The Buffalo Bandits today announced plans to host a pre-game “Party in the Plaza” before Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. match-up with the Boston Blazers in the first round of the 2011 NLL Playoffs.
The party will kick off at 5 p.m. in the HSBC Plaza area located near Perry St. and Illinois St. and will continue until 7 p.m. Festivities will include free live music from local rock band The Filter Kings, with food and beverages available for purchase. Fans are asked not to bring coolers or chairs due to the volume of fans expected to attend.
Fans attending the game will also receive a 2011 Buffalo Bandits team photo.
The Bandits will look to eliminate the 8-8 Blazers after winning two of three regular season contests between the teams. A win would pull them within two games of their fifth league championship in franchise history.
The Buffalo Bandits (10-6) will march into the playoffs on a losing note, as the team dropped its regular season finale to the Rochester Knighthawks (10-6) by a score of 15-9 inside HSBC Arena on Saturday night. However, the Bandits will still enter the 2011 postseason as the East Division champions.
The Bandits got off to a rocky start as Rochester took a commanding 7-1 lead in the first quarter. Buffalo had to play catch-up for the entire game, but could only close the deficit to two goals and ended up dropping the contest by six goals in front of a sellout crowd of 18,690 fans in attendance.
“We made a couple adjustments on defense, but we dug such a hole. Our offense tried to get us back into it, but we had a couple bad breaks,” said Head Coach Darris Kilgour. “There’s bad breaks and stuff that you can’t foresee happening, but at the same time, we need to come out with a better focus.”
If the Buffalo Bandits are to win the NLL championship this year, they’ll be doing so without the services of forward Brandon Francis. The league has suspended Francis for the Bandits’ regular season finale Saturday and the playoffs, four games in all.
The suspension is for a variety of accrued reasons according to the Bandits’ front office, stemming from his pummeling of Boston’s Jack Reid near the conclusion of last week’s game at the HSBC Arena. He was suspended one game for leaving the bench, another for accruing three game misconducts this season, a third for his second instigating penalty on the same player and the same season, and a fourth for another game misconduct (every game misconduct after three is an additional game suspension).
Francis had a goal and two assists for Buffalo in 10 games this season and led the team with 53 penalty minutes.
See the top for video of the brawl. Francis pounds this guy to no end.
The Buffalo Bandits today announced plans to thank their fans for all their support in 2011 by hosting “Fan Appreciation Night” this Saturday when the Bandits take on the Rochester Knighthawks at 7:30 p.m. in their final game of the regular season.
Bandits fans have once again shown up in droves this season to support the team on their way to clinching the NLL Eastern Division regular season title. The Bandits’ average attendance of 16,868 fans per game leads the NLL entering the final weekend of the season and gives Buffalo a chance to top 17,000 fans per game for the third time in franchise history.
As a thank you to the season ticket holders who help make this possible, the Bandits are giving away autographed Bandits jerseys throughout the game. Lucky winners randomly selected from all season ticket holders will join the team on the field after the game to receive their jerseys.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that the Buffalo Bandits will host the Boston Blazers in the first round of the 2011 NLL Playoffs. The teams will square off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 30 at HSBC Arena.
Tickets for the game will go on sale Friday, April 22 at 9 a.m. and start at $27 for 300 Level and 100 Level III seats. Tickets can be purchased in person at the HSBC Arena Box Office, by calling 1-888-467-2273 or online at www.bandits.com or www.tickets.com.
This is Buffalo’s eighth division championship in the franchise’s 20-year history. The team has missed the playoffs only three times in franchise history, and will see postseason action for the ninth consecutive season. The team’s 16 previous playoff appearances included four championship runs in 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2008.
