Each game, Ian MacKay has grown more comfortable in his new role.
After being a finalist for the Transition Player of the Year award last season, MacKay was injected into the already high-powered Buffalo Bandits offense in 2024-25 and finished second on the team in goals (37), nearly doubling his previous season high.
Playing in his first playoffs on the offensive end full-time, MacKay has carried over his regular-season success. Through three games, he leads the team in goals (9) and points (12), including scoring first-half hat-tricks in back-to-back games in the NLL Semifinals.
MacKay’s three first-half goals against Vancouver in Game 2 were just a piece of what he did. He also recorded three assists for a six-point performance that sent Buffalo to its fifth consecutive NLL Finals in an 11-9 win over the Warriors at Rogers Arena on Sunday.
The Bandits will play the winner of the other semifinal series between Saskatchewan and Halifax, which concludes next weekend. Game 1 of the NLL Finals in Banditland is set for Friday, May 16 with tickets on sale to the general public on Tuesday, May 6 at 10 a.m.
Buffalo will get a week to rest in the meantime thanks in part to the efforts of MacKay.
“I started the season a little behind the 8-ball in terms of my experience playing offense, especially at the NLL level,” MacKay said. “Being up here all year, I’m just trying to get more comfortable each time with where I am on the floor, where I’m setting picks, where I’m trying to get open, how I’m shooting the ball, the different ways to be deceptive. It’s putting in a lot of work away from just games too in Buffalo.”
MacKay’s debut season as a forward started with a bang, notching three points (1+2) in Buffalo’s season opener against Rochester and then scoring a career-high five goals against Ottawa in the second game of the season.
It all came to a head when, in the fourth game of the season, MacKay exploded for a career-high eight points (5+3) in a 15-13 win against the Toronto Rock following the death of his stepdad, Steve Clark.
“It definitely feels like he’s with me out here, having the sticker on my helmet and having his initials on a bunch of my equipment,” MacKay said. “After the national anthem I give the sticker a kiss and ask him to be with us a team and help us to a win. I’m sure he’s looking down on us right now proud of us to get to another championship.”
During the season due to injuries on the defensive end, he was called back to his roots and stepped up to play transition again.
Even despite the in-season switch, MacKay recorded 36 points (24+12) following his eight-point outburst and was a crucial force in the Bandits winning the regular season championship and now making it all the way to the NLL Finals yet again.
“He’s just a good athlete. He can pick up loose balls, he can set picks, he can go to the net, he can shoot from outside. He’s just a full-circle player,” Kyle Buchanan said. “He creates a lot of space out there because he’s athletic, he’s awesome. He’s so versatile, we can put him back if we need to and he can play short man. I love him because he’s got a lot of IQ.”
With the series within their grasp, the Bandits’ offense put their stamp on the game early.
Before five minutes had elapsed in the opening quarter, Dhane Smith and MacKay scored to give Buffalo an early two-goal lead. Smith’s goal came on the power play, marking the fourth extra-man goal the Bandits have scored in the series.
The bank is open for The Great Dhane! #LetsGoBandits | @dhanesmith92 pic.twitter.com/iqIoQVmZrw
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) May 5, 2025
Vancouver scored back-to-back goals to even the game at the end of the first quarter before Chase Fraser, 1:44 into the second quarter, faked out Vancouver goalie Christian Del Bianco and scored to take back the lead. Vancouver took back the lead nearly three minutes later, but Buffalo’s offense wouldn’t be quelled.
Following a trio of goal-line saves from Matt Vinc, the Bandits went on the attack with two goals scored a minute apart by MacKay. He rocketed the first goal from the top of the zone, then dove across the crease for the second.
“Luckily for me, it was dropping again tonight,” MacKay said. “Josh (Byrne) was working really hard, Chris (Cloutier) on the left side. Guys were working really hard on the whole offense and early on it was me getting it and later on, Chase (Fraser) and Chris got the monkey off his back and it was starting to fall for a bunch of guys.”
Back to back games with a hatty for Ian MacKay! 🔥#LetsGoBandits | @IanMacKay_94 pic.twitter.com/C8yqnZUSqw
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) May 5, 2025
With 16.7 seconds left in the half, Keegan Bal scored his second goal of the series, surpassing Vancouver’s Game 1 goal output and putting the score at 5-4 at halftime.
The Warriors got off to a hot start in the second half, scoring twice in the first minute. Tehoka Nanticoke responded quickly to tie the game, going low-to-low to beat Del Bianco. Vancouver had another two-goal run, extending their lead to 8-6, but again Buffalo responded, this time with Chris Cloutier sneaking one past Del Bianco.
Tehoka can score from DEEEP! 🎯#LetsGoBandits | @Tehoka1 pic.twitter.com/cUDF7kPBwL
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) May 5, 2025
Down one going into the final quarter, the Bandits played like they were the ones facing elimination.
Smith scored 39 seconds into the quarter, shooting through Del Bianco’s legs. Seeing a weak point on the Vancouver netminder, the Bandits attacked it with Fraser and Cloutier scoring in a 56-second span, both going through the five-hole to take a 10-8 lead.
“Their season was on the line, they had nothing to lose so we just had to stick with it and do that ourselves,” Buchanan said. “We knew our defense was going to hold them, they’ve done a great job all series, so we just had to put it on ourselves offensively and trust in our defense. It was nice to weather the storm and that was a gritty road win.”
Vancouver scored to break up Buffalo’ 4-0 scoring run and bring the game back within a goal.
However, Fraser went between the legs and scored, sucking the life out of Rogers Arena. Vinc stayed tall to close out the game, capping off a 29-save performance with eight saves in the final frame.
CHASE FRASER YOU ABSOLUTE SICKO!! 🤯#LetsGoBandits | @NLL pic.twitter.com/7jYcwBPRjA
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) May 5, 2025
Now the Bandits will have 12 days to rest and get ready for their chance to become the second team in NLL history to three-peat.
“It’s pretty amazing (to make another finals), but it just goes to show you the grit of our guys to be able to bear down to beat those teams that are gunning for us,” Buchanan said. “Obviously, really exciting, but it’s just another step to where we need to get to and we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”
BANDITLAND, WE’RE GOING BACK‼️#LetsGoBandits | @NLL pic.twitter.com/QFq1FgAvPX
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) May 5, 2025