Sports, Ink

While the National Football League's free agency period has attracted the most attention, the National Lacrosse League comes up another annual event Wednesday. The trading deadline arrives at 5 p.m. Usually, that's a quiet time but it's already different now.

Casey Powell was traded by Rochester to Colorado for Jon Sullivan and a third-round pick. The deal was completed on Monday night, but it was formally announced today. It's always a surprise when a former league MVP is dealt, but the Knighthawks haven't played consistently well this season. When I told someone in the league that I had picked Rochester to win the East before the season, he replied, "Not enough balls to go around," meaning the Knighthawks had too many weapons and only one lacrosse ball to share.

Powell probably will retire after this season, and he's probably happy to be reunited with Mammoth assistant coach Ray Comeau.

Last year, the biggest move was from Toronto, which picked up goalie Nick Rose from Calgary and released Matt Roik.

Will the Bandits do much? Tough to say. I've gone back over the last four years, and they didn't complete any moves of consequence. Buffalo does have a great many players around, some of whom are not on the active roster. I could see the Bandits giving up a player in exchange for a draft choice to clear the roster out slightly. I could also see Buffalo trying to trade for a faceoff man, or at least sign one, if Jay Thorimburt is going to be out for any length of time.

By the way, rosters are frozen on Friday. I suspect we'll hear more then about possible suspensions and appeals from last week's hijinks as well. I would think there would be appeals, if only because the two teams don't want to lose four guys from the lineup in the same week.

Meanwhile ... the NLL sent around a statistical packet today that has all sorts of information. A few noteworthy items:

* Bandits' power play is at 41 percent. That's the lowest figure in the league. Buffalo is fourth in penalty-killing at 49 percent.

* Bandits have scored three short-handed goals, and given up 12.

* Buffalo's penalty-minute average is up to 18.2 per game. That's seventh in the league. Colorado moved up to second in the NLL at 22.1 PIM per game.

* Bandits are second in the league in shots at 52.1 per game, and sixth in fourth in fewest shots allowed at 51.2.

--- Budd Bailey

I could have used a little more space (and time) for my stories on Saturday's game between the Bandits and the Colorado Mammoth. Obviously, it was a big mess. Here are a few additional thoughts and notes:

* Jay Thorimbert was injured during the second half of the game. The Bandits' faceoff specialist is not expected to play on Saturday when the teams meet again. Three different players tried their luck at faceoffs, including Scott Self, Derek Suddons and Jimmy Purves. They were a combined 1 for 5. I don't know if any other Bandits have experience in that area, but you'd have to think the team would look at that.

* Speaking of injuries, John Tavares missed the game with a calf injury. I would think he's game-to-game at this point, so we'll have to wait until Saturday to see how he does.

* The Bandits used Jamie Rooney for the first time this season, and he scored his first goal for Buffalo. Mat Giles was taken off the active roster for the time being, but we'll have to wait to see what happens there. He certainly could return in the near future.

* The National Lacrosse League usually examines possible disciplinary actions on Fridays, and I would think they'd take a look at the silly stuff at the end of the game. Apparently Chet Koneczny of the Mammoth received a gross misconduct for obscene gestures directed at the crowd. I would think he would get at least a game suspension after the NLL takes a look at it. More suspensions might be coming, especially with an immediate rematch. I've heard that benches need to be cleared before coaches are suspended; if that's true, fines may be as far as the league will go there.

* I still haven't been able to get a good look at what led up to the timeout by Colorado in the final minute. Coach Bob Hamley of the Mammoth said he could have handled the situation better. Scott Self of the Bandits said that Rochester had called a late timeout in a win over Buffalo, and that the action by the Mammoth probably raised tensions a bit. (See note below)

* Let me be fair about something. I didn't get a good luck at the postgame altercation by the benches untili I saw the video, in which the coaches got into a shouting match. When Bandits' coach Darris Kilgour was asked about the end of the game generically, he said it was just a matter of guys talking. I believe now he was just talking about matters after the game and not the brawls that came with 30 seconds left. My story indicated otherwise, so I don't think that was completely accurate.

* The teams certainly lit a match under my notebook item about the Bandits' penalty minutes dropping this year. A couple of interesting statistics didn't make the cut for the final edition. One, the Bandits have had more penalty minutes than their opponents in seven of the last eight seasons (the exception is 2008). Two, Buffalo has had back-to-back games 23 times since 2004. The Bandits are 15-8 in the first game and 11-12 in the second game.

