Minnesota Swarm (6-1) 14 Buffalo Bandits (4-4) 16
The Bandits Pulled Another Fast One on the Swarm
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Buffalo, New York
Attendance: 14,446
The Buffalo Bandits are not called the Bandits just for fun and kicks. They always seem to get the drop on their opponents and
stealing their money. The Minnesota Swarm have had their pockets picked over and over again by the Bandits and Saturday night was
business as usual as the Bandits handed the Swarm their first loss of the season, 16-14 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
Ryan Sharp (6g 5a) got the Swarm out to an early 1-0 lead on a breakaway started by Eric Pacey (0g 3a). The Bandits got their first lead with two consecutive goals before Darren Halls (2g 1a) dove across the crease to score his first goal as a member of the Swarm to tie the
game. Kyle Schmelzle (2g 2a) got the last goal of the quarter as he intercepted a Ryan Cousins
(7g 2a) pass and sprinted down the floor for a breakaway goal.
The Swarm opened up the second quarter with three straight goals. Craig Point (14g 21a) scored the
quickest goal to start a second quarter for the Swarm in just ten seconds to tie the game at three. Dean Hill (8g 8a) put the Swarm up by one with a quick shot on a pass from Ryan Ward
(18g 20a). Chad Culp (12g 14a) scored seven seconds later to increase the Swarm lead to 5-3. After the
Bandits tied it at five, Ward put the Swarm back up by one, then Andy Secore (16g 25a) grabbed a loose
ball in the corner, advance behind the net and scored his third "Air Gait" of the year to increase the lead to 7-5. Buffalo scored
once more to narrow the lead to one before Sean Pollock finished off a pick and roll with Ward to
put the Swarm up two again. Noah Talbot (0g 4a) scooped up the loose ball on the ensuing face off,
got it quickly to Mike Hominuck (4g 16a) who found Cousins streaking to the net to give the Swarm
the 9-6 halftime lead.
Billy Dee Smith (3g 0a) was assessed a five minute boarding penalty with thirteen seconds left in the first half and that
penalty carried over into the second half leaving the Bandits down a man. This was the opportunity for the Swarm to put the
Bandits away but they could only get two shots on net as the Bandits thoroughly killed the Swarm power play. The tide had turned
and the Bandits began to roll. Rookie Brandon Swamp (2g 1a), who was drafted by the Swarm in the 2007 Entry Draft but traded to
Buffalo that same day, scored his first NLL goal to start the rally. Swamp later tied the game at nine when he intercepted a pass
and cruised in on Swarm goaltender Nick Patterson (6-1 11.99 GAA .765 Save %). Dan Teat (6g 15a)
put the Bandits back in the lead and John Tavares (15g 29a) scored a shorthanded goal to finish the third quarter shut out of the
Swarm.
Culp and Ward tied the game up at eleven to start the fourth quarter and after a Delby Powless (6g 21a) goal that put the
Bandits back up one, the Swarm made one last rally. Dean Hill found Secore with a behind the back pass on the crease to tie and
Halls grabbed a loose ball and went coast to coast to give the Swarm their last lead of the game at 13-12. Roger Vyse (10g 11a)
tied it on a pass from Cory Bombeery (8g 14a) and Tavares put the Bandits back up by one after Powless won a loose ball battle
in front of the net and found Tavares all alone. Pollock scored the Swarm's first shorthanded goal of the season on a rebound to
tie it one more time at fourteen but Bomberry unloaded his cannon for the game winner with 2:45 left and Mark Steenhuis (18g 19a)
finished the scoring for the game on a breakaway.
Secore and Ward led the Swarm in scoring with two goals and four assists each. Pollock, Culp and Halls each got two goals for
the Swarm. Vyse led the Bandits with three goals and four assists. The Bandit power play went five for six and the killing of the
five minute Swarm power play to begin the third quarter did in the Swarm. The Bandit defense harassed the Swarm all night by
clogging up passing and shooting lanes as the Swarm had 29 shots that missed the net. Patterson saved 34 of 50 shots and had
numerous spectacular saves but the Bandits Ken Montour (1-3 10.67 GAA .795 Save %) saved 38 of 52 shots and was just a bit more
stellar in net. The Bandits now have won ten of eleven against the Swarm including two playoff games and five in a row.
With the Swarm's loss, they are still a half game in front of Philadelphia (4-0) but unlike Philadelphia, they are not undefeated
anymore. The Swarm have the chance to change that as they travel to Philadelphia on Friday, February 22 to play the Wings at 7:00 pm
CST. The Bandits look to go over .500 with a game in Chicago against the Shamrox on Sunday, February 24th at 2:00 pm CST.
