Game Preview: Buffalo Bandits @ Arizona Sting

Published on March 30, 2006 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Arizona Sting News Release


The Arizona Sting will be looking to improve to 7-5 on the season this Saturday when they take on the Buffalo Bandits at the Glendale Arena. Arizona is 2-1 versus East Division opponents this year following a 13-12 win over the Philadelphia Wings last weekend at the Wachovia Center. The Sting have never beaten the Bandits, however, having lost the only game they played against them by a score of 13-11 at the HSBC Arena in March of 2004. Including the Columbus years, the franchise is 0-6 all-time against Buffalo.

The Bandits are coming off a big weekend in which they defeated both the Rochester Knighthawks (18-13) and the Minnesota Swarm (13-11) to move into first place in the East with a record of 7-4. Bandits forward Mark Steenhuis was named the NLL's Week #13 Offensive/Overall Player of the Week after registering 10 points (8G-2A) over the course of the two wins. In addition to Steenhuis, Buffalo's offense is led by veteran forward John Tavares. Considered to be one of the greatest players ever to play in the NLL, Tavares recently passed Gary Gait to become the league's all-time leading scorer.

Head Coach/GM Bob Hamley, who spent the entirety of his playing career with Buffalo, recognizes the high level of talent possessed by the Bandits and knows that his team will have to be playing their best to pull out a win on Saturday night.

"Buffalo is one of the top teams in the league coming into this game," said Hamley. "We didn't play very well in our last home game (a 15-11 loss to Colorado on March 18), so we really have to pick it up this week. We had one of our best games of the year in Philadelphia last week, so hopefully that momentum carries over into our game with the Bandits. It's crunch time right now and our guys know that. Everyone will be ready to go Saturday night."

The Bandits' lineup on Saturday will include four former members of the Sting: Troy Bonterre, Ken Montour, Cory Bomberry, and Jason Crosbie. Crosbie was dealt to Buffalo on March 14 in exchange for Lindsay Plunkett and a draft pick. Since the trade, Plunkett has been a key component of the resurgent Arizona offense, contributing 8 points (5G-3A) in only 2 games. Crosbie has tallied 7 points (2G-5A) in 2 games for the Bandits. Coach Hamley is pleased with Plunketts's performance since his arrival in the Valley of the Sun.

"We knew what we were getting when we traded for Lindsay," says Hamley. "His size was definitely a factor in the deal and he's really been a force on the floor for us in the two games he's been here for."

Buffalo Head Coach Darris Kilgour recognizes Arizona as being a formidable opponent and sees the dynamic and balanced makeup of the Sting as being their greatest obstacle this weekend.

"The Sting have a pretty impressive lineup," said Kilgour. "They have a terrific offense that incorporates speed, size, and the threat of a big outside shot from guys like Criag Conn, so that makes them tough to defend against. When you combine that with a formidable defense and great goaltending, we'll really have our hands full on Saturday. We'll need a full team effort to win in Arizona, that's for sure."

Game time on Saturday is 7:30PM. Gates will open at 6:30PM.

THE MATCH-UP:

Buffalo (7-4) at Arizona (6-5) - Saturday, April 1 @ 7:35 PM

Location: Glendale Arena.

TOP SCORERS:

Arizona - Dan Dawson (11GP-20G-37A-57P); Craig Conn (11GP-36G-16A-52P); Jonas Derks (10GP-18G-24A-42P); Pat Maddalena (11GP-16G-25A-41P); Lindsay Plunkett (9GP-14G-12A-26P)

Buffalo - John Tavares (11GP-20G-39A-59P); Jason Crosbie (11GP-14G-34-48P); Mark Steenhuis (11GP-27G-16A-43P); Cory Bomberry (11GP-16G-20A-36P); Dan Teat (10GP-16G-16A-32P)

ARIZONA/COLUMBUS ALL-TIME AGAINST BUFFALO:

Record: 0-6

Goals For: 72

Goals Against: 109

THE LAST TIME THESE TEAMS PLAYED:

The Bandits beat the Sting 13-11 in Buffalo on March 13, 2004. Pat Maddalena had 5 points (2G-3A) in a losing effort while Dan Dawson registered 2G-1A-3P. Scott Self and Peter Veltman also contributed goals in the game, while Mike Miron stopped 48 of the 61 shots he faced in goal. John Tavares scored 3 goals for the Bandits and added 3 assists for a total of 6 points.



National Lacrosse League Stories from March 30, 2006


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