December 5, 2021 – National Lacrosse League (NLL) – Buffalo Bandits News Release
The Buffalo Bandits were back in action Saturday night for the first time since March 8, 2020, and came away with a resounding 16-9 victory over the Calgary Roughnecks at KeyBank Center.
Josh Byrne and Connor Fields led the way with four goals each, while Dhane Smith and rookie Tehoka Nanticoke each recorded hat tricks. Smith finished with nine points, as he also dished out six assists.
“I honestly think this is the most talented offense we’ve ever had, so it makes it easy just giving them the ball and letting them do the work,” Smith said.
Veteran and seven-time NLL Goaltender of the Year Matt Vinc started for Buffalo and stopped 49 of 58 shots (.845 save percentage) and tallied an assist, too.
“It’s been a long time coming, just kind of waiting for the day,” Vinc said. “You’re anxious to just get started but started off great and felt good going forward.”
Smith opened the scoring 5:18 into the game for the first Bandits goal in 636 days. Smith, Byrne, and Nanticoke each scored twice in a back-and-forth first half.
Nanticoke, the third-overall pick in the 2021 Draft, scored his first NLL goal on a fast break off a great assist from Kyle Buchanan to make it 4-3 early in the second quarter.
Calgary grabbed its first lead of the game 5:12 into the second quarter to go up 5-4, but Buffalo responded with three quick ones to go up 7-5. However, the Roughnecks clawed back late in the quarter to tie it up in the final minute.
The second half started off with a bang as Buffalo went on a 7-0 run in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Fields owned the second half. He scored four goals in the final two quarters of his Bandits debut to cap off a five-point night. Buffalo acquired the East Amherst, N.Y. native in a Draft Day trade in August.
Buchanan, a fellow newcomer, also impressed in his first game. He recorded four assists and scooped up seven loose balls.
“I think he’s going to do that every game, and probably a lot more. He’s a great goal scorer, and you’ll see a lot more offense from him,” head coach John Tavares said. “He was as advertised.”
Buffalo will travel to Rochester next to take on the Knighthawks on Saturday, December 11 with faceoff set for 7 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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