Week 20 saw a rivalry renewed. The Rochester Knighthawks made the hour-long trip down the I-90 to take on their crosstown foes, the Buffalo Bandits. This clash had some serious implications, as both teams had quite a bit to play for. The Knighthawks were in “must-win” territory, as they were fighting for their playoff lives. The Bandits came in on a six-game winning streak and needed to continue it for a chance at hosting a first round playoff game. KeyBank Center was ready to pop at any second.
Let’s face the facts: this game was never really close. Buffalo jumped out to an early lead and their defense, along with Matt Vinc, clamped down and stifled a potent Rochester offense. Buffalo stretched their winning streak to seven, beating Rochester 12-6. After the dust settled in Week 20, Buffalo saw themselves in third place, which means they would host a first round game if that’s where they remained. If the league wasn’t on notice already, they surely are now.
Buffalo used the energy from the crowd right from the jump, as they buried the first two goals of the game, one from Dhane Smith and the other from Josh Byrne. Zed Williams got the Knighthawks on the board with his first, which was courtesy of his patented step-back laser. The Bandits closed out the first quarter with two more goals, both from Kyle Buchanan, the first of which was on the power play. Bucky also hit the 700-point mark in his remarkable career. 4-1 Bandits after one.
The Bandits wasted little time adding to their lead as the captain, Steve Priolo buried the first goal of the second quarter, just 41 seconds in. Ryan Lanchbury and Blaze Riorden went back-to-back in response, but Buffalo answered that with two of their own. Those goals were scored by Byrne and Ian MacKay. Jacob Piseno netted his first to close out the half, making it 7-4 Bandits at the break.
Buffalo continued to dominate in the third quarter, as they outscored Rochester 3-1, completely shutting down most of the Knighthawks’ scoring opportunities. The lone Rochester goal was scored by Ryan Smith. The three for Buffalo were courtesy of Byrne, Joe Resetarits, and MacKay. 10-5 Buffalo after three.
The fourth quarter was much of the same as Buffalo put this one in cruise control. Matt Vinc was outrageous, the Bandits’ defense looked like that of year’s past, and they netted two more goals to solidify their win. Those Buffalo goals were scored by Smith and Mitch de Snoo, which was a ¾ floor empty netter. Rochester’s defense was stout, their offense had the chances, and Rylan Hartley played out of his mind as well, just unfortunately couldn’t bury their shots. The only Knighthawks’ goal was scored by Riorden. With this win and a bit of help, Buffalo catapulted themselves into third place, going into the final week of the year. Rochester unfortunately was eliminated from playoff contention.
Players of the game for Buffalo were Byrne (3+4), Smith (2+5), and Buchanan (2+4). Vinc was outstanding all game, stopping 43 of 49 in total. For Rochester, Riorden (two goals), Lanchbury (1+4), and Smith (1+1) led the way. Hartley has absolutely nothing to hang his head about, as he stood tall against a flurry of shots. He stopped 42 of 53.
“We’ve got a special group, we’ve been together for a long time”, said Byrne. “We’re just happy to be able to play another game with each other.”
“We wanted to play a five-on-five game”, said John Tavares. “That was the plan. Our offense and defense have been playing well.”
“You want to be feeling good”, said Vinc. “We’ll enjoy tonight and get ready for the game in Oshawa to hopefully lock up a chance to play here (in Buffalo).”
Buffalo, as it sits, is in position to host a first-round home playoff game. Their last game of the regular season is on the road, as they travel to Oshawa. That game is Saturday April 18th at 7pm. Rochester looks to end the season on a good note. They have a home-and-home against Georgia to end their campaign. The first one is Saturday in Georgia at 4pm. The contest Sunday is back in Rochester at 3pm.
