Up to this point early in the season, both the Buffalo Bandits and Ottawa Black Bears found themselves in the middle of the pack. One thing that differentiated these two from the rest is that neither team had lost two consecutive games this season. All in all, that means proper adjustments were made to avoid a skid on both sides. That point was going to come to an end in Week 8, as both the Bandits and Black Bears were coming in losers of their last matchups.
We all know Jeff Teat is an otherworldly lacrosse player. The dude has a knack for finding the back of the net, especially when it matters most late in games. So far this season, Teat has scored over 70% of his goals in the fourth quarter, and Friday night saw that continue. This game was back-and-forth, including six ties throughout. When the fourth quarter started, Teat took over. He scored three of his game-high five goals in the final 15 minutes, propelling Ottawa to a 10-9 win in Banditland.
Buffalo got the 17,000+ in attendance out of their seats early, as Dhane Smith lit the lamp for his first, which was a shorthanded marker. Tehoka Nanticoke followed it up with his first as he shot almost blindly in front of two converging defenders. Ottawa rattled off the final two goals of the first quarter, as Teat buried his first on a one-timer, and Jacob Dunbar crashed the net. 2-2 after one.
The obscure moment of the game came to us right away in the second quarter. Smith found himself with the ball in his normal “work zone”. He went to lightly pass the ball to a teammate in front of the net. The pass was arid, and it ended up going into the net. Oops, still counts in the goal column. Ottawa took their first lead of the game in response, as Sam Firth came flying through the middle and Teat got his second on a 5-on-3 power play. Steve Priolo tied it back up for Buffalo with under two minutes to play and that’s how the first half would end. 4-4 at the break.
Both goaltenders looked extremely stout in the first half considering the fast and furious nature of play. Matt Vinc stopped 20 of 24, while Zach Higgins stopped 18 of 22.
“We knew we had to come out a little more physical and stop playing catchup like we did last week”, said Priolo. “We’re playing a lot of minutes, so we can’t turn the ball over when we’re on offense.”
The teeter-totter continued in the third quarter. Smith got his hat trick to kick things off with a bouncer from what seemed like downtown Buffalo. Ottawa came roaring back (Black Bears, get it?) right away with two-straight, one from Callum Jones and the other from Rob Hellyer, which was a laser from just inside the restraining line. Ian MacKay tied it back up with his first, as he got a rebound and went airborne in front of the net, and Nanticoke’s second gave Buffalo the lead back. 7-6 Bandits after three.
Cue the Teat takeover. It’s incredible to watch him play, but it’s even more incredible to watch one person completely take over a game. This one got away from Buffalo in the fourth quarter, as a four-goal run for the Black Bears put them up for good. Teat buried three of those four goals, the other courtesy of Hellyer. Each one of the goals from Teat were absolute snipes, which he made look effortless. Buffalo made it interesting at the end with two-in-a-row, one from Josh Byrne and the other from Kyle Buchanan. Unsung hero award goes out to Higgins for his outstanding performance in the final minute of the game, completely fending off an offensive onslaught from Buffalo, giving Ottawa the win.
Players of the game for Buffalo were Smith (3+4), Nanticoke (two goals), and Buchanan (1+3). Vinc would love to have that fourth quarter back, as that proved to be his downfall. He stopped 37 of 47 in total. For Ottawa, Teat (5+2), Hellyer (2+5), and Reilly O’Connor (six assists) led the way. Higgins was outstanding throughout, as he stopped 45 of 54.
“I appreciate the last-ditch effort”, said John Tavares. “I thought we worked hard, but we seem to be running into hot goalies right now. All I can do is try to put the players in a position where they can be successful. You have to be able to score to win.”
“He has some guys that can get him open”, said Smith about Teat. “He can create for himself as well. He’s a great shooter, one of the best in the game. Our defense played great, but he’s a great player.”
Buffalo will look to end the two-game skid they’re on. They have a week off before they hit the road and head to Colorado to take on the Mammoth. That game is on Saturday January 31st at 9pm. Ottawa looks to build off this monster win. Their next contest is back on their home floor when they welcome in Vancouver. That game is on Friday January 23rd at 7:30pm.