Buffalo clinched first place in the Eastern Division with a Toronto loss on Saturday, cementing their first-round playoff match-up with the Blazers. The division title and second place finish in the league guarantee the Bandits at least one more home game should they advance past the first round.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits goaltender Mike Thompson and transition player Tom Montour each earned Player of the Week honors for Week 14 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Thompson faced 93 shots in back-to-back road games in Toronto and Rochester and stopped all but 16 to lead the Bandits to a 2-0 record for the weekend. He made 36 saves in an 11-8 win at Toronto, and 41 at Rochester to squeeze out a 9-8 victory. The Toronto win gave Buffalo the Eastern Division lead, and the win at Rochester left the Bandits one win from clinching the division title.
Thompson improved to 10-1 on the season, with a career-best goals against average of 9.16. His .796 save percentage leads the league. Thompson was named Overall Player of the Week for Week 9 with similar numbers (67 saves on 83 shots) in a nearly identical back-to-back series against Rochester (11-8 win) and Boston (9-8 win).
The Buffalo Bandits are looking to continue their four game winning streak against the Washington Stealth on tonight at the HSBC Arena. The Stealth are coming into this game with an ax to grind after the Stealth lost to the Eastern Conference leading Toronto Rock in overtime last night. The Bandits could have used a Stealth win in Toronto as they now trail the Rock by a full game in the race for first in the Eastern Conference.
The Bandits have a tendency to go on winning streaks during their seasons, as the last time they won four games in a row was March 6, 2010 – March 27, 2010 and the five game winning streak was the start of the 2009 season. The Bandits have the luxury of playing three of their last five games at home where the team is 4-1 this season.
Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced that the Bandits will honor a legend of Bandits lacrosse when they retire Rich Kilgour’s jersey number 16 in a ceremony prior to their Apr. 16 game against the Boston Blazers at 7:30 p.m.
To celebrate the occasion, the Bandits have lowered all 300 level ticket prices to $16. All fans in attendance will also receive a commemorative Rich Kilgour lacrosse card.
Tickets for the game are still available and can be purchased in person at the HSBC Arena Box Office, by calling 1-888-467-2273 or online at www.bandits.com or www.tickets.com.
Kilgour will join brother Darris Kilgour as the second player to have his number retired by the franchise. Darris Kilgour’s number 43 was retired by the Bandits in March 2001. The Bandits also honored Thomas Gardner, a prominent figure in youth lacrosse in Western New York, by retiring his number 34 after his passing in 1998.
In what has become an annual tradition, the Buffalo Bandits will be advancing to the postseason. The Bandits won their fourth straight game Sunday, a 12-9 victory over the Minnesota Storm (you can read Zack Zielonka’s live updates from the game right here) and in the process clinched a playoff spot.
They’ve been in the postseason every year since 2002.
The worst the Bandits can do is finish 8-8 this season and that’s only if they were to lose their last five games. Even in that scenario, the best the Philadelphia Wings could do is finish in a tie and even if that happened, Buffalo would win the tiebreaker.
The Bandits (8-3) are just one half game behind Toronto for first place in the NLL East Division. They are in action Saturday night at the HSBC Arena when they take on the Washington Stealth.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares and defenseman Chris Corbeil each earned Player of the Week honors for Week 10 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Tavares was named NLL Offensive Player of the Week after his six-point performance in Saturday’s 12-10 win vs. Boston. Tavares scored four times in the victory, including the game-winning goal. Tavares has a team-high 48 points (21+27) on the season.
Corbeil earned NLL Defensive Player of the Week honors for a strong defensive performance vs. Boston. Corbeil recovered five loose balls and forced one turnover in the win, and also scored his fourth goal of the season. Corbeil has a team-high 80 loose balls this season, which ranks him second among all NLL defensemen.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits goaltender Mike Thompson was named Overall Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Thompson faced 83 shots in back-to-back games at home against Rochester and on the road against Boston, but he turned aside all but 16 to lead the Bandits to a 2-0 record for the weekend. He made 40 saves vs. Rochester in an 11-8 win and 27 at Boston, holding on for a 9-8 victory. The win against Boston vaulted Buffalo into second place in the Eastern Division.
