“Survive and Advance”.

That is the mantra of college basketball’s March Madness, but could certainly be fitting for the Buffalo Bandits, as last night they began National Lacrosse league playoff play at HSBC Arena.

When it was all over, the Bandits racked themselves up a huge 11-8 win over the Boston Blazers, setting up for a second round playoff showdown against the New York Titans next weekend.

The Bandits came out smoking in this one, doling out punishing hits and taking physical control of the game early. Cory Bomberry earned fan honors for the “Carrubba Collision”, delivering a hard body check 5 minutes into the game which had the crowd on its feet, but nonetheless earned a penalty for “illegal cross check”. “I didn’t think it should have been a penalty,” Bomberry said after the game.

Buffalo took an early 4-1 lead, but the Blazers crawled back to tie it, before Buffalo would score in the final second of the first quarter to go up by one. John Tavares then scored on a shorthanded breakaway to give the Bandits a two goal cushion, but Boston would tie it again, and by halftime the Bandits were nursing a one goal lead.

The third quarter was a defensive affair on both sides, with slow and sluggish play and neither team able to seize opportunities. Boston scored the only goal of the frame, a power play goal late, with Dan Dawson getting yet another assist, he had seven on the night of Boston’s eight goals.

So it all came to down to one period, and it was Buffalo who broke the tie early, with John Tavares’ second goal of the game a laser fired from the top of the slot at the 1:26 mark. Shortly thereafter Mark Steenhuis’ long shot found the back of the net, and Buffalo was again up by two. Boston got one back, but then Steenhuis netted his fourth of the game. Steenhuis gave credit to his teammates Mike Accursi and Cory Bomberry for their help in his successes. “Cory and Mike are the workhorses. They created the space that allowed me to get open. Give the credit to them.”

From then on it was stellar defense and clutch saves from Ken Montour to keep the Blazers at bay. A last second empty net goal by Tom Montour put an exclamation point on the evening. Final score: Buffalo 11, Boston 8. It was party time in Banditland.

Bandits Coach Darris Kilgour was especially pleased with the way his defense played. “Our defense played great for four quarters. Kyle Schmelzle… Joe Smith.. I could go up and down the line.” If there was one area where the Bandits got into trouble it was on the penalty kill. The Blazers netted four power play goals, many coming late on the penalty, where they controlled possession and clock time. “I wasn’t too concerned,” said Kilgour. “Yeah they managed to collect the loose balls and rebounds, but five on five we outplayed them.”

13,343 fans were in attendance, a bit of a disappointing turnout considering the packed houses the Bandits have enjoyed for most of the regular season. Those who did attend certainly had their best game faces on, many clad in black and orange and turning on the chants and rhythmic clapping throughout the game. Annoying P.A. Guy was also in his typical rare form, and we surmise he might have even hoisted a couple before (or during) the game. Early in the 4th quarter he screeched “Bom-Berryyyyyy!…… DAMN!” on a missed goal opportunity…. Later in the game he announced that the Bandits would be taking on the New York SAINTS in next week’s playoff game. The team is named the Titans. The New York Saints were a former NLL franchise, long since departed. And the “Swennie Says” segment… yeah he totally botched it, beseeching fans to get up and sit down like jackrabbits. The last man standing won a team jersey, and A.P.A.G. then told the guy “Put that jersey on!” while the winner was in full view up on the video board. Only problem is the fan would have had to shed about 100 pounds to shimmy in to that puppy.

The Bandits will travel to New York next Saturday at 7;30PM to take on the New York SaintsTitans at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. A trusted source in the Bandits organization told us that the Bandits tried to “purchase” the game and have the venue moved to Buffalo, offering as much as $75,000 for the home rights, but that offer did not pan out. The Titans have had trouble getting traction and establishing a dedicated fan base in the New York market, and have played their home dates at three different venues throughout the Tri-State area. This past weekend the Titans only drew about 4,000 patrons to their first round playoff game.

Kilgour expects a tough fight against a team that the Bandits have struggled against this season. “We need to limit Casey Powell’s opportunities… and we have to find a way to beat (goaltender) Matt Vinc,” said Kilgour. “No one in this locker room has been happy with the second half of this season,” added Mark Steenhuis. “We want to go in there and play better.”

