Sports stats

Swarm Denied A Victory In Buffalo

January 30, 2010 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Minnesota Swarm News Release


SAINT PAUL, MN - The National Lacrosse League's Minnesota Swarm (1-3) fell to the Buffalo Bandits (1-4) 11-7 Saturday night in front of 15,636 fans at HSBC Arena.

After a slow start, Minnesota managed to tie the game at halftime, 5-5 behind a last second goal from F Callum Crawford (2g, 2a). G Kevin Croswell replaced G Nick Patterson 30 seconds into the second quarter after Patterson allowed five goals in 15 minutes of action. Croswell managed to hold the Bandits scoreless for the next 19 minutes of play until Buffalo responded with four answered goals in the third quarter to build a comfortable 9-5 lead.

Buffalo's defense held strong through out the second half despite allowing 26 shot opportunities from Minnesota's offense. The Swarm unfortunately would only convert on two of those chances. Bandits G Ken Montour held Minnesota to seven goals and added 44 saves in a complete game and T Mark Steenhuis dished out a game-high seven assists as the Bandits earned their first victory of the season.

Buffalo held an early 2-0 lead until Minnesota's leading scorer Callum Crawford put the Swarm on the board with 11:08 remaining in the first. The Bandits would respond with another two goals, both from F Frank Resetarits (3g) to push the lead to 4-1. F Aaron Wilson (2g, 2a) tallied his ninth goal of the season on a diving shot to end the period with Buffalo leading, 4-2.

Bandits rookie F Kyle Clancy (1g, 1a) managed to record his first goal in the NLL 30 seconds into the second quarter to once again extend the Bandits lead, 5-2. Minnesota would eventually clamp down on defense, as Croswell would hold the Bandits scoreless for the rest of the quarter. Goals from F Ryan Benesch (1g, 3a) and F Kevin Ross (1g, 1a) brought the Swarm within one, 5-4 and finally gave Minnesota some momentum. With just over 10 seconds remaining in the quarter, Head Coach Mike Lines called a timeout to prepare for one last play before halftime. The timeout was well spent. Minnesota raced up the field where Benesch assisted Crawford for his second goal of the night to tie the game heading into halftime, 5-5.

That play would mark the bright spot for Minnesota Saturday night as the Bandits came out in the third quarter hitting on all cylinders. The Bandits managed to score four unanswered goals to build a comfortable 9-5 lead heading into the game's final period.

Wilson gave the Swarm some hope though when he tallied his second goal of the night to tighten things up, 9-6 with 12:34 remaining in the fourth. A goal from D Tom Montour (1g, 2a) would put the Bandits up 10-6 with just over two minutes remaining in the game after Lines sent an extra attackman on offense. Minnesota tried the same strategy again with 1:34 remaining and this time it worked as F Sean Pollock (1g, 2a) converted on a rebound to make it 10-7. D Billy Dee Smith (1g) would add one last tally for the Bandits as they walked away with an 11-7 victory.

Next week, Minnesota will head to Washington to start a back-to-back series against the Stealth on Friday, Feb. 5 at 10:00 p.m. CST. The Swarm will then return home to Xcel Energy Center to host the Stealth on Saturday, February 13 at 7:35 p.m. CST. Fans in attendance that night will have a chance to win in-game prizes, including jewelry, getaways and more to celebrate "Say I Do Night." Fans can also participate in a poker tournament in the arena sponsored by Running Aces.



National Lacrosse League Stories from January 30, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Minnesota Swarm Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central