Buffalo Bandits vs Saskatchewan Rush
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History
- 2015 Champion: Saskatchewan Rush
- Buffalo Cups: 4 – 2002, 1996, 1993, 1992
- Rush Cups: 1 – 2015
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Game 1
- Time: Saturday, May 28th, 2016 – 7:30 p.m
- Location: First Niagara Center – Buffalo, New York
- Watch: NLLtv.com
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It shouldn’t come as much of a shock that we have the two #1 teams from each division squaring off for the 2016 NLL Champion’s Cup. After a pair of clean sweeps in the Division finales, the Finals are set, pairing the #1 seed from the East against the #1 seed from the West. Both teams finished the regular season with league-high 13-5 records, the decision of the overall top seed came from a 19-18 Rush victory over the Bandits back in February, the only meeting between the two clubs in 2016.
In 2015, the Rush, then in Edmonton, took home the trophy for the first time after taking down the Toronto Rock in back to back games. 18 members of that Champion’s Cup winning Rush roster will be dressed and ready to play on Saturday night when they take the floor for Game 1 in Buffalo. For the Bandits, only four members of the 2008 Championship team will be on the bench for this Cup run. Captain Billy Dee Smith and Mark Steenhuis will do what they do best on the floor, while John Tavares and Rich Kigour will serve as assistant coaches instead of runners this time around.
We will all get treated to the NLL Finals that we deserve, I can almost guarantee it. It all begins at 7:30 p.m. in Buffalo on Saturday, but before we get there, here’s what you should look out for!
Keep an Eye On
Dhane Smith
After getting a bye in the first round, it’s pretty astounding that a guy could rack up 15 points in just two playoff games. Until you remember that just is 2016 Dhane Smith. That’s what he does. His 137 points over 18 games put him just above 7.5 points per game, exactly what he’s averaging now. No matter what the Black Wolves did to contain Smith, he found a way to create just a moment’s separation to get off a shot on cage. They slowed him down from Game 1’s 5 goal performance to a hat trick last weekend, but even when he looked cut-off, he never really was. Just by leading the Bandits to the Champion’s Cup, Smith should get the nod for MVP since Evans couldn’t get it done. The Rush defense is holding teams under 11 points per game on average, if Dhane comes in with 7.5, expect another one of those 30+ goal nights!
Ryan Benesch
Like Dhane, Benny boy has been balling out in the postseason too. Benesch has actually knocked down a single point more than Smith after putting in 6 goals putting together another 10 helpers. He had a hat trick in both nights against New England and put in 4 against the Rush the last time he had the chance. When Smith gets tied up, Benesch is always there to carry the Bandits, but both of them work best as soon as they step on the floor, attacking the cage before the defense can throw the first check. He also has an uncanny way about moving the ball, putting together 4 helpers to 4 different runners in the last win, and 6 assists to 4 separate sticks in Game 1 of the East Finals. Thinking of Ryan Benesch as Dhane Smith sidekick is a low blow, Benny is easily on the NLL’s Top 5 most valuable players list. He will make goals happen, bet money on it if you have to.
Buffalo Transition on Offense
When it comes to straight-up defensemen, Buffalo runs with a league low. They’ve got the towers Steve Priolo and Billy Dee Smith backing things up in front of Anthony Cosmo, allowing the transition group to not only pressure out more on the ball, but to have open reigns when pushing the ball the other way. Recently Alex-Kedoh Hill has been nothing short of spectacular on offense, working for 8 goals and another 3 assists in the playoffs alone. Mitch Jones has also been putting in work, taking home another 2 goals and 3 assists for the transition group with, Kevin Brownell and Nick Weiss have also contributed 4 assists each in the postseason. Hill and Jones will be those sparks that Buffalo needs sporadically throughout the game to keep the scoring trying rolling. If the Rush transition team is up to the task, they could render this key part of the Bandits’ game useless, but we should expect more run and gun lacrosse like the 19-18 meeting earlier in the season.
Facing Off
Yes, yes and more yes! With true face-off specialists going by the wayside constantly in the NLL, it’s awesome to see the two top guys in the league going head to head for the Champion’s Cup. Finishing 2016 on top, Jay Thorimbert completed the season with a .578 success rate on 500 regular season attempts before stepping his game up against the Black Wolves in the playoffs, winning .681 percent of his 66 takes. On the other side, Jeremy Thompson has yet again, been a blessing for the Rush, finishing the regular season with a .569 average on 490 draws, and like Thorimbert, tightening up in the postseason for .625 win percentage on 56 whistles.
