Three-peat complete. Dynasty solidified. History made. The Buffalo Bandits are your 2024-2025 NLL Champions, their seventh championship in franchise history and third consecutive. The Bandits became the first franchise in league history to get to seven championships and are only the second team in league history to complete the three-peat. There is one constant between both franchises that completed the three-peat, that being Matt Vinc. Vinc was the goaltender with the “old” Rochester Knighthawks during their three-peat from 2012-2014, and now with Buffalo the last three years.
In front of a sellout crowd in Buffalo, New York, the Bandits and the Rush battled in game three of the NLL Finals. With the way the first two games went, it should be no surprise that it was only a one-goal game at halftime. But then, the ever-stingy Buffalo defense and prowess of Vinc reared their heads, and Buffalo pitched a second half shutout, all while tacking on eight more goals, cruising to a 15-6 victory. Pandemonium in Banditland.
Saskatchewan wasted little time silencing the crowd as Austin Shanks continued his heater in the postseason with his first, being a dunk behind the net, just 24 seconds into the game. Buffalo answered right back as Josh Byrne buried his first as he flew towards the net, crashing into Frank Scigliano, and eventually getting called for a minor goalie interference penalty. The Rush capitalized on that penalty, as once again, Shanks made the Bandits pay. Shanks came into the zone and fired a worm-burner that caught Vinc and the Buffalo defense by surprise. Less than 30 seconds later, Dhane Smith notched his first to tie it back up, but Zach Manns had the answer with a drive to the front of the net of his own. Chris Cloutier nodded it back up for the third time in the quarter with his first and that’d be how a fast and furious first quarter ended. 3-3 after one.
Remember at the beginning when we said that it was a one-goal game at halftime? It was, however, the first five minutes of the second quarter looked like this game could have been a runaway for Buffalo. Clooch’s goal at the end of the first sparked a five-goal run for Buffalo, with the other four being scored in the first five minutes of the second. Those four goals were scored by Byrne twice, Ian MacKay, and Kyle Buchanan. Bucky’s goal caused a brief exit of Scigliano, but after the ensuing faceoff, he was right back in. Saskatchewan showed their moxie as they came storming right back with three-straight to close out the frame. Those goals were scored by Robert Church twice and Ryan Keenan. 7-6 Bandits at the break.
The goaltending battle was eerily similar, as both men between the pipes had their shining moments but also faltered during the opposition’s runs. Scarily similar numbers as well, as Vinc stopped 16 of 22, while Scigliano stopped 15 of 22.
Little did anyone know, but Church’s goal with 4:18 to play in the second quarter would be the last that the Rush would score the rest of the way. For all the math lovers, that’s a 34:18 scoreless streak. Buffalo’s defense and Vinc showed their experience on the grandest stage, completely shutting down a very young, potent Rush offense. The Bandits utilized the vibes from the crowd and tacked on six to their lead in the third quarter. We’ll save you all the disparaging details from each goal, except for the first one. Excuse me while I call SportsCenter, Pat McAfee, God, and the police, because Chase Fraser needs to be examined, and more importantly, stopped. After coming off a pick, Fraser received a pass and right at the doorstep, fired a one-handed behind-the-back shot that went in. First, where does this dude come up with this stuff? Second, the sickening audacity to not only try this stuff on a regular basis, but cash in just as consistently. Don’t ever change, Chase. The other five Bandits goals were scored by Byrne, Smith twice, and Cloutier twice, and they all were from range, so it seemed like they were onto something when it came to shot selection. Picture perfect frame for the Bandits. 13-6 Buffalo after three.
The scoreless streak for the Rush continued, and the capacity crowd inside KeyBank Center could feel it. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of chances for Saskatchewan; it was just Buffalo’s defense and Vinc taking over. Buffalo tacked on two more goals for good measure, one from Buchanan and the other from Cam Wyers. The clock struck zero, and the Buffalo Bandits were your NLL Champions for the third consecutive year.
Players of the game for Buffalo were Byrne (4+5), Smith (3+5), and Cloutier (3+1). Vinc showed why he’s the GOAT with an unreal second half. He stopped 42 of 48 in total. For Saskatchewan, Church (2+4), Shanks (two goals), and Manns (1+1) led the way. Scigliano did all he could, ultimately coming up short. He stopped 38 of 53.
At the end of the game, the NLL Finals MVP award was presented to Ian MacKay. Much deserved for a guy that, quite literally, can do it all on a lacrosse field, and is a class-act of a human being.
“It’s unbelievable”, said MacKay. “Obviously the goal every year is to win a championship. To do it for the third time is unheard of. To cement ourselves in history is an unbelievable feeling.”
“The team got rolling”, said John Tavares. “They fed off it, we could relax for the last three or four minutes. There were some question marks as to who the better team was. Just watching social media, they thought they were better than us. It was just nice to put our stamp on it and that we’re the best team in this league.”
“I feel like we were knocking on the door to have a great game like we did”, said Smith. “Obviously it started with the defense, Vino standing on his head, blocking shots. Honestly, there’s no better feeling.”
“It sucks, I thought we were ready for the moment”, said Keenan. “They’ve been here before, they know how to close out games. For our group, I think it’s a learning experience.”
That’s a wrap on the 2024-2025 season. What a ride it was. As always, thank you for reading, be safe in the offseason. Same time next year.