Game Statistics
Box Score
Minnesota Swarm Game Center
| # | Minnesota |
G |
A | Pts |
PIM |
PPG | SHG |
S |
LB | FO |
|
# | Buffalo |
G |
A | Pts |
PIM |
PPG | SHG |
S |
LB | FO |
| 21 | Andy
Secore | 2 |
4 |
6 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 15 |
6 |
0-0 |
|
81 | Roger Vyse |
3 |
4 | 7 |
0 |
2 | 0 |
7 |
5 | 0-0 |
| 44 | RyanWard |
2 |
4 |
6 | 2 |
1 |
0 | 12 |
5 |
0-0 |
|
72 | Cory Bomberry |
2 |
4 | 6 |
2 |
2 | 0 |
9 |
5 | 15-23 |
| 17 | Sean
Pollock | 2 |
3 |
5 | 0 |
0 |
1 | 7 |
8 |
0-0 |
|
9 | Mark Steenhuis |
1 |
5 |
6 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 14 |
5 |
0-0 |
| 19 | Chad Culp |
2 |
2 | 4 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
11 |
10 | 0-0 |
|
11 | John Tavares |
2 |
3 | 5 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
10 |
4 | 0-0 |
| 26 | Ryan
Sharp |
1 |
3 | 4 |
24 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
11 | 0-0 |
|
99 | Delby Powless |
2 |
2 | 4 |
2 |
1 | 0 |
3 |
1 | 0-0 |
| 28 | Darren
Halls | 2 |
0 |
2 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 4 |
7 |
0-0 |
|
12 | Brandon Swamp |
2 |
0 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
3 |
7 | 0-0 |
| 9 | Craig
Point | 1 |
1 |
2 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 10 |
5 |
0-0 |
|
15 | Dan Teat |
1 |
1 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
7 |
3 | 0-0 |
| 73 | Dean Hill |
1 |
1 |
2 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 6 |
0 |
0-0 |
|
24 | Kyle
Schmelzle | 1 |
1 |
2 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
5 |
0-0 |
| 50 | Ryan
Cousins | 1 |
0 |
1 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 3 |
6 |
0-0 |
|
5 | Clay Hill |
1 |
0 | 1 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
4 |
1 | 0-0 |
| 12 | Eric
Pacey | 0 |
1 |
1 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
4 |
0-0 |
|
20 | Ian Llord |
1 |
0 | 1 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
3 |
8 | 0-0 |
| 16 | Noah
Talbot | 0 |
1 |
1 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
6 |
0-0 |
|
17 | Kyle Laverty |
0 |
1 |
1 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
6 |
0-0 |
| 24 | Justin
Norbraten | 0 |
1 |
1 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
6 |
13-30 |
|
3 | Billy Dee
Smith |
0 |
0 | 0 |
5 |
0 | 0 |
1 |
5 | 0-0 |
| 90 | Mike
Hominuck |
0 |
1 | 1 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
5 | 0-0 |
|
6 | Chris White |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
5 | 0-0 |
| 20 | Kyle Ross |
0 |
0 |
0 | 5 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
4 |
0-0 |
|
10 | Pat McCready |
0 |
0 | 0 |
5 |
0 | 0 |
1 |
10 | 0-0 |
| 23 | Jon
Sullivan | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
4 |
0-0 |
|
16 | Rich Kilgour |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
1 | 0-2 |
| 31 | Kevin
Croswell | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0-0 |
|
18 | Phil
Sanderson |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
1 |
6 | 4-9 |
| 47 | Travis
Hill | 0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 3 |
5 |
2-4 |
|
29 | Ken Montour |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0-0 |
| 93 | Nick
Patterson | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
0-0 |
|
86 | Daniel Sams |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0-0 |
| # | Minnesota | MIN |
GA | Saves | Shots |
|
# | Buffalo | MIN |
GA | Saves | Shots |
| 93 | Nick Patterson | 60:00 |
16 | 34 | 50 |
|
29 | Ken Montour | 60:00 |
14 | 38 | 52 |
| 31 | Kevin Croswell | 0:00 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
86 | Daniel Sams | 0:00 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scoring by Quarter | 1 | 2 |
3 | 4 | F |
| Minnesota | 2 | 7 |
0 | 5 | 14 |
| Buffalo | 3 | 3 |
5 | 5 | 16 |
| Team Stats | Power Play | SHG |
PIM | LB | Saves/Shots |
SOG |
SOFF |
Face Offs |
| Minnesota | 1/5 | 1 |
37 | 94 | 34/50 |
52 |
29 |
15/34 |
| Buffalo | 5/6 | 1 |
18 | 77 | 38/52 |
50 |
15 |
19/34 |
| Scratches | | |
| | |
| Minnesota | Chris Courtney | Rory McDade |
Colin Achenbach | Nick Inch | Mark Miyashita |
| Buffalo | Rusty Kruger | Andrew Lazore |
Joe Smith | Kevin Dostie | Brandon Francis |
| 
