After defeating the Toronto Rock in the opening round of the 2013 NLL playoffs, the Buffalo Bandits will host the back-to-back defending NLL champion Rochester Knighthawks 7:30 pm Saturday night at the First Niagara Center for game one of the Eastern Division Finals.
The Knighthawks were the 3-1 season series winner this year against the Bandits. In their last matchup of the 2013 NLL season, the Knighthawks came away with the 16-14 victory in Buffalo on April 26.
The Knighthawks held a one goal (12-11) lead heading into the fourth quarter. Rochester continued to pour on the offensive pressure in the fourth which yielded a four-goal run. The Bandits fought back valiantly with a three-goal run of their own but in the end it wasn’t enough.
With the Knighthawks securing first place in the East Division this year, they secured the home field advantage and more importantly, the opening round bye for playoffs.
With Rochester having the opening round bye during playoff time, the week off can be crucial to a team that is dealing with nagging injuries or possible suspension issues.
“We had that extra week to heal some guys that were a little banged up. We also had the opportunity to watch Buffalo live as a team,” said Knighthawks coach Mike Hasen.
After successfully defeating the Toronto Rock with the 15-13 victory last Saturday, the once struggling Bandits offense has now found a way to hit the back of the net with a vengeance.
Bandits’ assistant coach Dan Teat believes that a newfound confidence is the key for their resurgence.
“I don’t think we have to revamp or change a whole lot. Offensive guys are all about confidence and over the last couple games our guys have some confidence when they’re shooting. Right now it has a lot to do with guys playing together and feeding off each other and the other guys’ confidence.”
The Bandits know that defeating the Knighthawks will be no easy measure and look forward to the challenge.
“We realize that we have to be at our absolute best to have a chance to beat these guys,” said Teat. “They are the best team in the league and they’re the defending champs for a reason. They play their best lacrosse when it counts.”
Leading the offensive charge for the Bandits on Saturday will be Ryan Benesch with 10 points (7 G, 3 A), Mark Steenhuis with six points (1 G, 5 A) and captain John Tavares with four points (2 G, 2 A).
Leading the offensive charge for the Knighthawks will be regular season team leaders in points Cody Jamieson, Dan Dawson and Stephen Keogh.
