INDOOR LACROSSE
Bandits win, clinch playoff berth
Tavares nets six as Blazers fall
BOSTON — The Buffalo Bandits will be playing in May.
They wrapped up a playoff berth in the National Lacrosse League’s East Division by virtue of a 15-11 win over the Boston Blazers in the TD Banknorth Garden Saturday night.
The Bandits needed a little help to wrap up the postseason spot, and they received it late Saturday night when the Rochester Knighthawks lost in Calgary.
Buffalo received a little more good news when the Philadelphia Wings beat the New York Titans on Saturday. The NLL standings show Buffalo at 9-4 on the season. It is a game and a half ahead of Boston (8-6), while New York (7-6) is two games back. All teams play 16 games.
It was a great night for Buffalo forward John Tavares. He finished the game with six goals and three assists, with five of those goals coming in the first half. Mark Steenhuis added four goals and two assists, while Mike Accursi had two goals and two assists.
At the other end of the field, goalie Ken Montour was terrific in the final three periods of the game. He finished with 39 saves on 50 shots, while the Bandits scored on 15 of 35 shots. Montour is expected to be the No. 1 goalie down the stretch.
The Bandits couldn’t have asked for a worse start.
Tavares scored the opening goal of the game only 38 seconds into the contest. Then Boston scored the next five.
It looked as if the Bandits were in serious trouble. Instead, after trailing by 6-2 after 12 minutes of play, the Bandits scored the last seven goals of the half while keeping the Blazers completely off the scoreboard in the second quarter.
Tavares had four of those goals, while Steenhuis had two and Accursi the other one. The Bandits went into the locker room with a 9-6 lead at halftime.
Boston goalie Mike Poulin exited after allowing nine goals in 23 minutes. Anthony Cosmo came on in relief and played the rest of the way. Cosmo, one of the league’s best netminders, had played Friday night in Toronto.
Buffalo sat back a little bit in the second half, and had only a Sean Greenhalgh goal to show for its efforts in the third period. Boston, meanwhile, had a pair of goals in the quarter to cut the margin to 10-9.
Boston kept trying to climb back into the game, but the Bandits kept a step or two ahead of the Blazers down the stretch. Steenhuis, Kevin Dostie, Greenhalgh (short-handed) and Accursi had goals.
Tavares supplied a fitting ending for the contest with empty-net goal in the final moments.
It was the first-ever meeting between the teams, as this is Boston’s first season in the league.
The Bandits return home on Friday night to host Rochester. The next night, Buffalo will play in New York.
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