They might take the vast majority of their team’s draws, but both Thompson and Thorimbert have contributed much more to their squads this season than quick possessions. Thompson’s efforts on defense have made him a key piece of the Rush backbone while his abilities to move the ball on offense makes him that much more dangerous. It was just last week that Thompson nearly singlehandedly ran off the last-minute of clock, laying his body on the line to close out the game. Thorimbert has also been lights out, punching in the first goal of the game just seconds into last week’s match-up and being consistent on defense, and in transition for the Bandits. Possession time could mean everything in this series, a lot will weigh on the shoulders of two of the most talented draw-men left in professional box lacrosse.
Zack Greer
Luckily for him, Calgary is in the rearview mirror, so he won’t have to worry about taking so many shots to the grill. Zack Greer covers the floor like a man on a mission and takes a beating for it. Jokes aside (but for real, he got hit in the face way too often this season) Greer is playing at the top of his game, putting in 4 goals with 3 helpers in the playoffs alone. That comes after a 70 point season including a 7 goal game against Calgary, an 11 point night against Vancouver, 6 games with a hat trick or better, and a slew over other solid performances. Greer doesn’t have to wait for Matthews to have a bad night to get the green light, but he’s always quick to fill the scoring void for the Rush when necessary. Greer doesn’t wait for opportunities, he creates them.
Mark Matthews
Everyone has had their hands full with Mark Matthews. Sure, even Vancouver has found a way to silence the massive lefty from time to time, but it’s nearly impossible to do it twice and especially when he gets a head full of steam. Matthews has a stellar cast built around him that won’t hesitate to let the ball fly or take a run at the crease, but the big man has the natural ability to take over a game and run the show on any given night. He’s leading his team in playoff points, picking up 2 goals and 3 assists in Game 1 against Calgary and another 2 scores and 5 helpers in the second meeting. Two nights without a hat trick makes it feel like Matthews is only a ticking time bomb waiting to let loose. The true story shows that he’s getting more and more selfless with each season and the coaching staff is making sure the ball is well distributed amongst the offense. His 40 goal season proves he can bury the rock, but those 69 assists is what makes his absolutely lethal. One thing Buffalo has going for them is the size of the defenders matching feet with Matthews, yet the last time he saw Buffalo he racked up 7 helpers with a side of 2 goals.
Jeff Cornwall
Expect to see Cornwall given the task of matching up with Dhane Smith to start the series. His unparalleled hustle and speed couldn’t have gone unnoticed in the West Finals and matched with his ability to lock guys down while still pushing hard transition, Cornwall has been racking up his stats. But finding a way to shine through a defensive group that is so incredibly deep is no small feat. Mostly keeping tabs on Curtis Dickson in the last game, he held the all-star to a solo goal to come away with the win.
Rush Defense
Jeff Cornwall and Jeremy Thompson have not been alone. The entire defensive backline has done a world-class job at protecting Aaron Bold, led by Chris Corbeil collecting 5 points in the postseason, Nik Bilic, Brett Mydske, Kyle Rubisch and Ryan Dilks are all collecting goals, assists and have combined for 15 points, 66 loose balls and 19 forced turnovers in just the two games while allowing less than 10 goals per game. They’re young, fast and don’t take crap off anyone. If one guy at a time can disable Dhane Smith, the rest of the group should match up well one on one with the rest of the Buffalo offense. Yes, the Bandits can score in droves, but don’t forget the Rush led the NLL with the lowest number of goal against at 190, 24 less than Buffalo gave up. The defense also put 17 goals of their own and a combined 52 assists making them straight up scary on both ends of the floor.
Goaltending
It’s hard to get a better matchup in the Champion’s Cup than Aaron Bold versus Anthony Cosmo. Both starters are living legends backed by excellent youngsters, but I doubt the young guns are even going to get a chance. He didn’t put up his typical mind-blowing numbers in the early part of season, but Bold has done more than a passable job this regular season, leading the NLL with the lowest GAA (10.30), yet finished 8th in save percentage posting a .761 average. That said, the super-fit Ironman between the pipes led all NLL goalies in floor time, beating out the closest contender by over 150 minutes. On the other end, Anthony Cosmo finished with a career-high year, earning a 8-2 record with a .783 save average. Cosmo’s stop percentage has dropped a bit to .762, while Bold has tightened up a bit to .796. The last time the two teams met it was a 37 goal, overtime night that all four net-minders saw time in. I’m sure the Cos and Boldy have long pushed that game from the memory banks and will be tuned in for a fresh start on Saturday.
