2025 Buffalo Bandits season
Lacrosse team season; NLL champions, league-record seventh title in team history
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The Buffalo Bandits are a lacrosse team based in Buffalo, New York playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2025 season was their 33rd season in the NLL. The Bandits entered the season as the defending champions for the second straight year.
| 2025 Buffalo Bandits | |
|---|---|
| NLL Champions | |
| League | NLL |
| 2025 record | 13–5 |
| Home record | 6–3 |
| Road record | 7–2 |
| Goals for | 242 |
| Goals against | 195 |
| General Manager | Steve Dietrich |
| Coach | John Tavares |
| Captain | Steve Priolo |
| Alternate captains | Dhane Smith, Nick Weiss |
| Arena | KeyBank Center |
| Average attendance | 18,471 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Josh Byrne (44) |
| Assists | Dhane Smith (103) |
| Points | Dhane Smith (135) |
| Penalties in minutes | Zack Belter (49) |
| Loose Balls | Nick Weiss (138) |
| Wins | Matt Vinc (13) |
| Goals against average | Steven Orleman (9.74) |
In the regular season, Buffalo finished the regular season with a 13–5 record, allowing them to secure the number 1 seed in the playoffs.[a] In the Quarterfinal, the Bandits survived a close contest against the San Diego Seals, winning 5–4, in the lowest scoring playoff game in league history. In the Semifinals, Buffalo swept the Vancouver Warriors in 2 games to advance to their 5th straight NLL Finals appearance, where they would face the Saskatchewan Rush.
In the Finals, Buffalo would take Game 1 over Saskatchewan, but would lose Game 2 to the Rush, forcing a deciding Game 3. In Game 3, the Bandits went on to win, 15–6, and became the first team since the original Rochester Knighthawks from 2012 to 2014 to win 3 straight NLL championships. They also became the first NLL franchise to win seven championships.[1][2]
Regular season
NLL Standings Reference:[3]
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffalo Bandits – xz | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 0.0 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 242 | 195 | +47 | 13.44 | 10.83 |
| 2 | Saskatchewan Rush – x | 18 | 13 | 5 | .722 | 0.0 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 213 | 179 | +34 | 11.83 | 9.94 |
| 3 | Halifax Thunderbirds – x | 18 | 11 | 7 | .611 | 2.0 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 239 | 213 | +26 | 13.28 | 11.83 |
| 4 | Vancouver Warriors – x | 18 | 11 | 7 | .611 | 2.0 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 196 | 172 | +24 | 10.89 | 9.56 |
| 5 | Rochester Knighthawks – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 3.0 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 228 | 209 | +19 | 12.67 | 11.61 |
| 6 | Calgary Roughnecks – x | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | 3.0 | 3–6 | 7–2 | 219 | 209 | +10 | 12.17 | 11.61 |
| 7 | Georgia Swarm – x | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 4.0 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 214 | 217 | −3 | 11.89 | 12.06 |
| 8 | San Diego Seals – x | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 | 4.0 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 215 | 209 | +6 | 11.94 | 11.61 |
| 9 | Ottawa Black Bears | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 5.0 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 183 | 202 | −19 | 10.17 | 11.22 |
| 10 | Colorado Mammoth | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 5.0 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 195 | 212 | −17 | 10.83 | 11.78 |
| 11 | Albany FireWolves | 18 | 7 | 11 | .389 | 6.0 | 5–4 | 2–7 | 192 | 209 | −17 | 10.67 | 11.61 |
| 12 | Philadelphia Wings | 18 | 7 | 11 | .389 | 6.0 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 207 | 231 | −24 | 11.50 | 12.83 |
| 13 | Toronto Rock | 18 | 6 | 12 | .333 | 7.0 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 189 | 208 | −19 | 10.50 | 11.56 |
| 14 | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | 18 | 4 | 14 | .222 | 9.0 | 2–7 | 2–7 | 189 | 256 | −67 | 10.50 | 14.22 |
Game log
The Bandits' schedule was released on September 17, 2024.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Location | Score | OT | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 7, 2024 | @ Rochester Knighthawks | Blue Cross Arena | W 15–7 | 6,454 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | December 13, 2024 | @ Ottawa Black Bears | Canadian Tire Centre | W 18–7 | 5,272 | 2–0 | |
| 3 | December 28, 2024 | Rochester Knighthawks | KeyBank Center | W 13–6 | 19,070 | 3–0 | |
| 4 | January 10, 2025 | Toronto Rock | KeyBank Center | W 15–13 | 17,240 | 4–0 | |
| 5 | January 18, 2025 | Philadelphia Wings | KeyBank Center | W 19–14 | 17,561 | 5–0 | |
| 6 | February 1, 2025 | Albany FireWolves | KeyBank Center | W 16–10 | 18,459 | 6–0 | |
