Buffalo Bandits Crush Toronto Rock To Remain Undefeated

In case you didn't realize it, Buffalo is an amazing city to watch sports in. You'll see exactly what we mean if you happen to find yourself inside the KeyBank Center when the back-to-back NLL Champion Buffalo Bandits are home playing a game. The scene was electric in Banditland as the hometown team was hosting the Toronto Rock in what was the first meeting of these two teams this season.

Being that Toronto and Buffalo are so close together, we have plenty of rivalries going, and it's not just the Bandits and the Rock, but it also applies to the Sabres and Maple Leafs.

The Rock, who have a firm grip on last place in the NLL, came into Buffalo with hopes of getting their first win of the season. Those hopes were dashed by the Bandits, who played hard and grabbed a gritty win against the Rock.

Toronto got out to an early lead in the 1st quarter, quickly scoring five goals, but the Bandits were able to battle back to end the quarter tied at 5. Toronto's Corey Small scored two goals in the second quarter, and Brian Cameron added a 3rd goal to give the Rock an 8-7 lead going into halftime.

The second half of the game marked the end of Toronto's hopes for a victory as the Bandits' Ian MacKay, Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith, Chase Fraser, and more turned up the energy, scoring eight goals to give the Bandits a 15-13 win. Not only did the team dominate in scoring during the second half, they were able to put 57 shots on goal while winning 22 face-offs.

Matt Vinc added 24 saves to help the Bandits remain undefeated. The team is a team that has not lost a game in the NLL and looks forward to continuing the win streak on Saturday, January 18, 2025, when the second-place Philadelphia Wings come to Buffalo to face the Bandits.