P.S. Our friends at ILIndoor.com have a good video clip of the brawl. It looks as if a Colorado player might have been about to be double-teamed along the boards, but was out of danger when play stopped for a timeout with about 40 seconds to go. I think it's fair to say that the timeout didn't go over well, but there was plenty of frustration in the air anyway.

--- Budd Bailey

6:58 p.m. - The Buffalo Bandits finally get to play someone from the West tonight.

They've only had one game against a West Division team. Buffalo played Minnesota way back in its first weekend. Since then, nothing but Toronto, Philadelphia and Rochester. But tonight, Colorado comes to town.

It wouldn't be a Bandits' game without a couple of roster moves. Buffalo has released Mat Giles, who just returned to action after missing almost two months with an injury. He played two games last week. Jamie Rooney finally gets his turn at making an impression, as he has been activates.

Meanwhile, John Tavares apparently will not play tonight. He has been bothered by a calf injury.

The Bandits couldn't work out this morning, as workmen were breaking down the stage from last night's concert. So they had a video session instead.

Colorado didn't need a workout this morning. The Mammoth lost in Toronto Friday night, and get right back to work tonight. Colorado is at the bottom of the standings, and needs to win some games soon. Only one team misses the playoffs in this league, and the Mammoth is coming off an 11-win season.

One note that didn't make the paper this week - Jay Thorimburt was named the NLL's transition player of the week. He's having a nice season.

7:11 p.m. -  For those planning ahead, the Bandits' game against Washington on April 13 was supposed to be televised by the CBS Sports Network. Change of plans - CBS will do another game in the afternoon.

7:16 p.m. - John Gurtler has asked me to be his halftime guest tonight on Radio 1520. He knows I work cheap.

7:23 p.m. - Tonight is 200 games behind the bench for Darris Kilgour, the most in the NLL's history.

7:33 p.m. - The scratches for Buffalo - Tavares, Mike Hominuck and Mike McNamara.

7:36 p.m. - We're ready to go. Might be the biggest crowd of the season. Guess all of those Scouts did some good work moving tickets - they may get merit badges for marketing.

7:40 p.m. - Giles has been spotted in the press box tonight by an alert media member (thank you, Alan Rosenhoch). Therefore, you'd have to conclude he could be back at some point with the Bandits.

7:43 p.m. - Jamie Rooney has scored in his first game of the season. He came over from Toronto in an offseason trade. This is Rooney's sixth team, all in the East (including Boston and New York). 

7:51 p.m. - Dhane Smith makes it 2-0 with a low shot from the slot.

7:58 p.m. - Shots are 10-4 Colorado, but goals are 2-0, Buffalo. That may tell you something.

8:02 p.m. - Bandits blank Colorado in the first quarter and lead, 3-0. It's the 36th time in team history that Buffalo hasn't allowed a goal in a quarter. Jimmy Purves scored the other Bandits goal as he came out of the penalty box for a breakaway. Shots are 13-5, Colorado.

8:09 p.m. - It's been a strange game. Colorado is getting all the shots (18-7), but most of them have been outside. At one point, the Mammoth had seven straight shots at the goal before giving up possession. Not sure I've seen that before. Still 3-0 with 10 minutes left in the half.

8:21 p.m. - Colorado has climbed back into the game. Adam Jones, formerly of Canisius, scored the first goal, and Joey Cupido followed. Jones has a good-sized cheering section up in the 300 level. Either that, or the Mammoth really travels well.

8:28 p.m. - We're tied, 4-4, after 30 minutes. Shots are 32-14.

8:53 p.m. - Buffalo has jumped back ahead. Dhane Smith and Nick Cotter got the goals to put the Bandits ahead, 6-4.

9:02 p.m. - There is 4:48 to go in the third quarter, and it's still 6-4. No goals from Shawn Williams, Aaron Wilson and Luke Wiles, but the rest of the Bandits are helping out nicely. Shots on goal have evened out in this period (8-8).

9:06 p.m. - Just like that, the Mammoth score two goals in less than two minutes. We are tied up, 6-6.

9:10 p.m. - And that's where it stays after 45 minutes.

9:20 p.m. - Jordan McBride put Colorado ahead, 7-6. Nine minutes and 51 seconds left. Another good one.

