The Buffalo Bandits are set to play the Vancouver Warriors at Rogers Arena on Friday, with the game scheduled to start at 10 p.m. The Bandits, holding a 4-6 record, recently ended a four-game losing streak by defeating the Halifax Thunderbirds 11-10 on February 14. Dhane Smith scored the game-winning goal while shorthanded in the closing minutes.
“That was definitely a must win game for us,” said Bandits coach John Tavares. “Was happy for the guys, I thought the guys played well. I don’t think we played a complete 60 minutes but since the Colorado game, we’ve been playing a lot better. The Philly game we played better, unfortunately lost, but the Halifax game, we played a little better both offensively and defensively. We’re taking strides in the right direction.”
Tavares adjusted his lineup against Halifax by assigning forward Ian MacKay to defensive duties. MacKay contributed six points and initiated scoring early by assisting Kyle Buchanan just 38 seconds into the match.
A key part of Buffalo’s strategy was an increased focus on transition play, which benefitted from defenseman Mitch de Snoo’s return after missing four games due to injury. De Snoo led all players with 14 loose ball recoveries and helped facilitate transition opportunities.
“The hardest thing to do in box lacrosse is score 5-on-5, so you gotta find other ways to score and one of them is in transition,” Tavares said. “It was nice to have the transition game picking up last game.”
Buffalo will need continued success in transition when facing Vancouver, which has allowed the second fewest goals in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) this season. Multiple Bandits defensemen contributed transition goals against Halifax, including Matt Spanger and Cam Wyers. Wyers scored his first goal of this campaign immediately after leaving the penalty box.
“Cam [Wyers] is a big, strong, light on his feet, really fast, athletic player,” Tavares said. “Happy to have Cam on our team. He also brings a lot of energy and he does everything at full speed. Sometimes you gotta remind him to slow the game down a little bit and let the ball do the work. Cam scored a huge goal as well and look like a seasoned offensive player jumping through the crease and twisting around.”
For those wanting to watch or listen: local television coverage is available on CW; streaming is offered via ESPN+; radio broadcast will be on WWKB 1520AM.
Clay Scanlan has taken on more responsibility during his second NLL season, recording five multi-point performances in his last seven games and nearing last year’s total point output with six goals and seven assists so far.
Tavares commented on Scanlan’s progress: “He’s taking some strides to look for his shot as well and not just look to get other guys open,” Tavares said. “It’s important that every offensive guy is a threat out there so I’ve been telling him when he has the ball to look for it himself as well, not just pass it off quickly… He has a great shot and has the ability to score from the outside and the inside so I’d like to see Scanlan get a couple more shots a game… Hopefullyhe’s feeling a little more confident with doing that, and it’s just a matter of making that right choice, or when to take the shot, when not to and I think Clay has been playing well.”
Vancouver comes into this matchup with a 6-3 record behind balanced play highlighted by goaltender Christian Del Bianco—who ranks among league leaders in save percentage (82 percent) and goals-against average (9.22)—and defensive standout Ryan Dilks.
