Two eastern division rivals will battle on the turf of the Air Canada Centre Saturday, May 3, when the Toronto Rock host the Buffalo Bandits in the division semi-final.
Buffalo took the season series versus the Rock 2-1, capturing a pair of early wins during their 5-1 start. Despite dropping the season series against their division foes, Toronto was able to defeat the Bandits with a 13-9 Week 16 win en route to closing the season on a four-game winning streak.
Holding an 8-2 record 10 games into the season, the Bandits fortunes would change drastically as the team dropped eight consecutive match-ups to finish third in the East Division at 8-10.
Anthony Cosmo was solid in the Bandits net all season, leading the league in saves with 752 while appearing in all 18 games for Buffalo. Cosmo faced 943 shots during the regular season, over 150 more than any other NLL netminder.
Ryan Benesch led Buffalo offensively during his first season in black and orange. The lefty sniper finished with 78 points, including a team-leading 53 helpers while quarterbacking the Buffalo offense. Bandits veteran Mark Steenhuis had a bounce back year offensively after a decrease in production during the 2013 season. Steenhuis finished second behind Benesch in team scoring with 63 points (31 G, 32 A), his highest regular season totals since 2010.
The Rock enter Saturday’s contest as the second seed in the East Division after finishing with a 9-9 overall record while posting a 6-6 record versus division opponents.
In the absence of Garret Billings, Rob Hellyer will be depended on as an offensive leader for Toronto along the likes of veteran scorers Colin Doyle, Kasey Beirnes, and Josh Sanderson. The former Orangeville Northmen notched 31 points throughout the course of Toronto’s four-game winning streak to end the regular season.
Rock goalie Brandon Miller is 3-1 since joining Toronto at the trade deadline and will hope to secure the playoff start. Nick Rose tended the twine during Toronto’s April 18 win over Buffalo, making 48 saves while allowing nine goals against.
Toronto and Buffalo last met in postseason action during the 2012 NLL East Division semi-finals, with the Rock emerging victorious on home floor by a score of 7-6.
Face-off for Saturday’s game is set for 7 pm.
