2023 Buffalo Bandits season
The Buffalo Bandits are a lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2023 season was their 31st season in the NLL.
| 2023 Buffalo Bandits | |
|---|---|
| NLL Champions | |
| League | NLL |
| Division | 1st East |
| 2023 record | 14-4 |
| Home record | 7-2 |
| Road record | 7-2 |
| Goals for | 215 |
| Goals against | 191 |
| General Manager | Steve Dietrich |
| Coach | John Tavares |
| Captain | Steve Priolo |
| Alternate captains | Dhane Smith, Nick Weiss |
| Arena | KeyBank Center |
| Average attendance | 14,731 |
The Bandits won the Eastern Conference with a 14-4 record in the regular season, as well as first place overall, and home floor advantage throughout the playoffs. They beat the Rochester Knighthawks, 20-8, in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The team would go on to sweep the Toronto Rock in two games in the Eastern Conference Finals, leading to a rematch against the Colorado Mammoth in the NLL Finals, in which Buffalo had fallen to in three games, in the 2022 season.
The Bandits went on to win Game 1 at home over the Mammoth, 14-13, and then lose Game 2, 16-10, on the road in Colorado. The Bandits went on to win the third and deciding game, 13-4, to win their first championship since 2008.[1]
Regular season
Team captain Steve Priolo holds the NLL Cup
NLL Standings Reference:[2]
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffalo Bandits – xyz | 18 | 14 | 4 | .778 | 0.0 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 215 | 191 | +24 | 11.94 | 10.61 |
| 2 | Toronto Rock – x | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 1.0 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 234 | 164 | +70 | 13.00 | 9.11 |
| 3 | Halifax Thunderbirds – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 4.0 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 238 | 210 | +28 | 13.22 | 11.67 |
| 4 | Rochester Knighthawks – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 4.0 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 218 | 214 | +4 | 12.11 | 11.89 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Wings | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 5.0 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 200 | 211 | −11 | 11.11 | 11.72 |
| 6 | Georgia Swarm | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 6.0 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 219 | 207 | +12 | 12.17 | 11.50 |
| 7 | New York Riptide | 18 | 5 | 13 | .278 | 9.0 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 201 | 243 | −42 | 11.17 | 13.50 |
| 8 | Albany FireWolves | 18 | 3 | 15 | .167 | 11.0 | 0–9 | 3–6 | 167 | 233 | −66 | 9.28 | 12.94 |
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Seals – xy | 18 | 14 | 4 | .778 | 0.0 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 240 | 193 | +47 | 13.33 | 10.72 |
| 2 | Calgary Roughnecks – x | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 1.0 | 7–2 | 6–3 | 218 | 167 | +51 | 12.11 | 9.28 |
| 3 | Panther City Lacrosse Club – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 4.0 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 204 | 193 | +11 | 11.33 | 10.72 |
| 4 | Colorado Mammoth – x | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 5.0 | 7–2 | 2–7 | 190 | 208 | −18 | 10.56 | 11.56 |
| 5 | Saskatchewan Rush | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 6.0 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 204 | 212 | −8 | 11.33 | 11.78 |
| 6 | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | 18 | 5 | 13 | .278 | 9.0 | 4–5 | 1–8 | 179 | 222 | −43 | 9.94 | 12.33 |
| 7 | Vancouver Warriors | 18 | 4 | 14 | .222 | 10.0 | 2–7 | 2–7 | 188 | 247 | −59 | 10.44 | 13.72 |
Game log
| Game | Date | Opponent | Location | Score | OT | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 3, 2022 | Albany FireWolves | KeyBank Center | L 10–11 | 11,493 | 0–1 | |