Thompson improved to 6-1 on the season, with a career-best goals against average of 9.20. His six wins tie for second best in the league, and his goals against average and save percentage (.787) each rank fourth. Bandits Goaltender Named NLL Overall Player Of Week – continue reading…
Check in here to follow all the action with Zach Zielonka with live updates all game long as the Buffalo Bandits are hosting the Rochester Knighthawks. The action starts at 7:30pm.
Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced that fewer than 1,500 tickets remain for tomorrow’s 7:30 p.m. match-up with the Rochester Knighthawks.
By taking advantage of the Bandits’ “Pack the House” ticket offer, fans can enjoy the action of one of the NLL’s hottest rivalries for just $12 per ticket, with all 300 Level tickets for the game 50% off their regular price of $24.
Every game counts this year in the tightly-contested Eastern Division. The winner of the game will move into third place in the East. Buffalo also plays Sunday in Boston, and would move into second place with a win in both games.
To take advantage of the Bandits’ “Pack the House” ticket offer, just provide the password “Bandits” at checkout when purchasing tickets. Tickets can be purchased in person at the HSBC Arena Box Office, by calling 1-888-467-2273 or online at www.bandits.com or www.tickets.com.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares will serve as captain for the Eastern All-Star team at this Sunday’s NLL All-Star Game at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY. The game will air live on VERSUS and NLL.com at 2 p.m.
Tavares, appearing in his NLL-record ninth All-Star Game, will captain a team that includes fellow Bandits Mark Steenhuis, Chris White and Brett Bucktooth. Tavares leads the Bandits with 35 points (13+22) in seven games in 2011. The most prolific scorer in NLL history, Tavares holds the NLL career records for goals (705), assists (799) and points (1,504). In eight previous All-Star Games, Tavares has scored 29 points (16+13).
The league also announced that two other Bandits personalities will be a part of the festivities. John Gurtler will handle the television broadcast play-by-play and Chris Swenson will serve as the game’s public address announcer.
The Buffalo Bandits are taking on the Philadelphia Wings tonight at the HSBC Arena. Follow the game live with instant updates from Zach Zielonka. The fun beings at 7:30pm.
John Tavares has been with the Buffalo Bandits since the team started in 1992 and has made himself the best player in the National Lacrosse League. Last Saturday night, he scored his 700th career goal against the Philadelphia Wings and tonight he is set up to score his 1,500th career point. After 20 years, he has 700 goals but he believes that his mark will be broken by someone in the league. “When I started playing we played eight games, and then ten and twelve and finally sixteen. The 16-game schedule has been later in my career where a lot of guys started earlier in their career, in their prime,” Tavares said before the game.
From a player that has played for twenty years to a player that has played two games, Travis Irving has made a name for himself in the last two games with his defensive play and his willingness to drop the gloves. Against Paul Dawson last week, Irving became a small YouTube hit after being knocked out in two punches. Irving went over the fight before the game:
“All game you know I was kind of hacking at players and stuff and getting under their skin so I knew eventually that someone was going to come after me. He asked me a couple of times and I asked Darris and Darris said if I want to go ahead. He came out in quarter four and he asked me and I didn’t want to back down. I was doing alright and then I got a little cocky and I let go of the left and tried to throw the left and totally exposed myself.”
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares was named Overall Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Tavares recorded a season-high nine points, including five goals and four assists, in the Bandits’ 16-7 win at Philadelphia on Feb. 12. His first goal of the night made him the first NLL player to score 700 goals in his career. The nine points and five goals were the most Tavares had scored since scoring nine (6+3) in a 15-11 win at Boston on Apr. 4, 2009.
Tavares now has a team-high 30 points on the season. He leads the team in both goals (12) and assists (18). He is in the top 15 in the league in all three scoring categories. Tavares Names NLL Player of the Week – continue reading…
Buffalo Bandits star John Tavares has had an illustrious 19-year career in the National Lacrosse League. He added to that with his 700th career goal scored at the 9:37 mark of the first period in a clash against the Philadelphia Wings Saturday night.
