NLL Buffalo Bandits

2nd-Half Surge Lifts Bandits over Knighthawks on the Road

February 27, 2022 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Buffalo Bandits News Release


The Buffalo outscored the Rochester Knighthawks 9-4 in the second half to come away with a 14-8 victory in the teams' final meeting of the season Saturday night.

Buffalo opened the second half on a 6-0 run. Back-to-back power-play goals from Dhane Smith and Connor Fields ignited that stretch.

"We really didn't have any (halftime) adjustments. We just stuck with the game plan as an offense and we knew that shots would fall at some point," Smith said.

The Bandits move to 8-1 on the season as they take down the Knighthawks 14-8

Smith recorded eight points (3+5) and was named the game's First Star for the third time this season. The former NLL MVP continues to put up impressive numbers, leading the league with 41 assists. His 61 points are second in the league.

Josh Byrne set a new career-high with eight assists in the game.

"We did a great job playing to each other's strengths tonight," he said. "When guys are hot it's all about just finding a way to get them the ball and let them do the rest."

Buffalo swept Rochester 3-0 in the season series with the victory.

Bandits goaltender Matt Vinc, who spent eight seasons in Rochester, stopped 52 shots for a .867 save percentage in his NLL-leading eighth victory.

Tehoka Nanticoke had his second-straight hat trick performance, scoring two goals in the fourth off feeds from Byrne.

Chase Fraser opened up the scoring for Buffalo 33 seconds into the game, as he and Chris Cloutier both added three assists.

The Bandits did a good job shutting down some of Rochester's biggest offensive threats.

Shawn Evans, who came into the day as the Knighthawks' leading scorer with 40 points, recorded just two assists. Curtis Knight, who posted six points in each of the prior matchups between the clubs this season, was held off the scoresheet until he posted an assist late in the fourth quarter.

Ryan Smith led the Knighthawks with four points (3+1).

Ryan Hartley made a career-high 48 saves against Buffalo earlier in the month but stopped only 35 shots with a .714 save percentage.

Early in the game, the teams traded goals to keep things tight.

Fraser and Ryan Smith both scored to make it 1-1 within the first 1:50.

Dhane Smith used a filthy deke to break the ankles of two defenders and leave them in the dust as he darted toward the net for his first goal of the evening to make it 2-1.

The Knighthawks tied the game, but Nanticoke ripped one in at the 6:10 mark of the first quarter to put Buffalo ahead again. The Bandits would hold the lead for the rest of the game.

The Banditland faithful who made the trip east on the I-90 gave Buffalo an un home for Buffalo. It was evident early on and the first "B-O-X" chant of the night in the first quarter solidified the feeling.

"The fans were incredible," Byrne said. "Playing in Buffalo is always a ton of fun, but when they bring Banditland to another team's home...it's a pretty cool feeling."

"Having all those fans on the road felt like the old days," Smith said. "A lot of these guys haven't been able to experience that before so it was awesome for them to know the feeling."

Fields netted his second goal 33 seconds into the second frame with a bounce shot that went top left corner of the cage past the shoulder of Hartley to put Buffalo ahead 5-3.

Hartley and Vinc both had to make big time saves on breakaways off the rush in the second quarter.

The game's physicality increased after a huge open field collision by Nanticoke on Ryland Rees, who laid flat on the turf. Nanticoke was called for interference and Rochester converted thanks to Holden Cattoni's 18th goal of the season to put Rochester within one.

Buffalo blanked Rochester in the third, scoring three goals.

With 6:52 remaining in the quarter, defenseman Kevin Browning scooped up a loose ball at midfield, starting a 3-on-2 break. Browning dished a pass to Justin Robinson for his first goal as a Bandit.

Buffalo added three more goals from Nanticoke, Kyle Buchanan and Smith to start the fourth, increasing the lead to 11-4 for their largest edge of the night.

Rochester stopped the bleeding with 10:48 to go as rookie Charlie Bertrand scored their first goal of the second half. The Knighthawks went on a run of their own, scoring three more goals in 2:30, capped off by Smith's third goal of the game on the power-play.

Robinson received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following Rochester's seventh goal of the game as he was cross-checked to the turf on a pick and roll that he believed to be an illegal screen.

The goal of the night came from Nanticoke with nearly four minutes left in regulation up three goals, as the rookie was on the ground after being brought down by his defended and still found a way to snipe a shot past Hartley.

Frustration set in for the Knighthawks as four Knighthawks received dead ball fouls in the final 23 seconds of the game.

The scoring was capped off when Buffalo's newly acquired faceoff specialist Max Alder was awarded a penalty shot with 4 seconds left. He sent the crowd into a frenzy when he scored his first-career NLL goal on his first-career NLL shot.

Rochester has won just one of the last six games, and they will look to find their winning ways again against the Georgia Swarm on Friday.

Buffalo will look to extend their win streak to three games when they head into another road contest, this time against the Albany FireWolves on March 5. Faceoff from MVP Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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