The Buffalo Bandits ended a four-game losing streak with an 11-10 win over the Halifax Thunderbirds in Nova Scotia last Saturday. The team delivered a consistent performance throughout the game, with contributions from 13 players on the scoresheet. Dhane Smith led with seven points, Ian MacKay added six, and Josh Byrne scored two goals and five points.
Bandits General Manager and defensive coordinator Steve Dietrich said, “There is never a lack of confidence and energy with this team; there is nothing where they just live on their laurels. We are not going to give up on this group; they will keep battling.” He also noted the importance of teamwork: “JT sent the message; it doesn’t matter who is scoring. We need everybody to score, set picks, and hopefully take a little pressure off Dhane and Josh.”
Transition play was effective for the Bandits, highlighted by Cam Wyers’s goal and Matt Spanger’s score on the anniversary of his previous season-ending injury. Mitch de Snoo returned after missing four games due to injury and led the team with 14 loose balls collected. Dietrich commented on the impact of injuries: “Losing Justin Martin, you don’t realize how important Martin/de Snoo are till you don’t have them. He’ll (now) anchor the left side defense.”
Defensively, six different players blocked shots, including Paul Dawson who now leads the league with 19 blocks. Seven players forced turnovers during the game.
Goaltender Matt Vinc made 41 saves in total, including 24 in the second half. Reflecting on recent challenges, Vinc said, “There have been times when I felt really well, and there have been times when I feel the pressure to get a win; sometimes that weighs on me.” He added: “We are here to win. Don’t let any other mindset creep into the game; coming in with a positive approach, let’s be a team and go home with a victory.” Dietrich praised Vinc as “the backbone” of the team.
After ending their losing streak at midseason, Dietrich expressed relief: “They just need to go out and have fun – that’s what we need to do as a team here; go out and have fun and play lacrosse. The ball is going into the net, and we hope we keep it out of our net.”
The use of video analysis has become an integral part of preparation for each game. Assistant coach Eric Vinc explained that video helps identify patterns in both their own play and opponents’. “Video really helps, no matter what position, allowing you to see what players do regularly. It has changed the game altogether. To see how far the game has come is pretty crazy,” said Vinc.
Game planning starts immediately after each match through extensive video review using Hudl software. Clips are prepared for head coach John Tavares (“JT”) and Steve Dietrich for further editing before being distributed to players via email during game week.
Vinc described how individualized video clips cater to player preferences: “For example, MacKay likes to see where the lefties are shooting… Josh likes to watch opposing players on defense… Matt wants to see all of the shots from the upcoming opponent.” The NLL provides access to all league games for analysis.
Vinc can also monitor how much time each player spends watching videos each week.