9:31 p.m. - The Mammoth had scored four straight goals in the fourth quarter and lead, 10-6. Aajor reversal is needed for the Bandits to avoid a return to .500.

9:38 p.m. - All Colorado here. The Mammoth have a 12-6 lead in the final minute.

9:40 p.m. - A 10-man brawl broke out just before a faceoff. Not doing my deadlines any favors. Not sure what happened; Colorado's timeout with 30 seconds left may have angered the Bandits.

9:46 p.m - Bandits lose, 12-6. Not much handshaking after the game.

11:57 p.m. - Holy mackeral. A messy, messy performance by the Bandits, complete with an ugly ending. Hard to do that justice in a couple of stories, but they'll be posted on the News' website shortly. Bottom line is that the Bandits were outplayed from start to finish by a team that had lost five in a row.

As far as the fighting is concerned, the Bandits had been fifth in PIM in the league entering this weekend; that will certainly change. I'm not sure where members of the team stand when it comes to possible suspensions, but that's always possible. There were a bunch of game misconducts, etc. handed out (go to nll.com to get the game sheet).

Same two teams in a week in Denver. In the meantime, thanks for following along.

--- Budd Bailey

7:12 p.m. - Brrr. It's a little cold in the First Niagara Center, but I have plenty of faith that the Bandits and Wings will warm things up tonight.

I can't recall if the Bandits ever played games back-to-back on a Thursday and Friday before. We'll see if it agrees with them. Buffalo is off to a good start. The Bandits rallied to defeat the Toronto Rock last night. That was an important win, as it prevented Toronto from running off and hiding from the rest of the East. Now we have a race for the top, and the Bandits could move into a tie for first with a win.

We'll have the scratches in a few minutes.

Should be a good one, as Philadelphia is right in the thick of the East race after a pair or wins last week. The Wings are 4-3 going into the contest.

7:16 p.m. - As advertised, the lineups have arrived, Mike McNamara, Nick Cotter and Carter Bender will be sitting tonight.  That means John Tavares will play tonight, as will Jon Harasym and Mike Hominuck.

Anthony Cosmo gets the start in goal for Buffalo. Brandon Miller will be his counterpart for the Wings. I believe they are the last two goaltenders of the week as picked by the league.

7:22 p.m. - You might have noticed in today's story of last night's game that I said the Bandits hadn't outscored an opponent by five goals in a quarter since 2009. I've started to keep track of a few things like that on my Bandits' history website so that I'll be able to access them quickly. You're invited to take a look through this link. I'll be adding to that site as matters come up. I've discovered that the scoresheets aren't available since 2005 or so, but even that is useful to have.

7:26 p.m. - The game is on YouTube. You can find the link through nll.com.

7:34 p.m. - We're ready to go. This is the third meeting between the teams, and they split the first two games. So if there's a tie between them at the end of the season, this game determines who is higher in the standings. That could be meaningful in terms of home-field advantage somewhere down the line.

7:45 p.m. - Bandits couldn't have asked for a better start. They have a 2-0 lead (Williams and Wiles). Heck, Steve Priolo even drew a penalty on a rare thrust to the net, and Wiles capitalized on the power play nine seconds later.

7:50 p.m. - My News coworker Mike Harrington hates the blooper reel shown during break. Mike, they do it here too.

7:54 p.m. - Anthony Cosmo has been nearly perfect so far, and his defense is giving him good looks at shots.

7:57 p.m. - It's 2-1 Buffalo after a period. Philadelphia pulled its goalie for a shot at the end of the quarter. Cosmo made the save and threw the ball down to the other end. It went into the net, but was well (couple of seconds) after the horn.

8:03 p.m. - Aaron Wilson had a nice short-handed goal moments ago. He's been a nice pickup this season, albeit under the radar. He leads the team in goals.

8:05 p.m. - Tempers are about to spill over. Priolo flattened a Wings player, and while retaliation was going on, we had breakaways at both ends. Could be a long night. 3-1, Buffalo, with 9:55 left.

8:11 p.m. - Make it 3-2, as Drew Westervelt was credited with a goal that was reviewed.

8:17 p.m. - Bandits have one power-play goal to make it 4-2 (Wiles). They still have three minutes on a major penalty to add to that total.

8:26 p.m. - Two more power-play goals by the Bandits are on the scoreboard. Buffalo leads, 6-2, and four PPGs are a big reason why. Philadelphia sets up for last possession of the half.

