Set’em Up
Sitting at the bar rail of the Anchor Bar in Hamilton, I was relishing the club’s 2-0 weekend, all wrapped up in 24 hours, after the Bandits’ victories over the Rush and the Rock, and nibbling on a post-game meal.
To my right sat an incredibly loyal Bandits fan who had made the trip up the QEW, representing a large part of the crowd, which, too, filled the establishment, all adorned in orange and black.
Yes, the place was packed, though it held only a fraction of the hundreds of Bandit fans who came to the game at the newly remodeled TD Coliseum.
I wasn’t surprised by the Banditland community’s strong attendance at the road game, but seeing and hearing the positive buzz about the victorious Bandit weekend confirms how much they love their team, even in the dire straits the team was in at the start of the weekend.
I’ve said it season after season: The Bandit fans are part of the fabric of the Buffalo sports community, the best anywhere, period.
While reviewing the Bandits’ 14-9 victory with this fan seated to my right, proudly wearing a Bandits jersey, he quickly noted how well Matt Vinc played, making 46 saves; how the defense clamped down; and how transition goals were scored by Nick Weiss (2), Mitch de Snoo, and Matt Spanger.
And feverishly reciting Dhane Smith’s natural hat trick and the overall play of the primary six forwards assigned to the task. He capped it off by bundling the two games into a resounding statement that the Bandits are back in the hunt and will be tough to beat from here on out.
I really enjoyed my conversation with this fan, who sometimes misses the home games because of working second shift but remains connected by listening and watching whenever he can. That is true dedication, like every citizen of Banditland.
“Smells like…Victory”
“It means a lot and shows that we can play with teams better in the standings,” said Bandits head coach John Tavares. “This has revitalized us in terms of our confidence.”
Even Bandits captain Steve Priolo gleamed at the 6-6 result at the end of the weekend. “This puts us back in the playoff run, and now we need to start stacking wins.”
Defenseman Matt Spanger’s 1+2 weekend and defensive contributions put the eighth-year vet right back into the pocket, where he has played strongly.
“The last two games have been really good in terms of trust, and we’ve meshed a lot better. We are slowly becoming that team we’ve been in the past,” said Spanger, who started a three-goal Bandit run in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game.
“It comes down to discipline, playing smart, and making sure our efforts go into the right areas of the game. We’ve been in a couple of close games, but not on the winning side. Coming out with wins is exactly what the guys needed and a good confidence boost.”
Sigh of Relief
Bandits’ general manager and defensive coordinator Steve Dietrich was compassionate and forthcoming Friday morning about the state of the Bandits and what may or may not happen after the two games. From his pregame show interview with Dave Buchanan, I extracted the positive and felt better about what was said:
“If we go 2-0, we’ll stay with this group. Unless something is really cheap, we won’t buy anything. I’ll be active on the phone, though,” Dietrich noted Monday, March 9, about the NLL trade deadline.
It was a delicious and delightful way to cap off a two-game weekend.
Guest Neil Barrett
Neil Barrett, creator and host of the lacrosse podcast “The Run Out,” was my halftime report guest via the Nissan Hotline Saturday night.
A lifelong passion for lacrosse began when he played growing up in North Carolina. After stints in the military in New Mexico and Mississippi, he has expanded his passion for the game across all levels, including box lacrosse.
“I don’t care what kind of lacrosse is being played; I love the game. I have loved watching the NLL and the guys getting after it. It’s such a different thing after 25 years to learn the nuances of a game that is so similar yet still different, with its own personality,” said Barrett.
Barrett noted that the Box community has been very receptive to his podcast.
“I have a Discord server for the Lax Lifers Club, and it’s been largely box fans, asking questions, and very welcoming to me, teaching me; it’s been great.”
And how about them Bandits!
“If you are going to get 30 saves from Matt Vinc and have Dhane Smith playing like he is, they are capable of beating anybody. Obviously, back-to-back-to-back champions playing at this level are going to be tough for anyone to beat,”
Come Together
During our Saturday night halftime report conversation, I asked Neil for his impressions of the long tweet posted by Paul Rabil last week, which essentially called for everyone across all disciplines of the game to come together as one, as interest builds for the Olympics in 2028.
I, too, have been hesitant to endorse the Sixes format, which will be played in the LA’28 games, but I have changed my mind. It’s the stick and a ball, no matter what.
“Paul has always had that. I appreciated that he finally came out and expressly stated it. I agree, obviously. The saying is that a rising tide lifts all boats, and I think that is so true for the game of lacrosse; any lacrosse is going to be good lacrosse.
“We are here for box, field, sixes, and we try to talk about the WLL and women’s lacrosse; all the lacrosse we can talk about, I’m all for it. At the end of the day, it’s a stick and a ball and putting the ball in the back of the net, and that’s the aim,” noted Barrett.
Amen.
Bye Week
Bandits are off this week. The next game will be on Friday, March 13, as Colorado comes to the KeyBank Center. Appropriately, it will be a country-themed night.
Enjoy the five games scheduled this weekend, spread over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.