Tavares had five goals and four assists in the game which also brings him closer to the 1,500 career points mark with 1,499 total. The Bandits played a complete game in a 16-7 win over the Wings.
The Bandits started the first of many runs in this game with four goals in the first quarter after the Wings scored the first goal of the game. From that point on, the Bandits never looked back in the game, with the Wings only tying the game once in the second quarter. Buffalo outscored the Wings 9-2 in the second half and played a complete game.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forwards John Tavares and Brett Bucktooth were selected to represent the Eastern Division at the 2011 NLL All-Star Game on Feb. 27 at Turning Stone Casino Arena in Verona, NY. Tavares and Bucktooth will join Bandits Mark Steenhuis and Chris White, who were voted in as starters for the Eastern Division.
Forward John Tavares was selected to his seventh consecutive All-Star Game and the ninth of his career. With the selection, he ties Colin Doyle for the NLL record (9). Tavares leads the Bandits with 21 points (7+14) in five games in 2011. The most prolific scorer in NLL history, Tavares holds the NLL career records for goals (699), assists (791) and points (1,490). In eight previous All-Star Games, Tavares has scored 29 points (16+13).
Brett Bucktooth will appear in his first career NLL All-Star Game. The fifth-year forward has eight points (4+4) and 13 loose balls recovered in five games.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits Mark Steenhuis and Chris White were voted in as starters for the 2011 NLL All-Star Game on Feb. 27 at Turning Stone Casino Arena in Verona, NY. The Bandits are the only team in the East to have two players selected to the starting lineup. A combined vote of NLL fans, coaches and media determined the starting lineups.
Transition player Mark Steenhuis was selected to his seventh consecutive All-Star Game. He is tied with John Tavares for the team lead with seven goals and has added nine assists on the season. He leads all NLL transition players in goals, and is tied with Calgary’s Jeff Shattler for the transition lead in points. Steenhuis has been named All-Star MVP an NLL-record three times (2004, 2007 and 2009).
Bandits captain Chris White was selected to his third straight All-Star Game. White is part of a Bandit defense that has allowed only 42 shots per game and killed 81.5 percent of penalties so far this season, the best penalty kill in the NLL. White is tied for second among NLL defensemen with five assists.
The Buffalo Bandits moved to 3-2 on the season after they defeated the Minnesota Swarm 15-12 at HSBC Arena on Friday.
John Tavares scored two goals and eight points, while both Mark Steenhuis and Chad Culp recorded hat tricks in Buffalo’s second home game of the season. Mike Thompson was an anchor in the Bandits’ net as the veteran netminder made 23 saves in Buffalo’s victory.
After scoring just five goals in last week’s loss to Toronto, Buffalo was challenged by the coaching staff to step up the offense and exploded for 15 goals against the Swarm.
The Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock combined for 29 goals and 50 penalty minutes last week in a 15-14 overtime thriller. In this week’s game, it was 13 goals and 156 penalty minutes in Buffalo’s 8-5 loss to the Rock.
It was announced before the game that Toronto’s top scorer Garrett Billings would be out of the lineup due to a high hit he took from Scott Self in last week’s game. The Rock team were out to show that the Bandits couldn’t take liberties with their players and did so with three fights that broke out in the first five minutes of the game. A total of 119 penalty minutes and five game misconducts were handed out and both teams appeared to be running out of players on the bench.
When the fighting stopped, the Toronto Rock had a 1-0 lead and would hold that lead until the 13:22 mark of the first quarter on a Tracey Kelusky goal. The Bandits would not score another goal until the 1:35 mark in the fourth quarter. The Rock went on a five goal run over two and a half quarters to give them their largest lead of the night, 6-1.