8:28 p.m. - And doesn't score. We finish 30 minutes at 6-2.

8:45 p.m. - Teams are back on the field. Luke Wiles has taken the team lead in power-play goals for the season with six.

8:51 p.m. - Lots of early scoring, thanks to power plays. Bandits lead, 7-4, with 11:49 to go. Another Buffalo penalty is coming up.

8:54 p.m. - Sure enough, Philly continues to close in on a PPG goal by Kevin Crowley. The Wings have it down to two goals. Blowouts are hard to come by in this league.

9:00 p.m. - Big goal by Dhane Smith to restore a three-goal lead by the Bandits. I was starting to wonder if the gas tank was getting low after a game yesterday.

9:08 p.m. - Bandits seem back in their rhythm. They have a 9-6 lead with 1:37 left in period.

9:12 p.m. - Short-handed goal by Kevin Buchanan cuts the lead to 9-7 after three. 

9:28 p.m. - Bandits holding on to a 10-7 lead with 7:40 left. Good goaltending on both ends, particularly from Brandon Miller.

9:34 p.m. - Wings cut it to 10-9 with 4:18 left. Never a dull moment in this sport.

9:38 p.m. - 1:21 left, and Wings on the power play.

9:41 p.m. - Jordan Hall apparently scored on a low shot witih 3.7 seconds left to tie it. It does count.

9:46 p.m - Two minutes into OT. Still 10-10.

9:47 p.m. - Not for long. Westervelt scores to make it 11-10, upon review. And it counts.

11:41 p.m. - As usual, the blog entries get shorter when the game is winding down, as I have to write the story for the first edition. From a Bandits' perspective, this one really hurts. You can't give up a three-goal lead in the final six minutes and lose in overtime. This cost them a share of first place and the tiebreaker with Philadelphia if it comes to that.

Darris Kilgour was unhappy that the shot clock wasn't reset a couple of times in the final couple of minutes, and he let the officials know about it after the game. Still, Buffalo shouldn't have been in that position.

The Wings did say they tried to pick up the tempo down the stretch, knowing Buffalo was playing a second game in two nights. Good idea.

Next up, a Western team! Colorado comes into town. Stories should be posted on our website shortly.

--- Budd Bailey 

7:01 p.m. -- It's time for Thursday Night Lights in Toronto.

I'm not sure when the Bandits' last Thursday night game was, but they've got one tonight. They play the Rock here in Toronto. It's the start of a big week for Buffalo, as the Bandits will host the Philadelphia Wings tomorrow. So it's two games in two nights against the team's top rivals in the East Division race at the moment.

The most interesting aspect of the game as we head for the start is the Bandits' lineup. There have been a few changes.

Tracey Kelusky is said to be on the injured reserve list with a rib injury. He is said to have hurt it in the Bandits' last game, at Rochester.

John Tavares is in the lineup. He has missed the last month with a calf injury. Darris Kilgour, the coach of the team, said that he might rest Tavares tomorrow.

Here's another surprise - Mat Giles has been activated and is in the lineup. And Mike McNamara is back on defense. McNamara will be wearing #77 instead of #14; the usual number supposedly got lost. Hayden Smith and Brownell have been released, at least on paper. This is one crowded roster.

The scratches tonight - Jon Harasym, Mike Hominuck and Carter Bender. Kurtis Wagar is back to serve as the second-stringer behind Anthony Cosmo. Wonder if Wagar will get a start tomorrow?

7:31 p.m. - The game is on youtube.com through the Lacrosse Network. Go to nll.com for a link if that's easier.

This is not the place to be with a slight headache, the volume on the public address system is always pretty high. There aren't too many people in the building. It's hard to guess a number, but it won't be much of a home-court advantage.

NLL Commissioner George Daniel is in the house tonight. What's more, he was at the Bandits' game in Rochester two weeks ago, and he'll be in Buffalo tomorrow. I'm starting to think he's a secret Bandits fan.

7:46 p.m. - It's been a rather wide-open start to play. Aaron Wilson and Shawn Williams have the Buffalo goals.

7:55 p.m. - John Tavares looked fine when he scored a moment ago. He got a step on a defender, drove to the net, dove across the crease and stuffed it home. So welcome back, number 11. 3-2 Buffalo with 4:44 to go in the first.

