Bandits notebook
Thompson back in goal full time
Published: March 29, 2009, 12:30 am
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Michael Thompson finally got to play an entire game on Saturday night. It had been a while. Thompson went the route in goal as the Bandits lost to the New York Titans, 11-9. It was his first 60-minute effort since Feb. 6.
In Thompson’s previous two starts, the Bandits’ goalie was lifted in favor of Ken Montour. It had not been a matter of Thompson playing poorly for the most part. It was a case of the team playing badly in front of him, and coach Darris Kilgour deciding that a switch in goalies might give the team a lift.
Thompson says it’s a case of bad luck that he’s been victimized in those two games.
“It’s part of the game,” he said. “Sometimes you take your lumps for the team. I don’t care about my stats. I just go with the flow and take my chances when I get them.”
On Feb. 20, Thompson exited early in a game in Toronto. The Bandits rallied to win that one, but they weren’t so lucky on March 14 when Montour again relieved Thompson in goal in Rochester.
Thompson wasn’t overly sharp, allowing those 11 goals on 33 shots against the Titans. He has been trying to get rid of some rust by putting in some extra work in practice.
“You have to. You don’t get the same amount of time on the floor, the same amount of shots,” he said. “You have to take the time on the floor and work that much harder in practice to stay sharp on shots.”
There was no chance of Montour entering the game on Saturday, as he was told by doctors to sit out because of a temperature of 103 degrees. Brian Croswell served as the backup goalie.
•••
If the Bandits had won while Toronto and Philadelphia had lost Saturday night, the Bandits would have clinched a playoff spot. Only Toronto cooperated.
Now three games separate the entire Eastern Division. New York coach Ed Comeau says it’s going to be quite a stretch run.
“No one has clinched. You could finish first or last,” he said. “That’s how it looks right now. It’s great. Our league is great. On any given night, any team can win. . . . We’re going to have to battle for everything we get.”
bbailey@buffnews.com
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