The defending champion Buffalo Bandits were back on their home floor for a huge Week 3 matchup, on the most special of nights. The Bandits’ fifth championship banner from the 2022-23 season was set to hit the rafters at KeyBank Center. In front of commissioner Brett Frood and 17,200 Banditland faithful, a beautiful opening ceremony set the tone for a monster game against the visiting San Diego Seals.
The East and West Conferences were done away with, but the magnitude of this game cannot be stressed enough as two of the league’s juggernauts did battle. Buffalo saw themselves down at half, but a five-goal run in the third quarter propelled the defending champion Bandits to a 12-9 win in their home opener.
“I was a little nervous,” said head coach John Tavares after the game. “It’s easy to lose focus. It was good for the guys to see it (the banner) one last time before an important game. I didn’t think we had a bad first half, I just think the energy is not there right now. We’re a great team with a lot of talent, but you still have to work hard.”
We all know Banditland is different. The atmosphere is unlike anything else, and that makes Buffalo a tough place to play. One of the biggest ways to silence that crowd, especially on such a special night, is to get on the board first. Austin Staats did exactly that as he bulldozed his way to the front of the net. Buffalo had the answer however, in the form of two-straight, the first from Josh Byrne and the second, a transition beauty from Brandon Robinson. They don’t call Curtis Dickson “Superman” for nothing, as he answered with his patented dive across the crease. Byrne and Dickson both notched their second to close out the first, making it 3-3 after one.
Buffalo regained the lead to start the second quarter as Tehoka Nanticoke found himself right in front of the net. After receiving a pass, he turned and fired a bullet past Christopher Origlieri on the power play. San Diego’s offense should never be counted out, and for good reason, as they answered with a three-goal run. Wesley Berg had two, one of which was on the power play, and the other was from Jake Govett. The second goal from Berg in that span should be a candidate for goal of the year. The Seals’ captain received a pass in the slot and fired a behind-the-back missile that beat Matt Vinc. To make that goal even better, the Seals were short handed. Buffalo responded with a beauty of their own. Goals like this, scored by Chris Cloutier, aren’t talked about enough. Clooch was scrambling for a loose ball in the corner, then scrambled to mid-field for the same loose ball, laid out a Seals player, came back into the zone, received a pass and scored. Whew. Take a breather Clooch. 6-5 Seals going into the break.
Both goaltenders were sparkling in the first half. First, the 21 year-old Origlieri stopped 12 of 17, while the 41 year-old Vinc stopped 19 of 25.
It only took 28 seconds for the Seals to add to their lead, as Berg got his hat trick courtesy of a nice pick-and-roll. How many times, well ever, have we said Buffalo trailed at half and came out firing in the third quarter? Add another one to the list. After Berg’s goal, Buffalo went on that five-goal run that was prefaced earlier, and pretty much put this one to bed. Byrne got it started with his hat trick. Next was Kyle Buchanan on the power play with a beautiful dunk from behind the net. The next goal was a mad scramble on the ensuing faceoff, which led to Ian MacKay burying his shot. It has to be mentioned that those three Buffalo goals were in a span of just 41 seconds. The fourth of the run was a transition beauty from Matt Spanger. Banditland was ROCKING. The fifth and final goal of the run was Byrne’s fourth, on the power play. Another timing note for you, Spanger’s was less than two minutes after MacKay’s, and Byrne’s was almost ten minutes after Spanger’s. So, not only did Buffalo go on that run, but they bled the clock down in between, and really shut down San Diego. Dane Dobbie stopped the bleeding for the Seals with his first, on the power play. 10-8 Buffalo going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter really saw the game settle down. Both defenses were stout and the track meet seemed to cease a bit. Buchanan notched his second of the game, again on the power play, with a nice quick-stick goal. Staats got his second, but was quickly answered by Chase Fraser’s first. Your final from Buffalo, 12-9 Bandits.
“It was huge,” said Byrne about the run in the third quarter. “It’s tough. These games are a bit of a trap game. You’re raising the banner, got a ring ceremony after. It’s really easy to let your mind wander. I’m proud of our guys for staying focused throughout the game, ultimately coming out with the win.”
Players of the game for Buffalo were Byrne (4+3), Buchanan (two goals), and Dhane Smith, who did not have a goal, but registered seven assists. Vinc was marvelous, considering the offense he just went up against, making 39 saves on 48 shots. For San Diego, Berg (3+1), Staats (2+2), and Dickson (2+4) led the way. Origlieri had a great game, obviously slowing up in the third, but making 34 saves on 46 shots in total.
Both teams have some time off. First, Buffalo (1-1) looks to build momentum off this win, as they host Georgia (1-1) on December 29th at 7:30pm. San Diego (1-1), obviously looks to shake this one off. They host Rochester (2-0) on December 29th at 10pm.