8:02 p.m. - Bandits exit the first quarter with a 4-2 lead. Tavares made the proverbial sweet pass to Aaron Wilson for the fourth goal.

8:13 P.M. - Hard to keep the Rock quiet for long. Kasey Beirnes and Garrett Billings have made it a 4-4 game with 8:12 to go in the period.

8:21 p.m. - Wow. Shawn Williams just went behind-the-neck to score a go-ahead goal. Very nice. It's 6-5, Buffalo, with 3:57 left.

8:30 p.m. - Halftime, and the score is still 6-5. Bandits probably had a slight edge in play, but nothing decisive.

8:55 p.m. - The Rock scored two goals in less than a minute. That ties the score at 7-7 with 8:18 to go in the third quarter. Jay Thorimburt had an unassisted goal for the Bandits to start the quarter. He's having a fine, quiet year. If there were an award for unsung hero of the first half, which there isn't, Jay would get my vote.

9:02 p.m. - Toronto up, 8-7, and on the power play. ... And Colin Doyle dribbles one home for the biggest lead of the night.

9:13 p.m. - The third quarter wasn't all Rock, but it was close. Toronto has an 11-8 lead. The Rock can throw its five top scorers out shift after shift, and after a while they will get some goals.

9:18 p.m. - Two quick goals by the Bandits (Thorimburt and Shawn Williams) have cut the lead to one at 11-10. Oops. Buffalo strikes as I type this (Billy Dee Smith).

9:22 p.m. - Ten minutes to go, and the Bandits and Rock are tied 11-11.

9:29 p.m. - Who saw this coming? Bandits are up 13-11 with 6:32 to play.

9:35 p.m. - Bandits up 14-13 with two minutes left. OK, now make it 48 seconds left, and the Bandits have the ball.

9:44 p.m. - Tavares scores into an empty net, and the Bandits win, 15-13. Quite a win.

--- Budd Bailey

(Born on February 17, 1960) - Second-round draft choices in hockey make an impact only some of the time. It’s fair to say Lindy Ruff more than met that standard.

Ruff was born in Warburg, Alberta, and played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League. The Sabres took Mike Ramsey in the first round of the 1979 Entry Draft and Ruff in the second.

Lindy stayed through the 1988-89 season, becoming a captain along the way. Ruff spent some time as a wing and some time as a defenseman; the versatility probably kept him in the league for some extra time. He had 20 goals in 1985-86.

Ruff was eventually traded to the Rangers, and moved into coaching after retiring as a player. He was put in a difficult situation in 1997 when he was hired to replace Ted Nolan, a fan favorite. The new coach did the best job he could, and found a home here ... again.

Ruff is the longest-tenured coach in the NHL at the moment, and he’s coached more games than any Sabre coach in history. Ruff also wouldn’t mind a return to the Stanley Cup finals, something he did in 1999.

--- Budd Bailey

6:51 p.m. - Hello from the Blue Cross Arena. Are we in for a different storyline that we  had last week when the Bandits played the Knighthawks in Buffalo last week, or will we get something different.

Stay tuned for the answer. The two teams are set to meet for the third time this season, which is a lot considering it is game seven of the season. I asked coach Mike Hasen about the schedule, and he said there aren't many surprises when two teams play each other so often; it's all about execution.

The Bandits continue to reassemble the 2001 team. OK, just kidding. But Scott Komer is on the roster as a backup goalie. He replaces Kurtis Wagar, who had a back injury suffered last week against Rochester. Wagar had an MRI and checked out cleanly, but was put on the practice squad to give him some time to recover.

Komer was a teammate of Shawn Williams and John Tavares on the 2001 Bandits, after Matt Disher was traded. He didn't play much. Komer has been on the Barrie Blizzard of the Canadian League lately. In fact, he writes a blog for the web site. Scott isn't bad at it, worth a look if you are so inclined.

Anthony Cosmo will get the start tonight. Tonight's Buffalo scratches ae Hayden Smith, Carter Bender and Kevin Brownell. So the rookies get to sit and the vets take their turn. For Rochester, Casey Powell is scratched.

7:13 p.m. - Just to pass this along - Ted Nolan, who serves as an executive in the Knighthawks' organization, moonlights as the hockey coach of the Latvia hockey team. He'll be going to the Olympics next year as Latvia qualified for the Games. Nice job.

