Buffalo Bandits Overpower Ottawa Black Bears 18-7
The Buffalo Bandits showcased their dominant skills on the field with a decisive win against the Ottawa Black Bears, triumphing with a score of 18-7. The match, held at Canadian Tire Centre, illustrated the Bandits' offensive prowess as they managed to outshoot their opponents significantly, following their head coach John Tavares's emphasis on winning the small battles to secure victory.
It was the Black Bears who started strong, with Jacob Dunbar netting the first goal just 2:10 minutes in, his fourth of the season, aided by Reilly O’Connor and Reed Kurtz. The early lead, alas, was short-lived. Chris Cloutier quickly leveled the score for the Bandits at 1-1 just three minutes later. Less than three minutes after Cloutier’s equalizer, Ian MacKay put the Bandits on top with his first goal of the game.
Buffalo kept the pressure on, with Josh Byrne scoring on the power play for their third goal, extending their lead to 3-1. The first quarter closed with the Bandits firmly in control, capped by MacKay’s second goal, giving Buffalo a 4-1 lead.
Early in the second quarter, Cloutier scored again, making it 5-1 before Ron John brought the fans to their feet with the game’s Teddy Bear Toss goal, his first of the season, assisted by Kevin Brownell. Still reeling from this surge, the Black Bears couldn’t hold back as Ian MacKay struck again for his hat trick, pushing the score to 6-2.
Ottawa made some gains, with Jeff Teat managing to strike at the 8:00 mark of the second quarter, narrowing the lead to 6-3 with his first goal of the game. Yet, Buffalo quickly bounced back, scoring again, and the Bandits closed out the half with significant momentum, maintaining their 9-3 advantage by halftime.
The third quarter commenced with the Bandits scoring early again, with Kyle Buchanan extending the score to 10-3. Teat netted his second for Ottawa midway through the quarter, momentarily calming the onslaught, but it wasn’t long before MacKay struck once more, dominating the play with back-to-back goals to set his career-high at five goals.
Despite Ottawa's efforts, they could only muster two goals by the end of the game, with Dunbar and Larson Sundown managing to add to the tally. But the Bandits, led by MacKay’s stellar performance and strong support from Byrne and Smith, showcased their depth. Smith and Fraser added to their scoring with assists, proving to be instrumental throughout the match.
Ian MacKay shone particularly bright, scoring five times and assisted by multiple players including Byrne, who achieved his 500th career point during the match. Dhane Smith, not to be outdone, recorded his 1100th point, marking significant milestones for both players.
At the final whistle, the Bandits had taken control just as Tavares had foreseen, dominating loose balls and achieving 46 shots. Ottawa's defense struggled to match the aggressive style of the Bandits, yielding 18 goals.
With this impressive victory under their belts, the Buffalo Bandits focus next on their home game scheduled for December 28 against the Rochester Knighthawks, marking their banner-raising night.
Meanwhile, the Ottawa Black Bears will head to Toronto for their next match, hoping to secure another win against the Rock after their recent 11-5 home-opener victory.