Buffalo Bandits
Dhane Smith is continuing to defy the possibilities of what one human can do in the National Lacrosse League. Sitting at a cool 103, he’s on course for over 154 points in the regular season alone. The best part is, he’s not alone on the offensive side of the floor. Buffalo has seven runners averaging a minimum of one goal per game. One thing they’ve mastered is racking up points: Anthony Malcolm and Alex Kedoh Hill are in the 25 club; Daryl Veltman and Mitch Jones tie at 29; Mark Steeinhuis assists his way to 47; and Ryan Benesch coming in with 57. It’s funny how Benesch, who’s only missed one game, has averaged 6 points per game, on 25 goals and 32 helpers, and he’s still just a hair above half of what we’ve seen from Dhane.
38 year old Anthony Cosmo has had a stellar season so far, posting a .790 save percentage, 2nd best in the league. He’s on track for his best year to date and he owes a lot to the defense in front of him. Steve Priolo is one point away from being the tied with the top scoring defensemen, the whole team is totaling 149 caused turnovers and rocking the best goal ratio (+21) in the Eastern Conference.
The Bandits haven’t been much on the road, going 3-3 heading into their last 6 games on the season, 3 of which are on the road. New England is only a half game behind, but the two teams don’t meet until the final week. Buffalo needs to keep packing on the points to keep the Black Wolves at bay, desperate for that #1 seed. They’ve got nothing but in-conference opponents for the rest of the season, now is not the time to pump the breaks.
