Sports, Ink

7:08 p.m. - The Buffalo Bandits have a hard act to follow tonight. Last week's game was mighty exciting.

Neither the Bandits nor the Rochester Knighthawks could pull away from the other, as the largest lead in the second half was one goal. Tracey Kelusky provided the last lead with his behind-the-back shot in the final seconds to win it.

That improved the Bandits' record to 2-1, with the one loss coming to Philadelphia. And that same Philadelphia team is in town tonight. The Wings come in unbeaten at 2-0.

This is a tough weekend for Philadelphia. The Wings host Calgary tomorrow afternoon. The Roughnecks beat up Colorado on Friday.

The only anticipated lineup change for Buffalo tonight is the arrival of Billy Dee Smith. Jimmy Purves is slated to go to the scratch list to make room for him.

7:21 p.m. - Anthony Cosmo and Brandon Miller are the starting goaltenders. The Wings scratched third-string goalie Chris Collins. I'll resist the temptation to say Collins is busy in Congress this weekend.

7:37 p.m. - Another solid job by anthem singer Kevin Kennedy. And he kept his orange suit and dress shoes. Wonder where you can buy that outfit? 

7:44 p.m. - We've played a little more than four minutes, and it's already 3-2 Buffalo. Last goal wins, perhaps. Shawn Williams has celebrated his 200th straight game with three assists.

7:53 p.m. - Sure enough, the scoring has stopped for the moment. Buffalo had a power play, but the best chance by either team came when it was over. Steve Holmes came out of the box for a breakaway, but Anthony Cosmo stopped him.

8:01 p.m. - The first quarter ends quietly, with the score tied at 3-all. We had a total of five goals in the first 4 minutes, 5 seconds, and one in the following 10:55. Bandits had a 14-9 edge in shots.

8:05 p.m. - Billy Dee Smith took a roughing penalty at one second of the period to give Wings a two-man advantage. Jordan Hall capitalized to give the Wings their first lead.

8:10 p.m. - Bandits went more than 16 minutes without scoring until Chad Culp ended the drought. It's 5-4, Phillly, with 10:12 left. The pace of the game has slowed since the opening minutes.

8:17 p.m. - Strike that last remark. Suddenly it's been up and down, and the Bandits have done most of the scoring lately. They are ahead, 6-5, with 5:36 left in the half.

8:30 p.m. - The Bandits got the lead up to 8-6, but Jordan Hall has two goals in 21 seconds for the Wings. We're tied, 8-8, with 30.4 seconds left.

8:32 p.m. - And that's the way it ends, 8-8 after a half of play.

8:57 p.m. - Scott Self and Dhane Smith have scored for the Bandits, so it's 10-8 with 9:43 left in the third quarter. Philadelphia hadn't given up 10 goals in an entire game this season.

9:06 p.m. - Bandits have taken an 11-9 lead. They gave up a power-play goal to Drew Westervelt to see the lead cut to 10-9, but Dhane Smith took a shot that looked like he was bowling, and he beat Brandon Miller to restore the two-goal margin.

9:16 p.m. - Bandits and Wings both scored in the final minutes of the period, so we're at 12-10, Buffalo, after 45 minutes. It's the first time this season Buffalo has led after 45 minutes this season, for what that's worth. Obviously, we're a long way from being done.

9:24 p.m. - Indeed we are. The Wings have climbed back into a tie at 12-12. One actual penalty and one delayed penalty have led to two Philadelphia goals, and that has left us tied.

9:38 p.m. - John Tavares had given Buffalo a one-goal lead but Philly responded with 42.7 seconds left. It's 13-13.

9:44 p.m. - Luke Wiles apparently has scored with 23.6 seconds left to give Buffalo the lead. They are reviewing it. ... And it counts.

9:51 p.m. - Bandits win, 14-13, in another thriller. Off to locker room.

11:39 p.m. - These thrillers are taking a lot of me. That's two games in a row decided in the final 30 seconds by a Buffalo goal, and three games that have come down to the game's last shot. It's tough on writers, fabulous for fans.

There's been plenty of talk about the parity in the league this season, and deservedly so. I don't think there's an upset to be found in this league right now.

And closer to home, I wondered how the Bandits would do at the start of the season with so many new faces on the roster. Would it take long to get everyone playing together? Apparently not. Now comes the first appearance of the season in Buffalo of the Toronto Rock, a frequent measuring stick lately for the Bandits. That's next Saturday.

