The Vancouver Warriors took an early lead against the Buffalo Bandits, but the defending three-time NLL champions’ defence and goaltending only allowed one Warriors goal in the second half, handing the Warriors a 15-5 loss at KeyBank Center.
Vancouver beat Buffalo 11-9 at Rogers Arena in February, but the Bandits were on a five-game win streak since that setback coming into this game.
This matchup was a measuring stick to see where the Warriors are at and Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky liked that his team didn’t back down. The Bandits controlled the game from the second quarter onwards with some frustration creeping in for Vancouver, and Malawsky said they’ll take this game as a lesson going forward.
“We're not going to roll over and quit in that situation, and we're going to fight for 60 minutes. That's what I like. Obviously, the guys care a lot about each other, but statistically and preparation, we have to be better and that starts with me,” Malawsky said.
The Warriors’ defence set sparks throughout the fourth quarter, hoping it would light a blaze on offence. Vancouver had 39 penalty minutes in the fourth with these penalties taking six defenders out of play for a portion of the final frame, and the Bandits capitalized, scoring two goals on the power play and five goals in the quarter to put the game out of reach.
Vancouver will look to tune up their on-goal shooting percentage as they had 31 shots on goal out of 68 total shots for 46 percent shots on goal percentage. They were also 0-for-5 on the power play, a far cry from their season average was 50 percent before Saturday’s game.
Buffalo’s defence made it tough, blocking 13 shots on the night, and Bandits’ goaltender Matt Vinc stopped 22 of 27 shots he faced.
“That's a testament of their defence,” Malawsky said. “They get in shooting lanes and then when we did get shots through Vino [Matt Vinc] stops the ball. So, full credit to Buffalo, they played hard. Like I said, they're the gold standard National Lacrosse League; that's where we want to get to, and we’ve got a lot of work to do before we can get there.”
Warriors’ faceoff specialist Max Adler (former Buffalo Bandit) and the ball team went 15-of-25 against the Bandits, helping the group with valuable possession time.
Adam Charalambides and Marcus Klarich led the way for Vancouver, tallying two goals and two assists apiece. Keegan Bal had one goal and one assist, and Curtis Dickson registered two assists.
Goaltender Christian Del Bianco stopped 32 of 45 shots he faced in 48:18 of action, shutting the door on 11 of 13 shots in the third quarter. Connor O’Toole took over in the fourth quarter, turning aside nine of 11 shots on goal.
The Warriors started the game strong and were tied 4-4 with the Bandits early in the second quarter before Buffalo pulled away. Malawsky felt his team got away from the things they do that make them successful and this game was a good reminder to be consistent no matter the situation.
“That team took us out of our element and that's not who we are. We’ve just got to re-commit to our identity, and I think that's something that we'll do over the next couple days,” he said.
Vancouver hasn’t lost two games in a row this season, and Malawsky is confident the team will respond next week against the Halifax Thunderbirds. The team has a mindset of dusting themselves off and turning the page, putting the work in this week to put their best foot forward next Friday night.
“We've responded really well to losses throughout the year, and I don't expect this to be any different. We're going to travel home, heal up, and be prepared for Halifax,” Malawsky said.
They return to Rogers Arena for Rodeo Night, Friday, April 10th, to face the Halifax at 6:00 p.m. PT.
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