are jelling at the right time,” said Bandits coach John Tavares.
And the Bandits have rebounded after losing five of their last six, winning seven straight and, for the time being, this week, sitting in the standings with a home game in round one of the playoffs.
“Back before the trade deadline date, we made the decision to go for it, and after that double-win weekend, it got the ball rolling, and it’s continued to go now. The guys are feeling good, but we have to show up every night, and the focus is on the FireWolves,” said Tavares.
Team Hardware
Congratulations to Carter Coffey for being named the team’s Rookie of the Year. The team’s Defensive Player of the Year went to Mitch de Snoo. The Offensive Player of the Year Award went to The Great Dhane, Dhane Smith. As noted above, Buchanan and Vinc received their awards.
Other Numbers
- Smith second in NLL scoring 37+75=112, Keegan Bal, Vancouver, 113, Jeff Teat, Ottawa 110
- Smith #1 in short-handed goals 4, 212 shots on goal, shooting 17.5%
- Josh Byrne moves in a tie for fourth place in NLL scoring 34+74=108, Connor Fields at 108
- Smith and Byrne are averaging 6.5 per game
- Mitch de Snoo 6th loose balls 135, 78 during the seven-game winning streak
- Paul Dawson #1 in blocked shots with 37, including four soakers on Saturday
- In the Bandits’ seven-game streak:
- Byrne 55 points, Smith 45 pts, Buchanan 24 pts, MacKay 19 pts, Resetarits 12, Priolo 7
- Vinc .837 save percentage in seven, 283 saves on 338 shots, played in his 320th regular season game.
Broadcast Information for the April 18 Game in Oshawa
Radio coverage of the Bandits/FireWolves game will be on 1520 AM The Bet and Audacy.com. The pregame show will start at 6:30 pm.
Television coverage will be available on ESPN+, TSN+, and NLL+ starting at 7 pm. Our local TV coverage will be announced later this week. If you want to follow the game with radio audio, go to Audacy.com, click Listen Live, freeze your smart TV right before the faceoff so we can catch up at the start, then unfreeze your remote.