INDOOR LACROSSE
Bandits clinch home playoff game
Montour brilliant in stopping 52 shots
On a night when the Buffalo Bandits’ big scorers were held relatively in check, their goaltender made sure they will host at least one playoff game this year.
Ken Montour was brilliant in the nets as the Bandits defeated the Rochester Knighthawks, 13-9, before 17,118 in HSBC Arena Friday night. The win means Buffalo can finish no worse than second in the East Division of the National Lacrosse League.
The Bandits can wrap up first place in the East with a win over the New York Titans tonight in Newark, N. J. (7:30 p. m., Radio 1520 AM, Web cast on nll.com).
Montour finished with 52 saves on 61 shots on a night when Rochester had every right to expect a better fate. The goalie was particularly good in the second half when the game was up for grabs.
“Kenny, when he’s on, he’s just unbelievable,” teammate Mike Accursi said. “He played phenomenal tonight.”
“My defense was great in front of me,“ Montour said. “They forced them to shoot from way outside. I’ve been struggling with rebounds lately, and the defense picked me up.”
Montour got some help at the other end of the field on a night when Bandits offensive stars Mark Steenhuis and John Tavares were slowed, in part because of the flu. Tavares had two goals and three assists while Steenhuis had a goal and two assists — good nights for most, but a little short of their high standards.
Accursi and Roger Vyse came through with three goals each to lead Buffalo, while Pat McCready chipped in with a goal and three assists. Phil Sanderson came up with his first goal of the season. Vyse thought it was a case of everyone chipping in.
“Definitely — we all contributed offensively, and that’s what we want to do every week,” he said.
This was a rather odd game, particularly in the first 2z quarters. Neither team seemed to be able to get much flow during that time, and as a result the lead went back and forth a few times. Buffalo had a 2-0 lead, only to fall behind by 3-2. The Bandits put on a little burst at the end of the first half to lead, 6-4, at intermission, only to see Rochester regain the lead, 7-6, late in the third period.
“Rochester came out and really dominated for about 10 minutes in the third,” Buffalo coach Darris Kilgour said. “Kenny made the big saves and kept us in it.”
A pair of goals a little more than a minute apart late in the third quarter turned the game around. McCready scored on a two-on-one break to tie the game at 7-7. Then Accursi took a pass from Tavares while cutting across the slot and took a harmless-looking shot. It beat Rochester goalie Pat O’Toole, and the Bandits were ahead to stay.
“He didn’t expect me to shoot from that position. He was hugging the post,” Accursi said.
As the Bandits started to pull away from the Knighthawks, Montour made two saves on the same possession that led to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“I was out of position on the first one,” he said. “I sort of threw my stick and got lucky. If he had rolled it, he would have scored. Same thing on the second one. But I was feeling it in the fourth quarter.”
It was a damaging loss for the Knighthawks, who fell into a tie for the fourth and last playoff spot in the East with a 6-8 record. The Bandits have a much better view at the division with a two-game lead, but they will play New York tonight knowing the Titans beat Buffalo in HSBC Arena earlier this season.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough game,” Montour said. “We’re not a team that’s built for back-to-back games, so it’s going to be a true test.”
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