The Buffalo Bandits picked up a 12–10 win over the Saskatchewan Rush on Friday night and are now one win away from claiming their third straight championship.
It was a back-and-forth slugfest between the league’s top two teams in Game 1, as both sides struggled to gain momentum.
For Dhane Smith, it was a historic night. He notched playoff point number 201 to surpass his head coach, John Tavares, as the all-time NLL leader in playoff points. Smith finished the game with three goals and five assists, including the game-winner with 3:24 left in the third quarter.
Saskatchewan, meanwhile, gave the Bandits everything they could handle. Goaltender Matt Vinc faced a barrage of 54 Rush shots, while Jake Naso outperformed Connor Farrell on the faceoff dot, winning 16 of 26 draws.
The Rush will now look to force a deciding third game on home floor Sunday night at the SaskTel Centre.
Rush Buzzing Early
Saskatchewan came out flying. Clark Walter converted a Robert Church pass on the first shot of the game—just 22 seconds in.
Rookie Levi Anderson, who got the nod over Mike Triolo, scored while diving across the crease at 2:04, giving the Rush a 2–0 lead.
Buffalo responded. Josh Byrne’s bouncer through traffic at 5:09 cut the deficit to one. Just 38 seconds later, Kyle Buchanan finished a backdoor cut off a feed from Dhane Smith to tie it up.
The Rush regained the lead when Anderson found Austin Shanks with 3:48 remaining, putting Saskatchewan ahead 3–2 at the first break.
Bandits Keep Battling Back
The Rush struck quickly again in the second quarter. Brock Haley scored on a bouncer just 41 seconds into the frame to make it 4–2.
Then came a turning point. At 6:04, Anderson appeared to score on a shot that hit the post, bounced off Vinc, and went into the net. However, the play was challenged, and Anderson’s foot was in the crease before the ball crossed the line—no goal.
Ian MacKay then scored twice in 90 seconds to tie the game. Dhane Smith assisted on the first to break the NLL record for most career playoff points.
Chase Fraser capped a three-goal Bandits run with a highlight-reel crease dive at 8:35, giving Buffalo a 5–4 lead.
Mike Messenger responded with a rocket to tie it again. Shanks scored with a bouncer to the far side with 49.7 seconds left, but MacKay answered in transition with 34.6 seconds on the clock. It was all square at 6–6 at halftime.
Dhane Smith Scores the Winner
Saskatchewan again came out strong in the third. Zach Manns scored on the first shot, just 28 seconds in, to make it 7–6. He added another at 1:33 on a twister during four-on-four play.
MacKay pulled Buffalo back within one with a four-on-three power-play marker at 3:16, but Ryan Keenan restored the two-goal lead 39 seconds later with a shot to the far corner.
Then, Dhane Smith took over. He powered to the net and scored at 6:06 to keep Buffalo in it. Shanks continued his stellar postseason, scoring off a rebound at 8:17 to make it 10–8 Rush.
But remember—Buffalo scores in bunches.
Just 31 seconds later, Smith spun away from pressure and scored again. Then Buchanan buried a rebound off a Byrne shot at 10:08 to tie it 10–10.
With 3:24 left, Smith fired through traffic with 10 seconds on the shot clock. It beat the keeper clean and gave Buffalo an 11–10 lead—a goal that would stand as the game-winner.
Buffalo One Win Away
The fourth quarter was a defensive battle, with neither team giving an inch. Both had chances, but posts and stellar goaltending kept the score unchanged.
In fact, no goals were scored in the final 18:13.
Saskatchewan pulled Frank Scigliano for the extra attacker in the final minutes. With possession, Dhane Smith threw the ball down the floor. It deflected off Buchanan’s stick and into the empty net, sealing the 12–10 win and putting the Bandits just one victory away from another championship.
Top Scorers
Buffalo Bandits
Dhane Smith, 3g 5a
Ian MacKay, 4g 2a
Josh Byrne, 1g 4a
Saskatchewan Rush
Austin Shanks, 3g 5a
Zach Manns, 2g 2a
Clark Walter, 1g 2a
Robert Church, 3a
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