 7:35 p.m. - We are about ready to go. Don't know if this is on Time Warner Cable back in Buffalo, but it doesn't look like it. Try nll.com to get to YouTube/TheLacrosseNetwork.

Matt Vinc and Anthony Cosmo are the opposing goalies just like last week.

7:42 p.m. - Plenty of Buffalo Bandits' fans are in the building. They seem louder than last time. They just cheered a Shawn Williams goal. Buffalo up, 1-0.

7:44 p.m. - Both goalies have been pretty steady. Cosmo didn't sound particularly confident after last week's game - understandable - but he's done a good job in the opening 6:15.

7:52 p.m. - Scott Self's brother tied the score for Rochester. He got free on transition and scored on a semi-breakaway. Bandits just did a good job of killing off a Rochester power play, and now they have a man-advantage situation of their own.

7:59 p.m. - We have finished a period of play, and it's been a calm one. It's tied at 1-1 after 15 minutes. Not a great many glittering scoring opportunities.

8:08 p.m. - About five minutes gone, and it's still 1-1. This may be the dullest story in history for the first edition at this rate; it's tough to describe missed chances.

Just said hello to NLL Commissioner George Daniel, who said he tries to make the rounds of league cities during the season. I asked him about an All-Star Game, since nothing has been announced on that front and we're getting late. He said the logistics this year just wouldn't work, so it looks as if one won't be played this year.

8:17 p.m. - I'm not sure what the team record is for fewest combined goals in a half. We gotta to be close to it. Luke Wiles put Buffalo up 2-1. Otherwise, there have been lots of shots but no goals. Very odd.

8:28 p.m - We've had a burst of scoring, by our standards. Lately, it's been all Buffalo - three straight scores. Luke Wiles, Dhane Smith and Scott Self have the Buffalo fans chanting. Only 32.8 seconds left in the half.

8:30 p.m. - At halftime, the Bandits lead, 5-3. Rochester has a 28-26 lead in shots.

8:52 p.m. - The tempo has picked up early in the second half, although we only have a goal to show for it. Cory Vitarelli, who had a big game last week in Buffalo, scored for Rochester to cut the lead to 5-4. Both goalies have had some good stops.

8:56 p.m. - A Nick Cotter goal, originally waved off, was counted after a review. And Dhane Smith just added a score to make it 7-4, Buffalo.

9:06 p.m. - Bandits have done a good job answering any challenges. Buffalo leads by a 9-5 count with 4:42 in the third period. Aaron Wilson and Wiles added some insurance.

9:14 p.m. - Bandits have a 9-5 lead after three quarters. It's a hat trick for Wiles, and two goals for Dhane Smith. But the story so far probably has been Anthony Cosmo, who has turned in a very good performance - probably his best of the season.

9:25 p.m. - Bandits are still up by four at 10-6. No sign of a sustained rally by Rochester lately.

9:33 p.m. That's still the case. The score is even the same at 10-6 with 3:36 left. Important not to go into the bye week with a three-game losing streak.

9:42 p.m. - That's the way it ends. Cosmo had 53 saves.

11:02 p.m. - Bandits were obviously happy and relieved to win this one. They adjusted their defense a bit in order to pack the middle and push the Knighthawks to the outside. You'd have to say it worked with the best defensive output of the season. A 4-3 record sounds much better than 3-4 going into the break.

--- Budd Bailey

6:53 p.m. - Opportunity is right in front of the Buffalo Bandits.

If they win tonight's game with the Rochester Knighthawks, they will gain ground over the weekend on all three of their divisional rivals. Philadelphia and Toronto both lost yesterday, and Rochester would split their two games of the weekend with a loss today.

On the other hand, Rochester would move into a tie with Buffalo at 3-3 with a win tonight. That bad start by the Knighthawks would be more or less erased.

A couple of notes for tonight: John Tavares is on the injured reserve list. That means he'll miss tonight's game and next week's contest. Jon Harasym is off the suspended list and will play.

Good news for Luke Wiles - he said he has received his green card. That means he can cross the border again. It can only help his game.

7:13 p.m. - Scratches for Buffalo - Jimmy Purves, Hayden Smith and Nick Cotter. That puts Kevin Brownell and Carter Bender in the lineup.

Old friends dept. - On the Rochester roster tonight, Angus Goodleaf, Mike Accursi and Ian Llord.

Shameless plug: I am on Twitter @WDX2BB. I am slightly behind the Kardashians in followers.