--- Budd Bailey

The Buffalo Bandits worked out for about an hour this morning at the First Niagara Center, and a significant lineup change is coming for tonight's game with the Philadelphia Wings.

Billy Dee Smith will make his 2013 debut tonight. Smith had been on the physically unable to perform list, as he had a sprained ankle suffered at work. Smith is now ready to go and will play tonight.

Smith was eligible to come off the roster because Jon Harasym will serve a two-game suspension beginning tonight. Harasym appealed the suspension and could have played last week in Rochester, but didn't.

That means the Bandits will have to sit someone who played last week against the Knighthawks to make room for Smith. That person is Jimmy Purves, who has been taking too many trips to the penalty box lately to the coaches' liking.

I'll be along tonight with a live blog of the game between the Bandits and the Wings.

--- Budd Bailey

6:48 p.m. -- Greetings from Rochester, where if you listen carefully, you can hear the cheering all the way from Syracuse over the Orange's win over top-ranked Louisville. (Spoken like a graduate, as you might have guessed.)

And speaking of orange ... the Bandits are ready to play Game Three of their season against the Knighthawks. Buffalo split last weekend's games, and now have to play their biggest rival. Just to add a little drama, the Knighthawks will raise the banner from last season's championship before the game. That means the big question is ... what time will the game actually start? My bet is 7:50, but no wagering please.

Mike Hominuck will be in the lineup tonight, as he finally gets his chance to play. Jon Harasym will sit out. Harasym was given a two-game suspension from the league earlier this week, but he has appealed and was eligible to play today. Nick Cotter will sit as well this evening, while Hayden Smmith stays in the lineup. 

Speaking of debuts, Casey Powell is in the Rochester lineup. He missed the opener, a loss in Washington. Powell is a former MVP in the league, the only-American born one if memory serves. He took last year off.

Anthony Cosmo gets the start tonight in goal. He's been pulled in the last two games. It would be easy to say that the Bandits need Cosmo to be in form, but at least Kurtis Wagar has done well in relief roles in the past two games.

7:06 p.m. - Mike Accursi is something of a surprise scratch for the Knighthawks. Cosmo and Matt Vinc are the starting goalies.

7:23 p.m. - The game is supposedly on Time Warner Cable Channel 25 back in Buffalo tonight. So feel free to check out the game that way (but leave the computer on!).

7:36 p.m. - The banner is in the rafters. Last year's captain and ex-Bandit Pat McCready carried the trophy on to the field.

7:46 p.m. -- The game is underway. Wonder who won the pool?

7:57 p.m. - The Bandits are the team that look inspired by the banner-raising. They scored the first three goals and lead, 3-1. Luke Wiles scored the 200th goal of his career. Casey Powell got one for Rochester.

8:14 p.m. - Turning point? Bandits had a goal waved off with a crease violation with 5 seconds left. Knighthawks scored with 1.1 seconds left in the quarter. We're done with 15 minutes all tied at 3. In other words, Buffalo now has nothing to show for its good start.

8:25 p.m. - Casey Powell just had an apparent goal wiped out. Then moments later John Tavares scored to put Buffalo ahead by 5-4. It's turning into an interesting night at the office.

8:30 p.m. - In case you are curious, it seems like there are fewer Bandits fans here than normal. There are still many such fans here. And if you thought a banner-raising game would be a sellout (guilty), you'd be wrong. Plenty of seats open in the corners.

8:40 p.m. - Aaron Wilson finishes a 4-on-2 break to put Buffalo up, 7-6. We have 3:10 left in the half.

8:46 p.m - Casey Powell's goal in the final seconds moves Rochester into a 7-7 at the half. Interesting that Rochester has never led.

9:06 p.m. - Cory Vitarelli has put the Knighthawks ahead for the first time. Naturally, as I type that, the Bandits tie it at 8-8.

9:15 p.m. - Dan Dawson's stuff shot has given Rochester the 9-8 lead. Meanwhile, Philadelphia scored four straight goals and leads Toronto by one with four seconds left. It's going to be a fun year. (Update, Philly does win the game.

9:25 p.m. - As we wait for a challenge no-goal call to be ruled upon, the Bandits have a 10-9 lead ... which disappears when a Brad Self goal is allowed. So we're tied with 2:36 left in the quarter. Last goal wins?

9:30 p.m. - Knighthawks have an 11-10 lead after three quarters.

9:39 p.m. - Putting Mike Hominuck into the lineup is a good idea. He has three goals; that matches his total of last season. We're tied, 11-11, with 9:17 to go.

