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Season opens on December 1st. Find 2023-24 schedules here and buy your tickets today

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 1
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Halifax
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Albany
Las Vegas
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
Sat, Dec 2
19:00:00
Calgary
Rochester
Sat, Dec 2
19:30:00
Philadelphia
New York
WK
2
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Dec 9
19:30:00
Colorado
Georgia
Sat, Dec 9
20:00:00
Rochester
Saskatchewan
Sat, Dec 9
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sun, Dec 10
16:00:00
Las Vegas
Panther City
WK
3
Fri, Dec 15
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
Sat, Dec 16
13:00:00
Albany
Philadelphia
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
Halifax
New York
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
San Diego
Buffalo
Sat, Dec 16
22:00:00
Georgia
Vancouver
WK
4
Fri, Dec 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Panther City
Fri, Dec 22
21:00:00
Georgia
Colorado
Sat, Dec 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Rochester
WK
5
Fri, Dec 29
18:30:00
Philadelphia
Halifax
Fri, Dec 29
19:30:00
Georgia
Buffalo
Fri, Dec 29
22:00:00
Rochester
San Diego
Sat, Dec 30
16:00:00
New York
Toronto
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sun, Dec 31
20:00:00
Albany
Saskatchewan
WK
6
Sat, Jan 6
19:00:00
Halifax
Albany
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Panther City
Georgia
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Colorado
Buffalo
Sun, Jan 7
15:00:00
New York
Philadelphia
WK
7
Fri, Jan 12
18:30:00
Toronto
Halifax
Fri, Jan 12
22:00:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Buffalo
Rochester
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Panther City
New York
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Albany
Georgia
Sat, Jan 13
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Jan 13
22:00:00
Calgary
Vancouver
WK
8
Fri, Jan 19
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
Georgia
Toronto
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
San Diego
Albany
Sat, Jan 20
20:00:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sat, Jan 20
21:00:00
Calgary
Colorado
WK
9
Fri, Jan 26
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Jan 27
18:00:00
Rochester
Halifax
Sat, Jan 27
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
San Diego
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 27
22:00:00
Panther City
Las Vegas
WK
10
Fri, Feb 2
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Fri, Feb 2
19:30:00
Vancouver
Georgia
Fri, Feb 2
21:00:00
New York
Calgary
Sat, Feb 3
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Albany
Sat, Feb 3
19:30:00
Rochester
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 3
20:00:00
Panther City
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 3
21:00:00
Toronto
Calgary
Sun, Feb 4
18:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
WK
11
Fri, Feb 9
18:30:00
Las Vegas
Halifax
Fri, Feb 9
20:00:00
Colorado
Panther City
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Calgary
Toronto
Sat, Feb 10
19:30:00
San Diego
New York
Sat, Feb 10
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Vancouver
WK
12
Fri, Feb 16
18:30:00
Buffalo
Halifax
Fri, Feb 16
22:00:00
Philadelphia
Las Vegas
Sat, Feb 17
19:00:00
Colorado
Albany
Sun, Feb 18
19:00:00
Halifax
Calgary
WK
13
Fri, Feb 23
21:00:00
New York
Colorado
Fri, Feb 23
22:00:00
Georgia
San Diego
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Rochester
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Vancouver
Toronto
Sat, Feb 24
19:30:00
Albany
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 24
20:00:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 24
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Calgary
Sun, Feb 25
16:00:00
Georgia
Panther City
WK
14
Fri, Mar 1
19:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Fri, Mar 1
20:00:00
San Diego
Panther City
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Toronto
Las Vegas
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Buffalo
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 2
13:00:00
Calgary
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 2
19:00:00
New York
Albany
Sat, Mar 2
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Colorado
Sat, Mar 2
22:00:00
Toronto
San Diego
Sun, Mar 3
16:00:00
Rochester
Panther City
WK
15
Fri, Mar 8
19:00:00
Vancouver
Albany
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Calgary
Georgia
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 9
17:00:00
Colorado
Toronto
Sat, Mar 9
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Mar 9
19:30:00
Las Vegas
New York
Sat, Mar 9
22:00:00
Halifax
San Diego
Sun, Mar 10
15:00:00
Panther City
Philadelphia
WK
16
Fri, Mar 15
18:30:00
Panther City
Halifax
Fri, Mar 15
21:00:00
San Diego
Calgary
Fri, Mar 15
22:00:00
Las Vegas
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Rochester
Albany
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 16
19:30:00
Philadelphia
Georgia
Sat, Mar 16
20:30:00
New York
Saskatchewan
WK
17
Fri, Mar 22
20:00:00
Buffalo
Panther City
Fri, Mar 22
21:00:00
Albany
Calgary
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Halifax
Toronto
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 23
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
New York
Sat, Mar 23
21:00:00
Rochester
Colorado
Sat, Mar 23
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Mar 24
17:30:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
WK
18
Sat, Mar 30
13:00:00
Buffalo
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 30
19:00:00
Halifax
Rochester
Sat, Mar 30
19:30:00
Toronto
New York
Sat, Mar 30
22:00:00
Vancouver
Las Vegas
WK
19
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Calgary
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Buffalo
Colorado
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Panther City
San Diego
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Halifax
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
New York
Rochester
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Apr 6
19:30:00
Las Vegas
Georgia
Sat, Apr 6
20:00:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 7
16:00:00
Philadelphia
Panther City
WK
20
Fri, Apr 12
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Colorado
Sat, Apr 13
19:00:00
Rochester
Toronto
Sat, Apr 13
19:30:00
Calgary
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 13
20:00:00
San Diego
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
Colorado
Las Vegas
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sun, Apr 14
16:00:00
Albany
Panther City
WK
21
Fri, Apr 19
19:30:00
Rochester
Georgia
Fri, Apr 19
22:00:00
Vancouver
San Diego
Sat, Apr 20
18:00:00
Colorado
Halifax
Sat, Apr 20
19:30:00
Albany
New York
Sat, Apr 20
20:00:00
Toronto
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 20
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 20
22:00:00
Buffalo
Las Vegas
Sun, Apr 21
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
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Stories/Op-Ed

