The Buffalo Bandits (4-5) and the Colorado Mammoth (4-3) will face off in their only 2015 NLL regular season matchup Saturday February 28th, 2015 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The last time these two teams met was a 2014 week 4 battle at the First Niagara Center where the Bandits emerged victorious with the 12-9 win at home.
In the previous two weeks, the Bandits were faced with settling up their Thruway series against their rivals the Rochester Knighthawks. Rochester completed their clean sweep of the Bandits in their best of three series with a 15-10 road victory on February 14th at the First Niagara Center and a 13-12 overtime victory at home in their friendly confines of Blue Cross Arena on February 21st.
The biggest issue facing the Bandits so far this year has been their inability to put their opponents away when it matters most in the fourth quarter. During the 2015 NLL regular season, the Bandits have been outscored by their opponents in the fourth quarter by a margin of 41-17. A very large spotlight has been placed on the previous two weeks when they were outgunned 10-1 against the Knighthawks.
With those previous losses in hand, the Bandits are really needing to come together as a team with everyone stepping up and playing a full 60 minutes to come away with the victory tonight against the Mammoth.
During the NLL coaches conference call earlier in the week, Bandits assistant coach Rich Kilgour explained the effect the losses had on the team and why it’s important to leave the past behind and keep moving forward.
“Any loss is really tough. We were up 11-6 at one point and we’ve got to figure out a way to beat those guys. They found a way to get it done and we didn’t. It was tough. But at the same time, it’s time to move on and with Colorado coming and playing well this year, it’s going to be a tough go.”
If the regular season standings weren’t enough to bring Bandits fans into a small state of panic, the news of Bandits starting goaltender and 2014 nominee for NLL goalie of the year Anthony Cosmo tweaking his knee while shoveling the driveway during the week and placing him on the PUP list was enough to shake even the diehards to the core.
With Cosmo out this means that rookie backup goaltender Davide Diruscio will be promoted to starting goaltender for the foreseeable future while Cosmo recovers and the Bandits also announced that former Toronto Rock goaltender Zak Boychuk was signed this week as his backup.
Diruscio has had limited playing experience this year as he relieved Cosmo for the final 15:32 of the first half against the Knighthawks on January 31st in Rochester. Diruscio went 10 for 14 in his only appearance.
“I’ve been working hard and getting ready for it,” Diruscio said at this morning’s shoot around. “It’s a part of the position, always staying ready and you never know what’s going to happen so you always have to be ready.”
One little bit of good news to update on for tonight’s matchup that was just announced is the return of Bandits legend John Tavares to the active roster. Hopefully he’ll be able to make a significant impact tonight against the Mammoth.
On the other side of the coin, the Mammoth’s 2015 season is just starting to heat up. Last weekend against New England, the Mammoth organization had their equipment misplaced on their long distance flight en route to New England. Mammoth players had to scramble at the last minute to get whatever equipment they could get their hands on to be able to play and still pulled off the 14-12 road victory against the Black Wolves. The win against New England helped end their three game losing streak and tied them for the Western Division lead against the Edmonton Rush (who lost in overtime Friday night against the Toronto Rock).
Mammoth coach Dan Stroup during the coaches conference call talked about the manic experience in New England and was happy with how his players achieved their goal in the face of adversity with “Once the game got going they didn’t even worry about it. I thought they played great and the little things they could have worried about they didn’t.”
Mammoth forward John Grant Jr. added to the conversation with “You kind of have to forget about it and play. Both teams did an admirable job of just getting rid of it and playing through it.”
Currently Colorado has an undefeated 2-0 record against Eastern Division opponents while Buffalo also has an undefeated 3-0 record against Western Division opponents.
Recalling his days as a former Rochester Knighthawk, John Grant Jr. knows firsthand how the fans in Banditland can have a serious impact during games at the First Niagara center.
“I know the building pretty well and the fans are very knowledgeable and they know to get under your skin. The team plays off of that and the first five minutes of lacrosse there is a war. You have to do everything you can to stick to your game plan. As long as we continue to improve, hopefully we can keep heading in the right direction.”
