Bandits vs. Wings

Bandits Postgame: Defense powers blowout victory

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

A national audience was able to tune in to catch the most convincing victory of the year for the Buffalo Bandits.

The debut of the NLL on CBS Sports Network was a good one of the league and the Bandits. Mark Steenhuis had six points (3+3), Luke Wiles had seven (3+4) and John Tavares  had eight (4+4) as Buffalo cruised to a 17-7 victory over Philadelphia.

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The real story was the near flawless effort the Bandits defense put together. It has been a rough season for the Bandits, defensively. Mike Thompson has had his ups and downs and Anthony Cosmo has struggled to settle in since being acquired via trade. However, things came together last night for Darris Kilgour’s squad. Cosmo was phenomenal for the entire game and the defense, as a unit, kept most of the Wings’ shots well to the outside.

“Our defense was great tonight, great slides and movement,” Luke Wiles said. “[Cosmo’s] a great goalie and there are teams in the league that are scared of us because we have him in our net.”

There were a number of easy saves that Cosmo made on the night. However, there were plenty of dazzlers as well. That includes a pipe-to-pipe stop in the third quarter that goes down as one of the most impressive saves I’ve seen made on an indoor lacrosse field.

If Cosmo’s game is on the upswing, the Bandits could become a very scary team to play against. As they stand now, their still in a dogfight to avoid losing out in the new crossover system installed for this season. However, they have started to find some more goal scoring (outside of last weekend) and the defense very well may be coming around. Continue reading →

Bandits Shootaround: Talented Wings fly into Banditland

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Of the teams to benefit from the summer’s expansion draft, the Philadelphia Wings would be in the conversation of the most fortunate. Dan Dawson was their most prized acquisition in a very busy offseason.

The Wings had an ugly first week, but dispatched the 2011 finalists last week in an impressive bounce-back effort. Philadelphia made a strong statement in beating Washington last week and have been fueled by their big names, as to be expected.

Dan Dawson is a truly unique talent who makes every player around him better. Darris Kilgour’s approach against Dawson in recent years hasn’t been to isolate and lock down on him, but rather to eliminate his weapons. Dawson is certainly a shooting threat, but is a pass-first player. Forcing him to play alone is likely the approach Kilgour will try and take.

The Wings also boast a few other impressive threats. Brodie Merrill is among the league’s best in the transition game. His defensive skill set is certainly the hallmark to his game, but his two-way skills are second to none. In my eyes, Mark Steenhuis is likely the most offensively talented transition player in the league and Merrill is the best defensive transition player. Continue reading →