The Buffalo Bandits earned a 16-15 comeback victory versus the Philadelphia Wings in front of 2,000 fans at the First Niagara Centre to open their preseason. Philadelphia opened the scoring when rookie John Ranagan notched an early transition goal off a feed from Kyle Ross. The Wings would continue to build their lead with a pair of back to back goals from Pat Saunders to establish a 3-0 lead just…
The Buffalo Bandits will play host to the Philadelphia Wings in pre-season action Saturday, December 7 at the First Niagara Center. The matchup marks the first exhibition game for either team. Troy Cordingley will get his first chance to familiarize himself with the view from the Buffalo bench. The Bandits have shied away from exhibition games in recent years after their infamous 2010 bench clearing brawl with the Toronto Rock…
Despite being just 20 years of age and never playing a game in the NLL, Wenster Green is by no means a stranger to professional lacrosse. Drafted 40th overall by the Buffalo Bandits in 2012 NLL Entry Draft, Green was signed along with Kevin Brownell in mid-October before being released by the Bandits on December 18th of last year. Green was also the 6th overall selection of the Iroquois Ironmen…
The late October signing of Sid Smith to a seven-year contact opened the floodgates for a November that has seen the Rochester Knighthawks ink contracts with close to twenty players, including nine members of their championship squad from last season. Rochester’s signing spree was not only notable in quantity, the player caliber and length of the deals was also prominent. Captain Sid Smith’s contract was replicated in duration for the…
The Buffalo Bandits began preparations for the upcoming NLL season kicking off their training camp at the First Niagara Center. Despite finishing in last place and missing the playoffs in 2013, the attitude at camp was nothing but enthusiastic and confident. “We made some moves last year that didn’t pan out the way we thought, but brought in some really good players this year” said General Manager Steve Dietrich. “With…
After a disappointing first season as the Buffalo Bandits general manager, Steve Dietrich has been making some notable offseason moves to bring success back to Bandit Land. Dietrich and new head coach Troy Cordingley will have some new faces vying for their chance to dawn the black and orange for the 2014 season. Leading the new crop of Bandits are offseason acquisitions Ryan Benesch and Rory Smith. Benesch has spent…
The Toronto Rock made waves during last off-season with the signing of free agent Chris White. While the former Buffalo Bandits captain was arguably the most high profile free agent available, it was also surprising that such a move came from a Toronto franchise that generally features little roster turnover. A majority of Toronto’s contracts are with players or prospects already members of the Rock organization. After applying the…
Since establishing a new collective bargaining agreement, NLL teams have been busy locking up prospects for their potential 2014 roster. Here are a few of the notable names still unsigned. The defending champion Rochester Knighthawks, who recently signed draft picks Mark White and Taylor Northway, have two key members of their championship team remaining as unrestricted free agents in Brad Self and Mike Accursi. Peterborough, ON native Self, a…
The two-time defending NLL champion Rochester Knighthawks are in a rather comfortable situation as they begin their quest for a historic third Champion’s Cup in a row. Rochester recently made this situation even more ideal, locking up two key components of their recent success in captain Sid Smith and goaltender Matt Vinc. In just three seasons with the Knighthawks, Vinc has been named team MVP twice during his time…
The Syracuse Orange saw their 16-4 season turn into a triumphant title run, only to fall in the 2013 NCAA championship game. The Orange will look to fill some significant turnover from last year’s roster in order to contend again in 2014. Syracuse’s midfield unit loses a combined 109 points with the graduation of JoJo Marasco and Luke Cometti. Senior captain Billy Ward, who put up 16 points as junior…