BANDITS
Accursi happy to play his role on a winning team
Playing on the same unit as two of the best players in the National Lacrosse League is no way to gain fame and recognition.
Buffalo Bandits forward Mike Accursi is all right with that, as long as his team wins.
Accursi usually has been on the floor with Mark Steenhuis and John Tavares. The trio will be looking to pile up goals and notch an important win tonight when the Bandits play the Blazers in Boston (7:30 p. m., Radio 1520 AM, Webcast on nll.com).
“It’s great,” Accursi said of his linemates. “I played with John for a long time, and we kind of know where the other is on the floor. It makes it easy. Mark is just a tremendous athlete. Playing with two top guys is always outstanding, but playing with a living legend like J. T. is really special.”
Steenhuis is first on the team and second in the NLL in scoring with 41 goals and 84 points, while Tavares has 36 goals and 68 points. Accursi, who had a career high of 77 points in Rochester in 2007, is smart enough to know that it’s a good idea for those two to have the ball a lot. The 34-year-old hasn’t had to make many adjustments playing with those two stars.
“I’ve always found that if you can adapt to any team that you are on and find a role, it’s a team that has all those guys that play their roles that is going to win championships,” he said. “I think we have a team full of those guys that can play off of people. I play off Mark really well. When I cut to the middle, J. T. is really good at finding me. You do have to adjust your game a little bit, but if you are focused on winning and not so much padding your stats, everything will fall into place.”
Coach Darris Kilgour added, “Mike is a veteran that knows what needs to be done. It’s easy to play with J. T. He has his head up all the time. Playing with Mark is a little more difficult. You have to read what he’s going to do. Having Mark on a line is more challenging. But both are very talented players. Playing with them is a job that needs to be filled, and Mike does a great job on that.”
Accursi ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 19 goals and 23 assists. With four games left, he has already tied his 2008 points total (17-25-42).
“It’s gone pretty well,“ Accursi said about his individual performance this season. “You always want to get more, but we’re winning games. At the end of the day, that’s what is important. We said that last year and we’ll say it this year — we play for the front of the jersey and not the back.”
Accursi has a track record of doing exactly that over the years. This is his 12th season in the league, starting with Ontario in 1998. Considering he also has played in Syracuse and Rochester and spent five seasons in Buffalo early in his career, you could say he’s something of an expert when it comes to playing indoor lacrosse while near one of the Great Lakes.
The forward did spent part of the 2008 season playing for Edmonton, which is a long way from his home in Pelham, Ont. After less than a season of long-distance commuting to games, he was thrilled when the Bandits reacquired him from the Rush in midseason.
“In terms of being close to home and having that fan support, there’s no better place to play [than Buffalo],” Accursi said.
The Bandits are counting on Accursi for offensive contributions down the stretch, when the playoff seedings will be determined. Buffalo was a half-game up on Boston after the Blazers’ win over Toronto Friday night. The Bandits would clinch a playoff spot tonight with a win and a weekend loss by either Rochester or Philadelphia.
“It’s an important stretch of games,” he said. “Every game is important in this league because it’s such a small schedule. When you play against divisional rivals that probably are the teams that will make the playoffs and are probably going to do well in the playoffs, they are important. It’s important for momentum, it’s important for a mental game.”
Tonight marks the first-ever meeting between the Bandits and the Blazers, a first-year entry into the NLL. Expansion teams are supposed to struggle for the first few seasons while they accumulate talent, but Boston didn’t get that memo.
“They got Dan Dawson (80 points) and Anthony Cosmo (a record of 6-4 in goal) right off the bat,“ Accursi said. “Those are two great guys to build a team around. . . . They will run guys and use their athleticism to try to beat teams.
“We have to be smart, slow the game down and make them play our style of lacrosse instead of us getting into a track meet with them.”
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