Stand Clear
“The big man arrives. Disco dancers greet him. Plainclothes cops greet him. Small town, big man, fresh lipstick glistening.”
Thank you, Joni Mitchell, for introducing the newest Bandit, defenseman Paul Dawson, a.k.a. Big Daws, all 6’5” 240 pounds of him.
The Bandits completed a trade with Colorado Tuesday for Dawson.
For the last 17 seasons, Dawson has faithfully been a solid defender and a great teammate with Colorado, Rochester, San Diego, Philadelphia, Boston, and San Jose. And now a Bandit.
Dawson brings his size and experience to the Bandit backline. He will help clear shooting lanes and keep opposing players out of the way. He will join Steve Priolo, Cam Weyers, and Zack Belter—all 6’5″—as well.
The Bandits roster is set for the time as the trade deadline has passed.
Walk, don’t March
The March to May is now official for the Bandits. They will take it one game at a time, looking to move up in the NLL standings and qualify for a playoff spot.
Like one of our other teams in the organization, the Buffalo Bills, when they were 6-6 during the past regular season, every game was a playoff game. And that’s what the mindset now is for the Bandits.
Can they make the same run and finish 12-6? Gosh, with the competition in this league now, it’s going to be tough.
The center of the plate for Saturday lies the Toronto Rock, and the Bandits will gladly take the luck of the Irish on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day.
Even in their popular St. Patrick’s Day uniforms, it will take everything the bandits have, including:
Possession
It was great to see the 27 first possessions delivered by “the Milk Man” Connor Ferrell, allowing the Bandits offense to establish a rhythm and score some great goals, including the game-winner in overtime by Tehoka Nanticoke (4+2=6).
Josh Byrne’s four goals, many with new flight plans, ESPN’s number one of Friday night’s Top Ten by Chris Cloutier, Dhane Smith’s first hat trick of the season, and Nanticoke’s four made it a great night for the club.
The Bandits’ defense played strong, and it was great having Matt Vinc back between the pipes, making 47 saves, including five crucial ones in the overtime period.
OK, a new NLL record with 14 ties and a very talented opposition with the Rush, the Bandits played through a full 65 minutes to win it, snapping a three-game skid.
Possession
“It’s a huge difference. Getting the offense out on the floor regularly gave them confidence,” noted John Tavares, the Bandits’ head coach. They didn’t have to run the ball as much as they did the last few games. The offense got a nice flow going.”
Regardless of the lead changes and the command the Rush had by scoring to take the lead, the Bandits never lost their composure and concentrated on the simple rudiments of the game: communicating, staying on the same page, getting back to the basics, and, as Tavares said, having some fun.
“When we are executing, we are really good. It’s just a matter of keeping the mental focus from the start of the game to the final whistle,” said Bandits Frank Brown.
Possession
“It’s not that he has to win the faceoff clean, going down to score a goal. Getting the ball gives us confidence on the faceoff as a team. Now we can get in there and try and muck it up and get the ball for our offense,” Tavares said.
Grateful for the chance to join the Bandits, Farrell’s success in the PLL field game and his accolades while playing at Long Island University positioned him for his first regular season game in the NLL. He handled, no pun, it quite well, going 27 on 33 attempts for 82 percent success and scooping 19 loosies.
Possession
“Possessions are so key to us. We can afford to swing the ball more as a unit and beat our match-ups one-on-one,” said Smith, who registered 10 points (3+7) on Friday night.
“We have one of the greatest offenses in the league. It’s being disciplined and not going to the net every time. When we are playing well, we are good.”
The big test awaits Saturday night inside KeyBank Center when the 11-2 Rock step onto the turf. On a five-game heater, nine players with double-digit points, a solid mobile defense, and outstanding goaltending by Nick Rose (.810 save percentage and 9.28 goals against average), the Bandits will need a solid effort.
As my former Sabres broadcast partner, Jim Lorentz would say: “You gotta be good to be lucky.”
Keen View
Last Saturday morning, I chatted with Derek Keenan, Rush GM and head coach. As a former Bandit on the championship ’92 and ’93 teams, Keenan has a winning pedigree that has earned him coach and GM of the year honors several times, including three championships as head coach with the Rush.
He’s experienced the rigors of championship runs and the highs and lows that come along. Looking at the Bandits’ current state from afar, he gave me this assessment.
“Chugger has done a great job building this program, and if you look at the assets going forward, they will be good for a long time.
“I think it’s a different league now since expansion, the pandemic, and the shutdown. If you look at it week-to-week, you can’t really predict what will happen. There is a lot of parity and a lot of dispersal of talent.
“Championships are not easy to win, but I’m telling you right now, I would not count them out for this year.”
Stat Rat
Chris Cloutier has 12 goals and nine assists in his last five games. Tehoka Nanticoke earned his first hattrick of the season after going 4+2 Friday night. Nanticoke now has 10 goals in his previous five games.
Ian MacKay has four goals and nine assists in his last six games. He scored a season-high 1+4 Friday night. Nick Weiss’s seven-game point streak ended (2+14), but he has points in nine of 12 games and is two points shy of tying his career high.
Josh Byrne, the NLL’s leading scorer (35+52=87), now has eight hattricks after posting a season-high 11 points (4+7). #22 is on pace for a 130-point season and is streaking with 17 goals and 23 assists in his last five games.
Bandits captain Steve Priolo is one caused career turnover from 250, making him the fourth player in NLL all-time to achieve that mark. The 14-year Bandit is three loosies away from 1300 career LBs, which will put him 17th NLL all-time on that mark. Priolo is fourth in the NLL with 16 soakers.
Kyle Buchanan has 10 goals and six assists in his last five games. Dhane Smith, third in NLL scoring (15+68=83), scored a season-high 10 points Friday (3+7). His 68 assists continue to lead the NLL. Smith has 19 power-play points and shares the league lead with four short-handed points.
Chase Fraser is eight career points from 200. Fraser has 14 goals and 11 assists in his last seven games. Goaltender Matt Vinc is the Bandits’ all-time save leader with 3,067 saves, passing Anthony Como during his 47-save performance Friday night.
Broadcast Information
Saturday’s game will be on ESPN+, TSN+, and TSN National. Jon Abbott, Pat Gregoire, and Ashley Docking will cover the game, which will be broadcast at 7 p.m.
Radio coverage this week will be on 1520 AM The Bet and audacy.com. The pregame show will start at 6:30 p.m. We will interview both teams’ coaches and players. Steve Bermel will join me in the radio booth, and Dave Buchanan will be on remote throughout the building.
If you want to listen to the radio audio, freeze the TV at the opening faceoff, allowing us to catch up for the draw, then un-freeze when the action starts. You can always sync throughout the game.