The Buffalo Bandits managed to salvage a split, winning 13-12 in their rematch against the San Diego Seals on Saturday night at Pechanga Arena.
With Saskatchewan defeating Vancouver the night before, it was a huge victory for the Bandits. They improved to 8-1, staying just ahead of the 9-2 Rush in the standings.
This sets up a major matchup at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon on March 1, where the Bandits and Rush will meet with first place on the line.
Looking back to Saturday night, it was a fairly evenly matched game, with San Diego leading 5-4 after the first quarter. The score was tied 8-8 at the half.
However, Kyle Buchanan scored his hat trick goal at 10:35 of the fourth quarter, which stood as the game-winner.
Credit goes to James Reilly at the faceoff dot for the Seals, who went toe-to-toe with Connor Farrell. The faceoff wins were tied at 14 each.
Late Goal Gives San Diego the Edge
The Seals opened the scoring 2:44 into the game when Jake Govett found the back of the net. Buffalo responded right away, with Dhane Smith burying a goal at 3:30 to tie it 1-1.
San Diego regained the lead at 5:13 with Tre Leclaire scoring off a pass from Kyle Jackson. The back-and-forth battle continued as Chase Fraser tied it again at 7:26.
Leclaire struck once more at 8:20, giving San Diego their third lead of the game. The Bandits answered with a two-goal run: Buchanan scored on the power play at 11:52, followed by an unassisted marker from Steve Priolo at 12:27.
Wes Berg scored for San Diego with 57 seconds left in the quarter, and Kyle Jackson found the back of the net with five seconds on the clock. The Seals led 5-4 after the first quarter.
Bandits Tie It Up
Dylan Watson had a huge game for the Seals. He opened the second-quarter scoring on the power play at 2:05, putting San Diego up 6-4.
But the Bandits are known for scoring in bunches. Josh Byrne did what he does best, scoring at 2:26. Off the ensuing faceoff, Farrell won the draw and passed the ball to Clay Scanlan. Scanlan then sent a pass to Chase Fraser, who made no mistake, tying the game at 6-6.
There was yet another lead change when Watson scored on the power play at 7:20. However, Buffalo regained the lead. Buchanan scored at 8:40, followed by Chris Cloutier at 11:08, putting the Bandits ahead 8-7.
Danny Logan rounded out the scoring with 2:18 left on the clock, knotting the score at 8-8 heading into halftime.
Not Giving An Inch
For a team that lost to San Diego the previous week, you would think Buffalo would come out firing. However, the Seals had none of it.
Watson struck again 35 seconds into the third quarter, followed by Berg scoring on the power play off a Rob Hellyer pass at 1:42, and the Seals jumped ahead 10-8.
However, this Bandits team is too good to go away. Dhane Smith scored on the power play at 2:43, starting a three-goal run for Buffalo.
Ian MacKay then found the back of the net at 5:21, and Tehoka Nanticoke scored off a Josh Byrne feed on the power play with 1:28 left on the clock, giving the Bandits an 11-10 lead.
Leclaire rounded out the scoring in the third with 57 seconds on the clock to tie it 11-11 heading into the final frame.
Buchanan Helps Buffalo Salvage a Split
The Bandits took an early lead in the fourth quarter, with Clay Scanlan scoring at the 4:54 mark. But full credit to the Seals, as they kept themselves in the game.
Leclaire scored again with 4:49 remaining in the game. Buchanan scored 24 seconds later in what would turn out to be the game-winner.
With over four minutes left to play, both sides had chances to change the tide. It turned into a goaltending clinic, as Matt Vinc and Chris Origlieri were sensational down the stretch. In the end, the Bandits held on for a 13-12 win to salvage a split with the Seals.
Top Scorers
Buffalo Bandits
Josh Byrne, 1g 5a
Kyle Buchanan, 3g 1a
Dhane Smith, 2g 2a
San Diego Seals
Wes Berg, 2g 4a
Dylan Watson, 3g 3a
Tre Leclaire, 4g 1a
Kyle Jackson, 1g 4a
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