JOHN TAVARES AND DHANE SMITH BASK IN BANDITS CHAMPIONSHIP GLORY

June 3, 2023, will forever be remembered as a night of wonder for sports fans of Western New York, particularly those fine folks who consider themselves proud inhabitants of a place called Banditland. This is, of course, the Saturday evening that witnessed the Buffalo Bandits capture their first NLL championship since 2008, after defeating the Colorado Mammoth 13-4, in a victory that head coach John Tavares deemed “the best game we played all year.”

As the Bandits’ organization basks in the glory of the club’s long sought-after return to the NLL mountaintop, NLL.com checked in with the aforementioned Tavares, along with superstar forward Dhane Smith, to ascertain what life is now like as the reigning champs.

In the wake of Buffalo coming up short in the previous two NLL Finals, the first thought that came to mind for both men was that of relief.

“After being to the championship a couple times, and not succeeding, it’s hard not to be relieved as a player or coach,” explained Tavares.

With Smith proclaiming, “it feels like a weight off my shoulder. It feels like everything I worked so hard for finally came to life. All those personal goals were awesome, but the real goal was always to win a championship. Now that I’ve done that, I feel so much more confident, and so much more comfortable, and now I’m ready to do it again.”

Both the legendary player turned coach and the man many consider to be the best current-day player were also in complete sync when it came to their final round rematch with the Colorado Mammoth, the team the Bandits were forced to watch raise the NLL Cup, a mere one-year earlier, on Buffalo’s home field.

“Colorado just seemed to have our number the last three or four years, especially during the regular season when they came to Buffalo and beat us by five goals,” recalled Tavares. “I remember wondering ‘what’s wrong with us? We can’t beat these guys!’ They’re just one of those teams that match up well against us and have our number.”

The 54-year-old lacrosse icon added, “damn, we get to play these guys again, they are tough to beat. But in the same breadth it was like, hey, we get a second crack at that. That served as some extra motivation to win the championship.”

Smith, the 2016 and 2022 NLL MVP expressed a very similar outlook.

“We’ve questioned ourselves so many times regarding why they are better than us and why we can’t get over the hump. All those questions came to mind, especially early in the season when we played those guys. But, to overcome that, especially in front of our home crowd, we owed the fans that. We wanted redemption.”

Virtually every championship-winning coach or player wholeheartedly believes that one of the most memorable aspects of being crowned number one involves the public celebrations that occur in the days after victory has been sealed. This scenario was no different for Tavares, Smith and the Bandits, when it was time for Banditland to showcase their appreciation for what the team had accomplished.

On June 15, an estimated 4,000 fans turned out for a celebration at Alumni Plaza, which sits on the grounds of KeyBank Centre, the club’s downtown Buffalo arena. After many members of the team spoke to and rejoiced with the throng of Bandits followers, the team was paraded 0.4 miles north on Washington Street, with the journey concluding at Sahlen Field, home of the Triple-A Buffalo Bison, where the Bandits were honored throughout the course of that evening’s Bison versus Syracuse Mets baseball game.

As one would imagine, both Tavares and Smith were in awe of the entire experience. Further proof of the love affair that exists between the Bandits organization and the franchise’s adoring fan-base.

“I wasn’t surprised; we have the best fans,” opined Tavares, a four-time NLL champion as a player. “They’re all dressed in orange and chanting. It was so rewarding, particularly when considering some of the tragedies that have occurred during the last couple years in Buffalo. It was nice to give back. Sports is an outlet, and when you’re winning, it brings joy to people.”

Smith, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Bisons game, considered the experience truly lifechanging.

“It was chills,” he said. “You always dream of that moment. To watch 4,000 people show up, it’s something I’ll always remember for the rest of my life. They’re thanking me like I saved the world. It’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of. The fans deserve it as much as we do.”

“The Great Dhane” described the last two months as a “total blur,” as he has stayed extremely busy, proposing to now fiancé Kara Daly in Greece, representing Team Canada at the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego, and playing with the PLL’s Chaos, all the while working out regularly with the other Bandits players who call the Buffalo area home year-round.

Tavares’ summer has continued to revolve around coaching the game he loves, with the hall of famer serving as bench boss for Major Series Lacrosse’s Six Nations Chiefs, who are chasing a Mann Cup Canadian championship.

“There is no time off in lacrosse. We do 12 months a year,” illuminated Tavares.

While the lives of both coach and player have been quite hectic, it is abundantly clear how proud the pair is of their triumph and how determined they are to do it all over again next season. With this in mind, come training camp, Tavares has one overarching message for his team.

“Last year is over with. We enjoyed it. It’s a great feeling, but we can try to do this all over again, or we can let it go by the wayside.”

NLL