| 2 | December 17, 2022 | @ Toronto Rock | FirstOntario Centre | W 11–8 | 7,730 | 1–1 | |
| 3 | December 30, 2022 | Halifax Thunderbirds | KeyBank Center | W 18–13 | 14,040 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | January 7, 2023 | @ Georgia Swarm | Gas South Arena | W 18–9 | 8,304 | 3–1 | |
| 5 | January 14, 2023 | Georgia Swarm | KeyBank Center | W 11–9 | 14,189 | 4–1 | |
| 6 | January 20, 2023 | @ Rochester Knighthawks | Blue Cross Arena | L 12–15 | 6,948 | 4–2 | |
| 7 | January 27, 2023 | @ Philadelphia Wings (2018–) | Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia) | W 13–9 | 7,768 | 5–2 | |
| 8 | January 28, 2023 | @ New York Riptide | Nassau Coliseum | W 16–10 | 4,990 | 6–2 | |
| 9 | February 4, 2023 | Rochester Knighthawks | KeyBank Center | W 13–10 | 14,923 | 7–2 | |
| 10 | February 18, 2023 | Philadelphia Wings (2018–) | KeyBank Center | W 13–12 | OT | 14,632 | 8–2 |
| 11 | March 3, 2023 | @ Halifax Thunderbirds | Scotiabank Centre | W 10–9 | 6,724 | 9–2 | |
| 12 | March 10, 2023 | Halifax Thunderbirds | KeyBank Center | W 10–9 | OT | 14,896 | 10–2 |
| 13 | March 18, 2023 | Colorado Mammoth | KeyBank Center | L 8–13 | 15,496 | 10–3 | |
| 14 | March 25, 2023 | @ San Diego Seals | Pechanga Arena | W 7–6 | OT | 4,388 | 11–3 |
| 15 | April 1, 2023 | @ Toronto Rock | FirstOntario Centre | L 7–18 | 13,127 | 11–4 | |
| 16 | April 15, 2023 | New York Riptide | KeyBank Center | W 11–10 | OT | 16,051 | 12–4 |
| 17 | April 22, 2023 | Toronto Rock | KeyBank Center | W 11–10 | 16,861 | 13–4 | |
| 18 | April 29, 2023 | @ Albany FireWolves | Times Union Center | W 16–10 | 3,558 | 14–4 |
Playoffs
| Game | Date | Opponent | Location | Score | OT | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference Quarterfinals | May 6, 2023 | Rochester Knighthawks | KeyBank Center | W 20–8 | 14,794 | 1–0 | |
| Eastern Conference Finals (Game 1) |
May 12, 2023 | Toronto Rock | KeyBank Center | W 14–5 | 11,510 | 2–0 | |
| Eastern Conference Finals (Game 2) |
May 13, 2023 | @ Toronto Rock | FirstOntario Centre | W 17–8 | 8,304 | 3–0 | |
| NLL Finals (Game 1) |
May 27, 2023 | Colorado Mammoth | KeyBank Center | W 13–12 | 14,260 | 4–0 | |
| NLL Finals (Game 2) |
May 29, 2023 | @ Colorado Mammoth | Ball Arena | L 10–16 | 10,686 | 4–1 | |
| NLL Finals (Game 3) |
June 3, 2023 | Colorado Mammoth | KeyBank Center | W 13–4 | 18,296 | 5–1 |
Roster
Public address announcer Chris Swenson leads the championship rally for Bandits on June 15, 2023
| Active (21-man) roster | Inactive roster | Coaches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Equipment Manager
Roster updated 2022-02-11 | ||||||
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Entry Draft
The 2022 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 10, 2022.[3] The Bandits made the following selections:
| Round | Overall | Player | College/Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Cam Wyers | Toronto Beaches – Loyola University |
| 1 | 14 | Dylan Robinson | Toronto Beaches |
| 1 | 19 | Zach Belter | Niagara Thunderhawks – St. Bonaventure |
| 4 | 73 | Ryan Sharkey | UCBLL Rapids – Canisius College/UMass |
| 5 | 82 | Christian Watts | UCBLL Rapids – Siena College |
| 5 | 88 | Austin Blumbergs | UCBLL Rapids – St. Bonaventure University |
References
- "Buffalo Bandits Get Over The Hump, Win First NLL Cup Since 2008 And Fifth in Franchise History". NLL.com. National Lacrosse League. June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- "Standings". National Lacrosse League.
- [2022 NLL ENTRY DRAFT LIVE RESULTS "2022 NLL ENTRY DRAFT LIVE RESULTS"]. NLL.com. September 17, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
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External links
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