Will there be more playoff action at HSBC Arena this year? That all depends. Of course, the Bandits would have to take care of business in New York next weekend. They would then take on the winner of the West in the Championship Game. If Calgary comes out of the West, that game will take place at the Pengrowth Saddledome. If San Jose defeats Calgary in the western final next weekend, then the championship will be played right here in Buffalo in two weeks.

Updated Sunday 5/3 8:35PM

It wasn’t the sexiest game you want to watch. And for a while there, the Bandits looked a bit forlorn, surrendering the lead in the 3rd quarter and looking tired in the process. But thanks to some key scoring late in the thrid quarter by Pat McCready and Mike Accursi, a strong fourth quarter where the Bandits scored five times, and fabulous netminding by goaltender Ken Montour, the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Rochester Knighthawks 13-9 tonight at HSBC Arena.

17,118 fans turned out for this one, including a small but vocal smattering of fans from Rochester, and watched the Bandits take an early 2-0 lead. Even Phil Sanderson got in on the scoring in this one, scoring his first of the season on a nifty pass from behind the goal by Pat McCready, leaving him all alone in front of the net. Stars John Tavares and Mark Steenhuis, both of whom have been battling the flu, combined on a nifty two on one, with Steenhuis left with nothing but empty net, totally fooling Rochester goalie Pat O’Toole.

Rochester would come back however, scoring three straight in the third quarter to take their second lead of the game. But Buffalo answered quickly, and opened up the game in the fourth. Cory Bomberry went airborne to make it 9-7, then Roger Vyse’s laser long shot upped it to 10-7.

With the score 11-8 Bandits five minutes into the fourth quarter, Montour electrified the crowd with two point blank saves, one reaching out his stick to block what would have been a sure goal. The play then went the other way, and Roger Vyse’s next patented laser gave the Bandits a four goal lead, their largest of the night. Said Montour “I was out of position and just stuck my stick out. I guess I got lucky. Ten seconds later I just dove and the ball hit me.” Coach Darris Kilgour heaped praise on his netminder, saying “Kenny gave us all he had tonight.” Montour faced 61 shots tonight, and stopped 52 of them. “When Kenny’s on his game, he’s unstoppable,” added teammate Mike Accursi.

Rochester pulled their goaltender with less than two minutes left in the game, and managed to get continuous possession, until Buffalo intercepted the ball in a crowd in front of their net. John Tavares’ dribbler traveled 150 feet and slowly made it into the empty Rochester net to seal the win for Buffalo. Final score: Bandits 13, Knighthawks 9.

Coach Kilgour liked what he saw not only from his goaltender, but from his defense. “Our defense played well in front of him (Montour),” said Kilgour. “We got timely goals in the fourth quarter. They’re a big team. We wanted to shoot from the outside. We wanted to restrict the flow tonight.”

With the win, the Bandits have secured at least one home playoff game. The divisional semifinal will be played the weekend of May 1 at HSBC Arena. But their work is not done – the team will seek to clinch the East Division and home field advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs, as they travel to New York to face the Titans Saturday night. And for even more scoreboard watching – the Calgary Roughnecks lost tonight, dropping to 10-4 in the West. Where Calgary ends up could have home field implications should Buffalo and Clagary make it to the championship game. As for tomorrow, Kilgour stated that Mike Thompson will get the start in goal down in New York, with Montour slated to start next weekend. “I have every trust in Mikey,” said Kilgour.

With back to back games this weekend, might fatigue become a factor down in New York? Accursi responded, “It’s always a concern, and they’re down there waiting for us, but now we’ve played and we can be a bit loose as well. It works both ways. Plus, they came in here and beat us so we have something to prove.”

After this weekend the team will then conclude the 2009 regular season at home against the Boston Blazers next Saturday with a 7:30PM start.

GAME NIGHT EVENT CREW THOUGHTS —

We’re gonna lighten up a bit on Annoying P.A. Guy, after hearing loud and clear from the folks in Banditland how much beloved he really is. Turns out, he wasn’t at his usual post for tonight’s game, a rare absence for one of the most dedicated and passionate parts of the Bandits game night crew. Bandits Media Relations Chief Chris Ostrander reported that there was a schedule conflict on this night, and backup Rich Gaenzler capably filled in on the mic, still keeping going some of the Bandits signature chants (Bom-Bom-Bom-Berry), although at a slightly lower decibel.

Call this one wasted opportunities. Countless shots ringing off the post. An anemic power play.

