A Photo is Worth a Chapter of Words
The setting at dawn last Saturday in the beautiful historic city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was a perfect start for the Bandits in preparation for their game against the Thunderbirds. There was abundant sunshine and blue skies throughout the day.
By evening’s end, the perfection translated into an 11-10 Bandit victory, snapping a four-game losing streak. Despite the close score, the club turned in a classic 60-minute performance in all areas of the floor, holding off a relentless effort by the Thunderbirds.
Full Steam Ahead
“There is never a lack of confidence and energy with this team; there is nothing where they just live on their laurels. We are not going to give up on this group; they will keep battling,” said Bandits GM and defensive coordinator Steve Dietrich.
The proof is in the scoresheet, with 13 Bandit players contributing to the scoring, including seven points by Dhane Smith, six by Ian MacKay (who played shifts on offense and defense), and a two-goal, five-point performance by Josh Byrne (his second, a patented Air Byrne).
And two gutsy goals by Tehoka Nanticoke, only like he can score (one from flying off his knees).
Now Hear This
“JT sent the message; it doesn’t matter who is scoring. We need everybody to score, set picks, and hopefully take a little pressure off Dhane and Josh,” noted Dietrich.
“They are not trying to be selfish to be selfish; they are trying to be selfish to help the team win.”
Transitioning the ball worked perfectly with Cam Wyers’s flying goal and Matt Spanger’s score on the anniversary of last season’s season-ending injury. Every player scooped a loose ball headed up by Mitch de Snoo’s 14, marking his return after missing four games due to injury.
“Losing Justin Martin, you don’t realize how important Martin/de Snoo are till you don’t have them. He’ll (now) anchor the left side defense,” said Dietrich.
More Numbers
Six different players blocked shots, including Paul Dawson, adding one to his now league-leading 19, and seven different players earned a caused turnover.
Goaltender Matt Vinc turned in a 24-save second half for a game total of 41, elevating his spirits from a frustrating couple of weeks.
“There have been times when I felt really well, and there have been times when I feel the pressure to get a win; sometimes that weighs on me,” said Vinc, who has played in ten championship finals, winning six of them.
“We are here to win. Don’t let any other mindset creep into the game; coming in with a positive approach, let’s be a team and go home with a victory.” And that they did.
Dietrich said Vinc always sets high expectations for himself and the team, maintaining that he is the backbone and that if he plays at the level, he is capable of, he will give them a chance to win on most nights.
Oh, What a Relief
Saturday night’s victory was monumental for this Bandit team. After the radio broadcast from Halifax, I felt a sense of achievement and relief, even at the halfway mark of the season.
“They just need to go out and have fun – that’s what we need to do as a team here; go out and have fun and play lacrosse. The ball is going into the net, and we hope we keep it out of our net,” Dietrich said.
If they can pack up and head west to Vancouver with newfound confidence and enthusiasm, then it will be smooth sailing, er, ah, flying. You get the picture.
Let’s go to the Video Tape!
A couple of editions ago, Randy Mearns said that video has changed the game dramatically. There are no more secrets, and Bandits assistant and video coach, Eric Vinc, will second that.
“Video really helps, no matter what position, allowing you to see what players do regularly. It has changed the game altogether. To see how far the game has come is pretty crazy,” noted Vinc, who has been with the Bandits since 2019.
When John Tavares started playing in the NLL, they didn’t use video or set plays; they just went out and played, making in-game adjustments.
Building the Plan
Now the club builds a game plan at the start of the week and fully implements it before each game. That process begins the day after the previous game with video editing, which takes eight hours over two days.
“I start uploading the games to Hudl (a sports video analysis and data website used by each team in the NLL) and get clips ready for JT (coach Tavares) and Chugger (Steve Dietrich).
“They handle the final editing, drawing on the clips, and do a lot of work themselves, but it’s a team effort with the entire coaching staff.
“We are looking for tendencies and repeats of plays to see if we have an advantage or if there are any tip-offs when they are going to run something; anything that gives us an advantage when we play them,” Vinc said.
Then What?
Once everything is complete, Vinc will send multiple emails during game week to each Bandit player, including Bandit video clips and clips of the next opponent.
Before practice, the coaching staff will review the team’s previous game, including multiple video clips. As game day approaches, the offense and defense will meet separately with a complete package of the opposing team’s tendencies.
In addition, Vinc will assemble video clips for players who request specific things.
“For example, MacKay likes to see where the lefties are shooting the ball against opposing goalies and where they are scoring goals. Josh likes to watch the opposing players on defense; everyone wants their own thing. Matt wants to see all of the shots from the upcoming opponent.”
Vinc said they get every NLL game, with the league putting them in a box area on Hudl, and that he can pull them down from the site when needed.
And yes, Vinc can see how much time each player spends per week watching game videos, and who doesn’t. Hmmmm.
Broadcast Information for the Buffalo/Vancouver Game Friday Night, February 20th
Late night with the Bandits will start at 9:30 pm, Eastern, from Vancouver with the pregame show on 1520 AM The Bet and Audacy.com. Jake Elliott will join me in the booth to provide analysis of the game.
Television coverage will start at 10 pm Eastern on CW23, TSN, and ESPN+.