| 7 | February 14, 2025 | @ Toronto Rock | Paramount Fine Foods Centre | W 13–12 | 5,167 | 7–0 | |
| 8 | February 15, 2025 | San Diego Seals | KeyBank Center | L 13–14 | OT | 18,224 | 7–1 |
| 9 | February 22, 2025 | @ San Diego Seals | Pechanga Arena | W 13–12 | 6,280 | 8–1 | |
| 10 | March 1, 2025 | @ Saskatchewan Rush | SaskTel Centre | W 9–7 | 7,029 | 9–1 | |
| 11 | March 8, 2025 | Calgary Roughnecks | KeyBank Center | L 11–17 | 19,070 | 9–2 | |
| 12 | March 15, 2025 | @ Calgary Roughnecks | Scotiabank Saddledome | W 11–6 | 16,443 | 10–2 | |
| 13 | March 21, 2025 | Las Vegas Desert Dogs | KeyBank Center | W 13–10 | 18,474 | 11–2 | |
| 14 | March 22, 2025 | @ Albany FireWolves | MVP Arena | L 10–11 | OT | 6,724 | 11–3 |
| 15 | March 29, 2025 | Vancouver Warriors | KeyBank Center | L 12–13 | 19,070 | 11–4 | |
| 16 | April 5, 2025 | @ Colorado Mammoth | Ball Arena | W 15–10 | 10,788 | 12–4 | |
| 17 | April 12, 2025 | Halifax Thunderbirds | KeyBank Center | W 15–12 | 19,070 | 13–4 | |
| 18 | April 19, 2025 | @ Georgia Swarm | Gas South Arena | L 11–14 | 5,381 | 13–5 |
Playoffs
| Game | Date | Opponent | Location | Score | OT | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLL Quarterfinals | April 25, 2025 | San Diego Seals | KeyBank Center | W 5–4 | 17,703 | 1–0 | |
| NLL Semifinals (Game 1) |
May 2, 2025 | Vancouver Warriors | KeyBank Center | W 9–3 | 14,415 | 2–0 | |
| NLL Semifinals (Game 2) |
May 4, 2025 | @ Vancouver Warriors | Rogers Arena | W 11–9 | 9,176 | 3–0 | |
| NLL Finals (Game 1) |
May 16, 2025 | Saskatchewan Rush | KeyBank Center | W 12–10 | 16,761 | 4–0 | |
| NLL Finals (Game 2) |
May 18, 2025 | @ Saskatchewan Rush | SaskTel Centre | L 10–11 | 8,216 | 4–1 | |
| NLL Finals (Game 3) |
May 24, 2025 | Saskatchewan Rush | KeyBank Center | W 15–6 | 19,070 | 5–1 |
Roster
| Active (21-man) roster | Inactive roster | Coaches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Roster updated 2025-2-20 | ||||||
Dispersal Draft
On August 30, 2024, the NLL announced that the Panther City Lacrosse Club would cease operations. The league held a dispersal draft on September 2.[4][5]
| Round | Overall | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Traded to Philadelphia[A] |
Notes
- The Bandits traded the 14th overall selection in the 2024 Dispersal Draft to the Philadelphia Wings in exchange for Philadelphia’s 2nd round selection in the 2025 Entry Draft.
Entry Draft
The 2024 NLL Entry Draft was held virtually on September 15. The Bandits' selections are listed below.[6]
| Round | Overall | Player | College/Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Lukas Nielsen | New Westminster Salmonbellies (WLA) | from Ottawa |
| 1 | 8 | Luca Antongiovanni | University of North Carolina (ACC) | from Rochester |
| 1 | 15 | Taylor Dooley | Ennismore James Gang (Ontario Series Lacrosse) | |
| 2 | 19 | Trent Robertson | Brampton Express (Arena Lacrosse League) | from Vancouver |
| 3 | 35 | Marquez White | Princeton Tigers (Ivy League) | from Ottawa via Colorado |
| 4 | 57 | Angus McDonnell | Mimico Mountaineers (OLA Junior A Lacrosse League) | |
| 5 | 65 | Bryce Cordingley | Mimico Mountaineers (OLA Junior A Lacrosse League) | from Rochester |
| 6 | 86 | Vance Adams | Akwesasne Thunder (OLA Junior B Lacrosse League) |
Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
| = Indicates league leader |
Reference:[7]
Runners (Top 10)
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | LB | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Byrne | 18 | 44 | 90 | 134 | 88 | 18 |
| Dhane Smith | 18 | 32 | 102 | 134 | 116 | 6 |
| Kyle Buchanan | 18 | 34 | 21 | 55 | 86 | 4 |
| Ian MacKay | 18 | 37 | 17 | 54 | 94 | 16 |
| Chase Fraser | 17 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 42 | 20 |
| Chris Cloutier | 14 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 47 | 4 |
| Tehoka Nanticoke | 16 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 38 | 10 |
| Nick Weiss | 18 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 138 | 47 |
| Steve Priolo | 18 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 110 | 34 |
| Clay Scanlan | 11 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 25 | 4 |
| Totals | 242 | 374 | 616 | 1,348 | 301 |
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | MIN | W | L | GA | Sv% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Vinc | 18 | 1,080:51 | 13 | 5 | 193 | .791 | 10.71 |
| Steven Orleman | 18 | 12:19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .818 | 9.74 |
| Totals | 1,093:10 | 13 | 5 | 195 | .791 | 10.70 |
Notes
- The Bandits and Rush finished the regular season with identical records of 13–5. Buffalo secured the number 1 seed based on the head-to-head tiebreaker with Saskatchewan, who they defeated in the regular season on March 1.