7:36 p.m. - It is Native American Night tonight, and a $1,000 scholarship was awarded before the game. We'll have a special faceoff featuring ex-Bandit Mike Thompson, and then we're off for the third straight home game.

7:41 p.m. - Joe Walters has a goal off a two-on-one break for Rochester after 27 seconds. Just before that, Chad Culp took a cross-check to the head from Dylan Evans and required some medical attention. He did walk off the field.

7:50 p.m. - Rochester still leads, 1-0, with 6:32 gone in the game. There have been a few good chances both ways, but nothing too consequential.

7:55 p.m. - The Bandits didn''t allow a power-play goal when down, five on three, but they did give up a score to Stephen Keogh. Rochester, which has had fits with Buffalo and Toronto in the last few years, leads by 2-0.

8:02 p.m. - Tough to win if you don't score any goals, and the Bandits have none through 15 minutes. They look a little out of sync and have a few turnovers. Rochester hasn't dominated, but it is been good enough to lead, 3-0.

8: 14 p.m. - Rochester has maintained its three-goal lead. Wiles just scored to cut the margin to 5-2. Bandits pulled Anthony Cosmo in favor of Kurtis Wagar in goal in an effort to shake things up a little.

8;24 p.m. -- The Bandits had two minutes of five-on-three but couldn't score. They have 1:24 left on one more power play. The offense has been a touch off the whole night. The Knighthawks have a 6-2 lead with 4 minutes in the half.

8:35 p.m. - Halftime. Bandits trail, 7-2. The shots are 34-22, Buffalo, which is rather remarkable. It doesn't seem like it should be that one-sided in terms of play.

8:53 p.m. - Anthony Cosmo back in goal for the second half.

9:01 p.m. - It hasn't helped. It's 9-2 Rochester. Cosmo let in a bouncer by Keogh (hat trick) and a straight-on shot by Cody Jamieson. The officials are now measuring Vinc's equipment for no apparent reason. We're still five-on-five, in spite of a delayed penalty, so I hav no idea whaqt happened. But Buffalo scores as I type.

9:05 p.m. - History lesson: Bandits haven't lost by seven goals at home since April 16, 2011 to Boston.

9:08 p.m. - -Current events lesson: Knighthawks lead, 10-3. Cody Jamieson just made a sensational pass to Tyler Burton across the field. Burton had no problem beating Cosmo from close range.

9:15 p.m. -- The third quarter has ended, and the Bandits have shown few signs of life all night. Rochester has an 11-4 lead. The Knighthawks had been having trouble scoring goals at times. They got 20 on Friday morning in Philadelphia, and are closing in on a dozen quickly here.  

9:26 p.m. - Rochester is ahead, 13-5, with 8:44 left. It's been a clinic, with a couple of spectacular goals by the Knighthawks in the fourth quarter.

9:39 p.m. - Looks like a 15-7 loss, one of the worst losses at home in history. Not a good night here.

11:38 p.m. - It took some searching, but there was a worse home loss. It came in 2002 to Rochester. But it was nothing to be proud about, as you could imagine.

Darris Kilgour gave a talk to the team afterwards; he said the words were "private." He and others weren't happy as you could imagine.

I asked Kilgour if this was the type of game that he had a bonfire for the video, or used it as a teaching tool: "You have to be real careful with this type of game," he answered. "You can break spirits just showing mistakes that were made."

The story will be posted shortly. Off to Rochester next week.

--- Budd Bailey

The biggest story coming out of the Buffalo Bandits' shootaround this morning was that John Tavares has been placed on injured reserve. He has been nursing a calf injury. Tavares has to sit for four weeks, including the game he already has missed. That means he won't play next week in Rochester. The team has a week off after that, which also counts for the four weeks.

Jon Harasym comes off the suspended list to join the active roster. He takes Tavares' spot.

Coach Darris Kilgour has a few lineup moves up his sleeve for tonight. Carter Bender and Kevin Brownell will also dress for the game. No work on who might be scratched.

I will have a live blog from the game, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

--  Budd Bailey

6:57 p.m. -- I know, it's been a tough day. You woke up to eight inches of snow in your driveway (at least I did). You watched the Sabres get blown out in Montreal. And Andre Reed missed out on the Hall of Fame again.

The Buffalo Bandits will try to ease your pain tonight.