The Buffalo Bandits today announced plans to host a pre-game “Party in the Plaza” before Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. match-up with the Boston Blazers in the first round of the 2011 NLL Playoffs.
The Buffalo Bandits (10-6) will march into the playoffs on a losing note, as the team dropped its regular season finale to the Rochester Knighthawks (10-6) by a score of 15-9 inside HSBC Arena on Saturday night. However, the Bandits will still enter the 2011 postseason as the East Division champions.
The Buffalo Bandits today announced plans to thank their fans for all their support in 2011 by hosting “Fan Appreciation Night” this Saturday when the Bandits take on the Rochester Knighthawks at 7:30 p.m. in their final game of the regular season.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that the Buffalo Bandits will host the Boston Blazers in the first round of the 2011 NLL Playoffs. The teams will square off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 30 at HSBC Arena.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits goaltender Mike Thompson and transition player Tom Montour each earned Player of the Week honors for Week 14 of the 2011 NLL Season.
The Buffalo Bandits are looking to continue their four game winning streak against the Washington Stealth on tonight at the HSBC Arena. The Stealth are coming into this game with an ax to grind after the Stealth lost to the Eastern Conference leading Toronto Rock in overtime last night. The Bandits could have used a Stealth win in Toronto as they now trail the Rock by a full game in the race for first in the Eastern Conference.
Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced that the Bandits will honor a legend of Bandits lacrosse when they retire Rich Kilgour’s jersey number 16 in a ceremony prior to their Apr. 16 game against the Boston Blazers at 7:30 p.m.
In what has become an annual tradition, the Buffalo Bandits will be advancing to the postseason. The Bandits won their fourth straight game Sunday, a 12-9 victory over the Minnesota Storm (you can read Zack Zielonka’s live updates from the game 
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares and defenseman Chris Corbeil each earned Player of the Week honors for Week 10 of the 2011 NLL Season.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits goaltender Mike Thompson was named Overall Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler today announced that fewer than 1,500 tickets remain for tomorrow’s 7:30 p.m. match-up with the Rochester Knighthawks.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares will serve as captain for the Eastern All-Star team at this Sunday’s NLL All-Star Game at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY. The game will air live on VERSUS and 
John Tavares has been with the Buffalo Bandits since the team started in 1992 and has made himself the best player in the National Lacrosse League. Last Saturday night, he scored his 700th career goal against the Philadelphia Wings and tonight he is set up to score his 1,500th career point. After 20 years, he has 700 goals but he believes that his mark will be broken by someone in the league. “When I started playing we played eight games, and then ten and twelve and finally sixteen. The 16-game schedule has been later in my career where a lot of guys started earlier in their career, in their prime,” Tavares said before the game.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forward John Tavares was named Overall Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2011 NLL Season.
Buffalo Bandits star John Tavares has had an illustrious 19-year career in the National Lacrosse League. He added to that with his 700th career goal scored at the 9:37 mark of the first period in a clash against the Philadelphia Wings Saturday night.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits forwards John Tavares and Brett Bucktooth were selected to represent the Eastern Division at the 2011 NLL All-Star Game on Feb. 27 at Turning Stone Casino Arena in Verona, NY. Tavares and Bucktooth will join Bandits Mark Steenhuis and Chris White, who were voted in as starters for the Eastern Division.
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Buffalo Bandits Mark Steenhuis and Chris White were voted in as starters for the 2011 NLL All-Star Game on Feb. 27 at Turning Stone Casino Arena in Verona, NY. The Bandits are the only team in the East to have two players selected to the starting lineup. A combined vote of NLL fans, coaches and media determined the starting lineups.
The Buffalo Bandits moved to 3-2 on the season after they defeated the Minnesota Swarm 15-12 at HSBC Arena on Friday.
The Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock combined for 29 goals and 50 penalty minutes last week in a 15-14 overtime thriller. In this week’s game, it was 13 goals and 156 penalty minutes in Buffalo’s 8-5 loss to the Rock.
