The Ides of March came in like a lamb on the prairie of Saskatchewan, with mild temperatures and afternoon sun. Still, the Bandits turned lion and followed a long-used competitive statement: “Good teams find a way to win.”
And that they did, coming from a 5-2 deficit and posting a 9-7 tiebreaking win over the Rush. The two-time defending champs outscored the Rush 7-2 in the later stage of the game, which included the game-winning goal by Justin Martin, an unassisted dash from his defensive position to the doorstep of Rush netminder Frank Scigliano.
The end result keeps the Bandits atop the NLL standings with an impressive 9-1 record. In addition to the number one position in the league standings, the Bandits are 5-0 on the road.
Calgary is next for the Bandits this Saturday night inside KeyBank Center. It’s Hometown Heroes Night.
Note the start time is 6:30 p.m.
Hold it Down
Any time you can hold an opponent to seven goals is a tribute to the defense and goaltender Matt Vinc’s 41-save performance, including 14 critical saves in the fourth quarter.
But hearing the perspective of from someone away from the Bandits is always good, keeping them looking in the rear-view mirror.
“As much as the Bandits have been a wagon so far this year, there are teams that can catch them, and you never know what will happen on a given night in the NLL,” said Evan Schemenauer, long-time writer of the always interesting “Random Thoughts” column (@SchemLax on X) who was my halftime report guest Saturday night from Saskatchewan.
The Competition
You are correct, Evan. This season’s competition in the NLL is the best it’s ever been.
“I love the competitiveness, and if you look at spots three to ten in the league, there’s about a game and a half separating everyone. I will start looking at the tiebreaking scenarios by the end of March or April. I think this season might be the most complex one I’ve ever had to deal with because of the level of competition,” Schemenauer said.
The Room
Closer to the Bandits inside track, general manager and defensive coordinator Steve Dietrich was satisfied with the club’s performance during the first half of the season and noted that when you have the best goaltender in the game and such a talented offense, it helps. And defensively, with a league’s best +42 GF/GA mark, these are positive vibes.
But two key injuries in Matt Spanger and Dylan Robinson have put a strain on the veteran group of Steve Priolo, Nick Weiss, Paul Dawson, and Justin Martin, forcing Ian MacKay to play both ends of the floor.
“This has made me ride the guys, and we are putting more pressure on some of the younger players. When you look at our roster, Dylan Robinson, Cam Weyers, and Zack Belter are really only in their second year. We are riding those guys a lot,” said Dietrich.
“With losing Spanger, we are down to three veteran guys on the right side, so if I can shore up our defense with another veteran, that would be really nice. We could let Sammy and Taylor work their way in instead of being thrown to the fire.”
No Tossing
Dietrich will be the first to tell you he will not throw draft picks around. He notes that the club has been lucky enough since he took over as GM to accumulate draft picks that allowed the club to go out and build on players like Fraser, MacKay, Tehoka, Dhane, and Josh.
“If there is something we can find out there that makes sense, especially a guy we think we are going to have past this year, then you’re more apt to give away draft capital, but if it’s a short-term rental, it’s tough to give that stuff away,” said Dietrich.
The Big Dawg
Bandits’ defenseman Paul Dawson joined me for the pregame show last Saturday night. With 276 games played, his presence is solid. He has been a force out on the floor, including soaking shots. The 18-year vet is tied for the NLL lead with 27.
Larry David
With three championship rings (two with Rochester), Dawson has played on a handful of teams but notes this year’s Bandits squad is pretty, pretty, pretty good.
“This team is up there as the most talented. There are comparisons between the old Rochester defense and this team, but I think this team has had more success because of the offensive weapons between Dhane and Josh. “It is one of the best offenses I’ve ever played for,” said Dawson, who blocked three shots, scooped five balls, and had one quality shot on goal Saturday night.
Faster & stronger
While the game has changed with more systems and defined play, Dawson remains true to his steady style but notes a remarkable change in today’s player.
“Guys have gotten crazy athletic, and stick skills are way better, drawing parallels to the NHL in how the game is faster and more skilled. With the game being on TV and YouTube, kids are watching earlier, so the guys are more athletic and faster; that’s been a huge difference,” said Dawson.
Let us all keep in mind
On the remaining Bandit games, Dawson draws from a tried and true saying:
“If you look too far ahead, you’re going to miss what’s in front of you.”
Grief
The Bandits family has suffered two losses this season with the passing of Ian MacKay’s father-in-law and, most recently, the team’s mental skills and performance coach, Dr. Chris Siuta’s wife, Becky, lost her two-year battle with Cancer.
I can’t imagine balancing loss and grief with a dual profession, which includes MacKay and Siuta.
With Dr. Siuta, as a sports psychologist, here is a profession where you immerse yourself in the athlete’s problem, trying to ease the web of anxieties and mapping a route of resolve through constant support and technique. Parallel, compartmentalizes his loss personally while processing grief.
The two individuals, MacKay and Dr. Siuta, are exceptional at handling this independently, with the support of family, the loving Bandit team, and you, the citizens of Banditland.
Broadcast Information
Saturday’s game against the Calgary Roughnecks will be broadcast on 1520 AM The Bet, with the pregame set for 6 pm Television coverage will start at 6:30 pm on CW23, TSN, ESPN+, TSN+, and NLL+.
Steve Bermel and Dave Buchanan will join me for the game’s radio coverage.