The Bandits host the Toronto Rock with first place on the line tonight. Game time is 7:30. The Rock have a half-game lead on the Bandits.

Buffalo is missing John Tavares (calf) and Mike McNamara (hamstring) tonight. Supposedly we will see Nick Cotter and Jimmy Purves tonight, although we'll have to wait for the starting lineups to be announced.

One of tonight's questions: Will Chris White run to the wrong bench? White spent several years as a Bandit, but signed as a free agent with Toronto in the offseason. He was a class act here.

7:06 p.m. - We should mention that John Craig is back for the game. John was part of the Bandits' staff for 15 years as equipment manager. But he has moved to Cocoa Beach, Florida. I saw John before the game and mentioned that we brought Buffalo weather in just for him. John always was friendly to me, starting o the first day I started covering the team. He is missed around here.

7:12 p.m. - Kevin Brownell, Tavares and Carter Bender are Buffalo's scratches. Anthony Cosmo starts in goal. By the way, Brenden Thenhaus, who got the game-winner in the playoff game last year, is on the Toronto practice squad.

7:14 p.m. - Since tonight's game is on TSN in Canada, it is not on YouTube. It is on espn3.com.

7:41 p.m. - My computer decided to get clogged for a while, and a reboot was in order. Bandits lead, 1-0, after 2:30. Shawn Williams is acting captain.

7:45 p.m. - We're tied at 1-all for the first tv timeout. Kasey Beirnes scored on the power play for Toronto, and the Rock has another man-advantage situation. Can't do that often and expect to beat Toronto.

7:53 p.m. - Stephan Leblanc of the Rock has made it 2-1, Toronto. The Rock have had trouble getting in good shooting positions, but they've obviously done it twice.

Here's tonight's fact of the night: the Bandits have won their last three games by a goal. That's never happened in the history of the team before this. They have played three straight one-goal games before, but lost two of them.

8:02 p.m. - The end of the first quarter has arrived, and the Bandits have dug themselves a hole. They are trailing Toronto, 4-1. Colin Doyle had the the goal of the night to date, a behind-the-back beauty from the slot.

8:14 p.m. - The news gets worse for Buffalo. It's 6-2 with 7:32 left. Scott Evans made it 5-2 for the Rock, and Billy Dee Smith took out his frustration with a cross-check right after Evans scored. That was good for five minutes, and Garrett Billings added a power-play goal. And as I type, Blaine Manning has made it 7-2.

8:23 p.m. - Mark Steenhuis put the ball in the net for an apparent short-handed goal ... but after review it was ruled that the shot clock expired. Didn't see a great view of it on replay. Still 7-2.

8:32 p.m. - Bandits score three goals in the final three minutes of the half (Brock, Cotter, Steenhuis) to cut the lead to 7-5. We have a game again.

8;51 p.m. - We're back. Toronto had a 3-0 edge in power-play goals in the first half, which was huge.

8:58 p.m. - Aaron Wilson's goal made it 7-6. Buffalo has been close a few times but unable to tie it.

9:05 p.m. - Until now. Wilson took a long shot that Nick Rose should have had, but didn't. But the Bandits were only tied for 10 seconds, and now trail 8-7.

9:12 p.m. - A goal by Leblanc has made it 9-7, Toronto ... and then Wilson responds with his third of the period. So we're 9-8 with 49 seconds left in period.  (It stayed 9-8 after 45 minutes.)

9:24 p.m. - Mark Steenhuis moves the Bandits to within two goals with a nice score. In the process, he draws a match penalty from Damon Edwards, who almost took off Steenhuis' head. Bandits are on a five-minute power play.

9:36 p.m. - Rock has pulled out to a 13-10 lead. Colin Doyle has three goals in this quarter. We have 4:54 left. 

9:41 p.m. - Buffalo has two short-handed goals, and the lead is down to 14-12 with 2:15 to go.

9:47 p.m. - Bandits lose, 14-12. Off to locker room.

11:51 p.m. - The Bandits were all on the same page in their quotes after the game - too many bad penalties. Darris Kilgour was particularly tough on Billy Dee Smith, whose penalty led to a couple of goals that let Toronto grab a good-sized early lead.

Kilgour said that the team will take its time with John Tavares and his sore calf. They'll take a look at him in practice on Tuesday and see how he does.

The stories should be posted on The News web site shortly. Thanks for reading.

--- Budd Bailey