NLL Insider

So, I got to watch a couple of incredibly exciting back-to-back sporting events on Saturday. First up was another stunning performance by a very special horse named Big Brown followed by the National Lacrosse League’s Champion’s Cup game, won by Buffalo. Was there any doubt that the Buffalo Bandits were going to win in Buffalo after Big Brown won in Baltimore?

Mind you, while Big Brown destroyed the rest of the Preakness field, it took until the final buzzer (yes, that’s another B), for the Bandits to dispatch the LumberJax. Buffalo exploded out of the gate, taking a 1-0 lead on the very first shot of the game.

It came via the ‘ol hidden ball trick that was missed by just about everyone including the two Lumberjax defenders who were confidently helping their goalie Matt Disher (much to his later blustery ballyhoo) by pointing to the Bandit player without the ball. Meanwhile, John “the Magician” Tavares, drifting around the opposite side of the floor, calmly lobbed the ball into a gaping net with the first shot of the game.

I thought that might be an early defining point for Portland but they dismissed the embarrassment well. I must admit though, that along with many others, I was surprised that Disher got the start. Throughout the game it was clearly evident that he wasn’t 100% health-wise even though he managed to make a few spectacular saves. But overall, a .659 save percentage isn’t likely to win you a Cup.

However, if I hadn’t watched the game or checked the final score and just looked at the post-game stat sheet, I might have guessed that Portland was the winner. The ‘Jax led in most categories: they outshot the Bandits 84-63; they won the loose ball battle 84-83; and they were 3-4 on the power play compared to 0-2 for the Bandits. There were only two stats in the Bandits favor: the final score; and Mike Thompson’s .750 save percentage. And yes, certainly down the stretch I thought it was Thompson who made a couple more critical saves than a hurting Dish in those last tense minutes of the fourth quarter.

There were several turning points in the game but the ones that stood out most for me were the four times Buffalo established a three-goal cushion. It was none other than Champion’s Cup MVP Mark Steenhuis who gave them the margin three of those four times. He scored the deflating (for Portland) 6-3 goal with just four seconds left in the first quarter using his speed across the top; he scored the 9-6 goal late in the half on an outside shot after a poor switch by two ‘Jax defenders; and he scored the 12-9 goal in the third quarter on an outside shot that I thought Disher should have saved although the Jax defenders gave Steenhuis too much time and room.  The fourth three-goal Buffalo lead came on a crushing shorthanded marker by Billy Dee Smith , making the score 13-10. For added measure, Steenhuis also tallied the 14^th   and final goal for the Bandits, giving them a two-goal advantage with just over 5 minutes left in the game.  

Those three-goal deficits were just too much in the end for Portland to overcome. Not that they didn’t give it one heck of a valiant effort but on the road, to have to come from that far back four times in one game is a tough haul. Going down three goals is a psychological barrier akin to the three-possession lead in basketball. It seems a long way off and you’re expending a lot of energy just making sure the hole doesn’t get any deeper.

All in all, it was an exceptional championship game. Certainly the league couldn’t have asked for anything better: some long awaited national television coverage in the U.S. and Canada; a packed house of passionate lacrosse fans; a game that went right to the wire; and outstanding displays of skill and agility by world class athletes. If there were some prospective franchise buyers at the HSBC on this B Saturday, the bidding should be brisk and perhaps we’ll see a couple more expansion teams for next year along with - you guessed it – Boston.

Rate This Story:

(16 votes, average: 4.63 out of 5)

 Loading ...