Dhane Smith scored 3:59 into overtime as the Buffalo Bandits completed a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the San Diego Seals 9-8 on Saturday night.
The win is Buffalo’s fourth straight and puts them right back in the playoff picture with a record of 8-6.
Meanwhile, it was a crushing defeat for the Seals, who drop to 6-8 and are currently out of a playoff spot.
However, this was a game that really got away from San Diego. The Seals held an 8-4 lead midway through the fourth quarter but gave up four straight goals to send the game into overtime.
Josh Byrne led the Bandits with a goal and six assists, while Dhane Smith finished with three goals and three assists. Matt Vinc stopped 36 of 44 shots in the win.
For the Seals, Ben McIntosh led the team with three goals and an assist. Wes Berg had two goals and two assists, and Tre Leclaire recorded four assists.
First Quarter
Buffalo opened the scoring 3:33 into the first quarter on the power play, with Tehoka Nanticoke faking before scoring.
McIntosh tied the game at 4:16 with a shot that went off the post, off Vinc, and into the net.
San Diego then took the lead on the power play with 3:27 left in the quarter. McIntosh dove from behind the net to make it 2-1 for the Seals.
Second Quarter
The Bandits tied it 2-2 at the 3:41 mark on the power play. Byrne found Kyle Buchanan, who scored from a sharp angle.
San Diego regained the lead at 6:34 with an outside shot from Berg that beat Vinc glove side to make it 3-2.
Leclaire then found Berg with a flip pass in the middle with 2:04 left, giving the Seals a 4-2 lead at halftime.
Third Quarter
The third quarter went scoreless for 8:42 until James Barclay hit Ari Steenhuis in transition to put the Seals up 5-2.
Zach Currier made it a four-goal game at the 9:05 mark after faking out a couple of defenders and finding the back of the net.
Buffalo got back on the board at 10:29 on the power play. Chris Origlieri got a piece of Dhane Smith’s shot, but not enough to stop it, making it 6-3.
Currier rounded out the third-quarter scoring with a shot that just got by Vinc with 2:06 left, as the Seals held a 7-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter And Overtime
The Bandits got within three at the 5:54 mark of the fourth quarter. Byrne picked up his own rebound and burying it.
San Diego replied at 7:24 when Berg found McIntosh, who went far side on Vinc to make it 8-4.
However, the Seals took their foot off the gas, and the Bandits scored four straight goals in the final five minutes to force overtime.
Dhane Smith found Joe Resetarits at the side of the net with 5:25 left to make it 8-5.
Byrne then shook his defender and found Clay Scanlan down low with 2:46 remaining, cutting the lead to 8-6.
With Vinc on the bench for the extra attacker, MacKay found Nanticoke in traffic with 1:02 left, making it a one-goal game.
Again with the extra attacker, Dhane Smith scored through traffic with 43.5 seconds remaining to tie the game 8-8 and force overtime.
In the extra period, Smith shook off defender Graydon Bradley and scored the winner 3:59 into overtime to give the Bandits a 9-8 come-from-behind victory.
Top Scorers
Buffalo Bandits
- Josh Byrne — 1g, 6a
- Dhane Smith — 3g, 3a
- Kyle Buchanan — 1g, 3a
San Diego Seals
- Ben McIntosh — 3g, 1a
- Wes Berg — 2g, 2a
- Zach Currier — 2g, 1a
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