Rush 11, Bandits 7
Loss gives Bandits worst start ever
Published: January 24, 2010, 1:29 am
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EDMONTON, Alberta — The lowest point in Buffalo Bandits franchise history arguably came Saturday night at the Rexall Center as the Bandits were thoroughly outplayed in an 11-7 loss to the Edmonton Rush before a home-opener crowd of 7,102.
The defeat sank the Bandits' record to 0-4 and marked the worst start of a season since the National Lacrosse League team was founded in 1992.
Buffalo, playing in the second Western Conference arena in as many nights, never was in contention. And until the final minutes it looked like the team might score a franchise-low five goals for the second time this season.
The Rush (2-1) scored just 1:17 into the game and never trailed. The Bandits tied it when Billy Dee Smith scored to make it 2-2 at 8:27 of the first quarter.
Edmonton led, 5-3, at intermission and opened an 11-5 lead in the fourth quarter before Buffalo's Brett Bucktooth and Mike Accursi scored in garbage time.
Buffalo star John Tavares, the league's all-time leading scorer, still remained on the sidelines with an injured calf.
Buffalo goaltender Ken Montour, who left with an injury in the second period of Friday's 13-11 loss to the Washington Stealth in Everett, Wash., returned to the lineup to stop only 38 of the Rush's 49 shots.
Sean Greenhalgh, Bucktooth and Accursi each scored twice for Buffalo. Mark Steenhuis and Ian Llord had three assists.
The Rush's Ryan Ward scored a game-high four goals and added four assists.
In the third quarter, Edmonton's Andy Secore scored at the start of a four-on-four sequence to gain a 6-3 lead. Buffalo had been on a power play before Tommy Montour went to the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Greenhalgh scored his second goal of the game after he took a pass from Bucktooth and tallied on a low, hard shot from close in at 9:37 to bring Buffalo back to within 6-4.
Edmonton bounced right back when Ward faked past a defender and got his hat trick for a 7-4 lead. It grew to 8-4 on Secore's running shot that video replay showed went into the net just before he stepped into the crease.
The game played out in similar fashion to Friday's loss at Washington when the Bandits trailed, 4-2, after the first quarter and 7-6 at the half.
The Bandits next play the Minnesota Swarm on Saturday at HSBC Arena.
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