Despite outshooting the New York Titans 59-40, the Buffalo Bandits failed to capitalize on their chances, and fell to New York by a score of 11-9, before a near sellout crowd of 18,550 at HSBC Arena.

One of Buffalo’s prettiest goals happened early on. John Tavares was fighting for control of a loose ball just off to the side of the New York net while his teammates were making a player change. That change was very slow in happening, leaving Tavares to fend for himself. Getting no help, he managed to outfight four New York defenders and send the ball back to Tom Montour, who then re-fed it to right back to Tavares, then burying the ball behind goaltender Matt Vinc.

Otherwise, Vinc was absolutely fabulous in the crease tonight, especially in the first quarter, when he held Buffalo to just two goals on 19 shots, making several highlight reel saves in the process. At the other end, goalie Mikey Thompson was the last minute starter as Ken Montour was scratched due to the flu. “Matt was terrific tonight he made the difference,” said a disappointed Coach Darris Kilgour. “From our end, I thought Mikey (Thompson) let in a couple easy ones.” Kilgour added that Thompson did not know he would be playing until just half an hour before the game.

Buffalo trailed 6-3 at the half, and then brought it within two early in the 3rd on a strange looking dribbler that was credited to John Tavares. From there Buffalo went into an offensive funk for most of the 3rd quarter, until Mark Steenhuis lit the lamp twice late in the frame, one on a laser shot.

That gave Buffalo a spark heading into the 4th quarter. Billy Dee Smith tied the score at eight on a breakaway just over three minutes into the frame, but New York immediately retook the lead, and every time Buffalo made it close, the Titans answered. “Yeah it’s frustrating,” said Smith. “I was in the right spot for that breakaway, and I just knew I would bury it. That was the time for a momentum changer but we could not seal the deal.”

Buffalo earned a 4 minute power play at the 6:38 mark, thanks to Bill Greer’s check from behind on Mark Steenhuis, but the Bandits could not mount much of any pressure during that time, misfiring on most shots and not being able to find their shot lanes. Steenhuis brought it to within one with less than three minutes to go, but as was the case all night, New York immediately answered, closing out the scoring and an 11-9 win. “Our power play was horrible, we had so many opportunities to put this one away and we didn’t,” said Mike Accursi, who had a goal and two assists on the night. “We must have hit 10 or 15 posts tonight. I have to give New York credit they made the big plays when it counted.”

Buffalo did get some help on the scoreboard tonight (Gee those are words you’ll never read in a Sabres story), as Rochester defeated Boston, and Toronto also lost, and now the Bandits find themselves nursing just a one game lead on Both New York and Boston. “This is a tough division,” said Accursi. “Remember last year, you look at this division, there were four teams at 10-6, that speaks for itself. I expect nothing different this season it will be a dogfight.”

The Bandits head to Boston next Saturday to face the Blazers in a first place showdown. “This isn’t a typical expansion team, they are stacked with seasoned veterans,” said Accursi. Coach Kilgour added, “They start with (forward Dan) Dawson and finish with (goalie Anthony) Cosmo. They are about as tough a team as they come.”

John Tavares scored four points on the night, bringing him within just six points to 1400 in his amazing career.

CHEERS AND JEERS…

Cheers to HSBC Arena management, for putting the Sabres game against Montreal, still in progress, up on the video board as soon as the Bandits game ended, inviting fans to stick around and watch. The game was past the halfway mark of the 3rd period tied at 3 at the time. And that leads to…

Jeers to HSBC Arena management, for cutting the game off at the end of regulation, with the score still tied at 3, and shooing the fans out of the seating bowl. Gratefully, the game was still running on the monitors in the pavilion (sans sound), and after doing our postgame interviews we stuck around with about 500 other hardy fans to watch the game to its exciting conclusion, a six round shootout won by the Sabres.

Goalie Mike Thompson can just look on in disbelief as New York opens a 6-3 lead late in the second quarter.
-Photo credit: Mark Byrnes, WNY Media

Rochester, New York… You can’t blame the denizens of Banditland. They were there, at Blue Cross Arena, in the thousands, clad in their black and orange and making their presence felt.

But even that was not enough to help the Buffalo Bandits to victory tonight, as the home team Rochester Knighthawks won a 15-14 overtime thriller before 9134 patrons. Shawn Evans scored the game winner shorthanded on a two on one break at 4:23 of overtime to seal the win for Rochester.

