Howdy y’all! For the first time ever, Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas and Panther City Lacrosse Club played host to the Buffalo Bandits on Friday evening. Unified standings are a beautiful thing because this is a matchup that some fans (myself included) have been dying to see. Both of these teams came in in the top eight in the standings and looked to boost their momentum as the season winds down.
The game itself was as back-and-forth as they get. With seven ties throughout, we needed some extra time. Jonathan Donville completed his hat trick with the OT winner, resulting in PCLC sneaking out with a 12-11 victory. Donville had a great game, but goaltender (and goal scorer!) Nick Damude was absolutely the story.
“What a game,” said PCLC head coach Tracey Kelusky. “The cream always rises to the top, this is a huge win for us. It certainly helps when you play the defending champs and you are able to come out on top.”
The first six goals of the game were every-other-scoring, as neither team could get the edge early on. Josh Byrne scored all three for the Bandits. For PCLC, Will Malcom, Jonathan Donville, and Ty Thompson all lit the lamp. PCLC got the last laugh of the quarter when Buffalo thought they’d be slick and pull Matt Vinc for an extra attacker. Damude made a save and fired a shot on the empty Buffalo cage. Bouncing, bouncing, bouncing, and we had a goalie goal. What a way to give your club the lead. 4-3 PCLC after one.
“I mean, just grab a loosie and throw it at the empty net,” said Damude about his goal. “It means nothing if we don’t play a second half and come out with a win.”
The second quarter saw a massive uptick in defense and transition, as well as both goaltenders standing on their heads. PCLC’s lone goal of the quarter was scored by Thompson, and Buffalo rattled off the last two, almost nine minutes apart. The first was a slick dunk from behind the net courtesy of Kyle Buchanan, and the other was a patented Dhane Smith bouncer. 5-5 at the break.
As we said, both goaltenders were as stingy as could be in the first half. Damude stopped 25 of 30, while Vinc stopped 19 of 24.
The third quarter looked a lot like the second when it came to defense and both clubs limiting the other’s transition opportunities. PCLC outscored Buffalo 3-1 in the third, and that two-goal lead definitely felt like that could have been the decider. The lone Buffalo goal was scored by Smith, while Dylan Hutchison, Malcom and Donville all scored for PCLC. 8-6 after three.
Time to throw some things out the window. First, the final frame turned into a track meet, and second, Buffalo showed their resiliency to begin the quarter. The previous sentiment of the PCLC two-goal lead being huge was quickly erased as Buffalo scored four straight in the first 5:24 of the fourth quarter. Scorers were Adam Bomberry (welcome back), Byrne twice (in 22 seconds) and Chris Cloutier. Malcom saw Byrne’s two and matched him, tying the game back up. Tehoka Nanticoke and Callum Crawford both scored in the final minute and we were heading to overtime.
The overtime period was short and sweet, 1:32 to be exact. PCLC set up shop and Crawford found Donville, who made sure not to miss. Donville fired a bullet past Vinc and gave us our final, 12-11 PCLC.
Players of the game for Buffalo were Byrne (5+2), Smith (2+5) and Cloutier (1+3). Vinc had his shining moments, stopping 36 of 47 in total. For PCLC, Malcom (4+3), Donville (3+2) and Damude (one goal) led the way. To go along with the goal, Damude made 51 saves on 62 shots.
Let’s talk Damude some more, shall we? He became one of four goalies to have three career goals. He is the second goalie to score a goal in three consecutive years. He stopped 17 of 18 in the third quarter and had a 82.3 sv% for the game. What a night.
“We are in the final stretch of the year,” said Damude. “We want to be hot. For starters, we want to make the playoffs, as that’s the only thing the regular season is about, so that is all we are working for. When you get in the playoffs, you want to be on a roll going in.”
PCLC (7-7) looks to build their momentum on this final stretch. They have a week to rest up before they ship off to San Diego (11-4) next Friday for a 9 p.m. start. Buffalo (7-7) is teetering on that danger line in the standings. They’re still in, but for now. The Bandits look to solidify that a bit more as they travel to Philadelphia (5-9) this Saturday at 1 p.m.
