Definitely The Worst Way To Start A Season, But What Would The Reply Be? Let’s Wait And See As…

At MVP Arena on Saturday, the Buffalo Bandits dropped their season opener to the Albany FireWolves 17–13, despite Josh Byrne recording two goals and seven assists.

For the second straight year, Albany defeated the Bandits in the opening round after going up four goals in a row in the second quarter to take a 10-6 lead at the break. They never looked back.

With just one more assist, Byrne’s career best of seven was not met.

Dhane Smith finished with four assists and a goal, while Chris Cloutier scored four goals. For the team that is currently champions of the National Lacrosse League, goalie Matt Vinc made 32 saves.

Tehoka Nanticoke, Ian MacKay, Chase Fraser, and Brandon Robinson all scored twice for the Bandits (0-1).

For Albany (2-0), Alex Simmons scored five goals and provided three assists.

With 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Byrne’s goal made the score 12–10 for the Bandits. They would go behind by two goals twice more in the last quarter, but Simmons’ two goals in the last 3:06 would determine the winning margin.

At KeyBank Center on Saturday, the Bandits play their home opener versus San Diego and hoist their championship banner. The faceoff is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.