The Vancouver Warriors kicked off the second half of their season with an 11-9 win over the Buffalo Bandits at Rogers Arena.
Vancouver had a five-goal run between the first and second quarters, and the Bandits put together a six-goal run in the second quarter and the Warriors held Buffalo scoreless in the third, while scoring four goals of their own.
The Warriors got it done as a team as their stars came up with big goals and big stops. Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky was happy with the effort and resiliency of his group, led by their veterans, to pull out the win when the game was close.
“It was massive on so many levels. We're past the halfway point, so you're on the home stretch – you're playing the back nine now,” Malawsky said. “It was huge for us to get that win, especially when we kind of slipped a little bit in the second quarter, and then we're able to bounce back in the third and close it out in the fourth.”
The defence stuck to their brand to start the game, taking away the middle of the floor. They got away from it in the second, but kept their bend, don’t break mentality and got back to their defensive identity to start the second half.
“I’m super proud of them that they're able to bounce back. I've been on teams where you spiral like that, and then next thing you know, you start third quarter and they get three in a row, and then the game's over. I liked our response, their pushback, and the resiliency.”
Goaltender Christian Del Bianco turned aside 38 of 47 shots he faced and locked it down in the fourth quarter, working in tandem with the defence, only allowing two goals in the second half.
"He made some really big saves, especially when they tried to dunk from behind. It's really tough when a guy's behind the net and then you're facing the shooters, you’ve got to step out and then if they skip it over your shoulder, if there's a rebound that goes behind, you’ve got to get back and stop the dunk. He made a couple really, really nice athletic plays,” Malawsky said.
Del Bianco was happy with the win and felt the group executed in-game adjustments well, working out the communication on shot rebounds for the second half.
“We dialed it in and I think that just comes with such a veteran group,” Del Bianco said. “You have so many guys that can kind of be a voice out there and help with adjustments, and help us all dial in. So, we lean on a lot of guys, not just one."
Defenceman Reid Bowering reached 700 career loose balls, with nine against the Bandits. Bowering also chipped in two assists in the win. Malawsky called on Bowering many times in the fourth quarter to help the team shut the door on Buffalo.
“He shuts down the wall in transition, and he plays offensive shifts for us. You look at him and he's never out of breath, he just never looks tired. He's not a super vocal guy, but man, does he compete,” Malawsky said.
“It's just old school hard work and loose ball battles, and it's kind of who we are, so it's pretty cool he got that stat.”
Curtis Dickson potted four goals and chipped in two assists, and Keegan Bal also recorded six points (2G, 4A). Jesse King scored a hat trick, Adam Charalambides had three points (1G, 2A), and Marcus Klarich had one goal and one assist.
Del Bianco talked about Dickson’s efficiency and how the 37-year-old continues to come up with clutch goals. Del Bianco says Dickson is as good at finding the back of the net now as he was a decade ago.
“I think there's one or two goals tonight where us on the D line were just kind of chuckling like ‘That was crazy!’ but for him, that's regular stuff,” Delbs said.
The Warriors have two road games next week against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs on Friday, February 27th and San Diego Seals on Sunday, March 1st.
Malawsky says the game plan stays the same going into next weekend: taking care of the ball, executing on the power play, being disciplined, and staying out of the box.
“All our guys put a lot of work and they watch a ton of film. We'll prepare and have a good game plan for them. And just a matter of seeing what we always do – we just play five at a time,” Malawsky said.
Vancouver is back at Rogers Arena to take on the Buffalo Bandits next Friday, March 6th at 7:00pm PT for Women in Sports Night.
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