Get Ready
I am still reeling from the December 28 Bandits banner raising and victory over the Knighthawks. Truly a great Buffalo sports triple header with the Bandits, Sabres, and Bills.
It was also a great lead-in to the New Year’s celebration.
Keep your party hats and favors because another triple header is on tap this weekend. The Bandits will host the Toronto Rock at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, The Sabres will host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, and the Bills will host the Denver Broncos on Sunday for a playoff game!
WOW
I love that the Bandits get to start the triple header Friday night against their nemesis from the North. Please pay no attention to the Rock’s record; they have been thinking about this game since last May when the Bandits eliminated them again.
Come hell or high water, this Rock team will be ready, and you can guarantee they will put a lineup on the floor that will fight to the finish trying to beat the only undefeated team in the league.
I am not sure you will sit in your seat for this one, even after a 14-day layoff with the two clubs.
Whatever tickets are left, click here and find out.
The Creator’s Game
On Friday night inside Key Bank Center, the Creators game will be celebrated with the Bandits’ traditional Native American Night. Several activities will be held, including the awarding of the club’s Native American Scholarship, which is presented to a Native American student with academic achievements in pursuit of a university degree.
A viewpoint from afar
Brad Challoner, color analyst with TSN’s western coverage of the NLL and Vancouver Warriors, worked the December 28 game with me on ESPN2. His knowledge of the game runs deep, and his insights are, for the most part, spot on.
He claims to be a “lacrosse enthusiast.” Still, his tireless efforts covering the game all year, including the summer Western Lacrosse Association and his hometown Victoria Shamrocks, give him astute credibility.
Brad is a contributing writer for Lacrosse Culture Daily and the host of his popular weekly podcast, Coaches Calls. The podcast features in-depth interviews with NLL coaches and is a must-listen.
After the game, I asked Brad to give his insight into this year’s Bandits team. Having someone from afar with the depth of his knowledge provided an opinion.
He wasn’t shy and answered my question about building the Bandits team.
“Steve Deitrich can see one step ahead of the competition. He’s drafted and signed a core group of players but has not been afraid to make tough decisions.
“He’s earned the respect of GMs around the league with his honesty and fairness in deal-making. Drafting the likes of Cam Wyers deep into the first round was a tremendous move, along with trading for Thomas Whitty this offseason, helping keep the defense young and future-proofing the roster to impending retirements and free agencies.
“And let’s be honest: signing Matt Vinc in 2019 put the franchise over the top.”
This Bandits team, Brad: How, what, when, why, where?
“The organization has done a tremendous job of giving the players the tools they need to become better lacrosse players. Their confidence and swagger come from dedication to craft.
“It’s also a family. The players and organization genuinely care about each other, and that care spills onto the floor. The coaching staff also allows the players to be creative within their system, which makes for an energetic product on the floor.
“It epitomizes the Creators’ game, medicine, and entertainment. The crowd feeds off the product, and the players feed off the crowd—a reciprocal relationship.”
Brad went on to a league-wide scale, underscoring that winning in this league is so hard. The Bandits have a target on their backs “the size of Niagara Falls and can’t afford to take a night off.”
Fifteen grueling games remain to claim a playoff spot- that is the mentality.
How to watch a game
Whether you’re in the stands or watching the game on TV (with the away games radio feed, of course). I asked Georgia head coach Ed Comeau how one should watch the NLL game.
I told him to put the scouting clipboard aside and give me his “busman’s holiday” approach.
“Watch the offense; it’s evolved so much. See if you can pick up on the nuances, how they use their spacing on the floor, and how they try to get guys open,” said Comeau, who has coached for over two decades, won six titles, Coach of the Year honors, and inductee of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
“It’s a lot like basketball with the picks, the on-ball picks, the off-ball picks.
“It used to be for many years; if you were a right-handed shot, you stayed on your half of the floor, the same as a lefty. Now, players are crossing the floor, setting picks, and creating new opportunities we never saw in past years,” Comeau said.
Thanks, coach. And thanks to Brad Challoner.
And now in Living Color
Broadcast coverage of Friday night’s game will be on WGR Sports Radio 550. The pregame show will start at 7 pm. Steve Bermel will join me in the booth, while Dave Buchanan will be wireless by the benches and arena, where interviews and updates will be provided.
Television coverage will be on CW23, TSN’s Friday Night game of the week, TSN+, ESPN+, and NLL+. Teddy Jenner and Pat Gregoire will be in the booth. Ashley Docking is the floor reporter.