This one started out very badly for the Bandits. Buffalo fell behind 5-1 early, was ineffective in winning faceoffs and controlling loose balls, giving the Knighthawks almost a nonstop possession in the early going. “Mikey (goalie Mike Thompson) didn’t play badly,” said Coach Darris Kilgour after the game. “I just felt that we needed to do something to give the team a spark, so making the change at that point in the game was all on me.” Kilgour pulled Thompson in favor of netminder Ken Montour, who went the rest of the way for Buffalo.

It seemed to work, as the Bandits clawed back and managed to take a 10-9 lead going into the half. Both of Cory Bomberry’s goals came late in the first quarter, and in the second quarter Sean Greenhalgh undressed Rochester goalie Pat O’Toole after receiving a perfect feed pass from John Tavares and was all alone in front of the net.
Tavares was disappointed at the outcome of the game, but said that the team played well. “We didn’t really play that badly. Most teams would have folded after that awful start. It’s just a shame it had to end this way.”

Both teams settled down and played better defensively in the second half. With the game knotted at 12 going into the fourth, Roger Vyse gave the Bandits the lead early in the fourth, but Rochester came back almost immeditely to tie the score, then minutes later took a one goal lead.

Then disaster almost struck.

Cory Bomberry was called for a very suspect five minute roughing major at the 7:32 mark. But Buffalo played a stifling defense, blocking the perimeters and not giving any shot lanes to the Knighthawks. As the penalty wound down, Rochester was called for their own penalty and yet another, and just like that the Bandits had a five on three advantage.

But the Bandits could not capitalize. Playing tenuously and without urgency, a feed pass into the offensive zone was intercepted by Rochester defensive specialist Steve Toll, and they managed to kill one penalty. Now 5 on 4, it was all hands on deck and the Bandits, crashing the net from all corners, got the equalizer off the stick of Mike Accursi with about a minute left.

The overtime was a back and forth affair, with Rochester getting the best opportunities, as Buffalo’s possessions continuously resulted in 30 second clock violations and no shots. Then Evans and Sandy Chapman were off to the races, two on one, and Evans buried the ball past Kenny Montour to give Rochester their win.

Following the game, Mike Accursi, who at one time played for the Knighthawks, was angry and disappointed at the outcome of the game. “The first five minutes of this game were awful,” fumed Accursi. “These teams have figured us out by now. Everyone wants a piece of us and if us guys think we can just roll over and everything will be fine. Well it’s not fine…. ” Accursi’s voice trailed off.

Both Accursi and Tavares said that the five minute penalty kill was a huge turning point for the team, and should have been the momentum changer to give Buffalo the win. “Kenny plays his a** off and then we get the five on three and nothing” said Accursi. “That should have been two goals right there. This just isn’t good enough. I have to do better. These guys all have to do better.”

Coach Kilgour said that shaking off the now two game losing streak will require a return to fundamentals. “We’ll get the chalkboard out, do the X’s and O’s and figure this all out. It will be great to be back home the next two weeks with all our great fans behind us.”

Now at 7-3, the Bandits return to HSBC Arena next Saturday to face the Portland Lumberjax. Game time is 7:30 PM.

THREE THINGS WE LIKE ABOUT THE GAME NIGHT PRESENTATION AT BLUE CROSS

1) During the intro, a lone bagpiper walked out on the field, with the announcer saying “This is how they do it in Buffalo.” Then about 20 more bagpipers march out in unison to join the first one “This is how WE do it in Rochester.”

2) Coolest video clip, done to Meatloaf’s “I’ll do anything for love”. Guy is pursuing hot chick in trenchcoat through the corridors of Blue Cross Arena. She finally agrees to join him, and as they get to their seats, hot chick takes off the coat, exposing her Bandits jersey. Disgusted guy gets up and leaves… But I won’t do THAT! Great stuff!

3) And best of all, no Annoying P.A. Guy! The biggest stain and blotch on our proud Bandits franchise remains at his microphone post at HSBC Arena. Oh how nice it was to attend an indoor lacrosse game and not have to listen to this jerk!

Lastly… RIP to the Red Osier stand at Blue Cross Arena, which is no longer there. It’s been a while since visiting here, and a run to enjoy their delectable roast beef sandwich was a staple of a game night. Guess that will have to wait now until a Red Wings baseball game at Frontier Field.