9:50 p.m. - Rochester up, 13-12, with 3:43 left.

10:05 p.m. - Bandits win, 14-13, on Kelusky goal with 10 seconds left and one on the shot clock. Amazing game.

11:26 p.m. - Quite a finish. Kelusky's goal was a behind-the-back effort, a technique that fooled goalie Matt Vinc. As Darris Kilgour said after the game, "It was not the way we drew it up."

Still, the Bandit moved to 2-1 on the young season and get a big win over the defending champion in their building. The full story should be posted soon on our website. So, good night from Rochester.

--- Budd Bailey

The play of the year already has been recorded by the Bandits ... even though it hinged on a mistake by the official.

Take a look at the video from Friday night. Luke Wiles quietly hands the ball to John Tavares, and then acts like he still has the ball. Meanwhile, John Tavares comes down the right side without anyone paying attention to him. Tavares even gets a little greedy in moving closer to the goal before scoring. I sure was fooled, just like announcer John Gurtler, and I knew it was coming at some point because I was watching a replay of the whole game on YouTube: 

The NLL says the official should have indicated the position of the ball when play started up. Not the Bandits' fault, though.

--- Budd Bailey

6:58 p.m. -- The First Niagara Center is open for business again.

There hasn't been much activity here since the Bandits finished their season in May, thanks to the NHL lockout. But the lacrosse team is back home tonight for the home opener. The Sabres are expected to get back to work tomorrow, pending the signing of some legal documents.

I'm going to save the phrase "big game" for much later in the season. But the Bandits certainly don't want to start the season with an 0-2 record. They did not play well on Friday night in a loss in Philadelphia. There were far too many stupid penalties, and the Wings' 5-0 run (four power-play goals) was the difference.

Then the Bandits took a bus to Baltimore, got up bright and early, flew back to Buffalo, and got ready for tonight's game. Meanwhile, Minnesota probably was resting up here for the game. The Bandits have that disadavantage going in. Back-to-backs are a little tricky, and it will be interesting to see if there are any lineup changes for Buffalo after last night.

Derek Suddons missed Friday's game with the flu. It's easy to say that not having him and the suspended Billy Dee Smith in the lineup hurt the team last night. We'll see what the scratches are this time around.

By the way, I do have a Twitter account @WDX2BB. (It's a throwback to an old hobby of mine if you are wondering.) I try to send out links to stories I write, covering such areas as lacrosse, running, book reviews, I also try to answer questions, when possible (email works for that too).

7:16 p.m. - Buffalo's scratches - Mike Hominuck, Carter Bender and Hayden Smith. Anthony Cosmo gets the start in the Bandits' goal.

7:23 p.m. -- In case you were wondering, and I was, the Bandits last started 0-2 in 2010. They lost their first four games but still wound up 8-8,

7:31 p.m. -- Cue the bagpipes. We're not sold out here, but it's a good crowd on hand.

7:38 p.m. - Props to Kevin Kennedy, anthem singer, for his all-orange suit. The matching shoes were a particularly nice touch. Speaking as a Syracuse grad, this is a snappy look that more people should try.

7:44 p.m. -- The Bandits are showing off their new uniforms tonight. For those not watching on YouTube, they look like the Broncos' road uniforms. Minnesota up, 1-0.

7:47 p.m. -- The Bandits have come out with a little zip and bounced some people around in the first five minutes. Give credit to Evan Kirk for looking good in goal so far.

7:55 p.m. -- It's been a funny game to far, with only the one goal by Ryan Benesch of Minnesota so far. I'd say the pitchers are ahead of the hitters at this time of year, but this is lacrosse and not baseball.

7:57 p.m. -- Just like that, Minnesota has scored two goals in 16 seconds, and Anthony Cosmo has been pulled for Kurtis Wagar. Five saves on eight shots. Hmmmm.

8:04 p.m. -- The Bandits have come up with a pair of goals to narrow the Minnesota lead to 3-2. Nick Cotter and Dhane Smith did the honors.

8:10 p.m. - Minnesota leads, 3-2, after 1. Jon Harasym picked up a five-minute major for a cross-check. He could have gotten a game misconduct for it; easy to wonder if the league will at least look at it this week.

8:15 p.m. - Crawford and Jackson have made it 5-2 Minnesota. Another major penalty is haunting the Bandits, just like last night.

8:20 p.m. -- Tracey Kelusky scores from close range to cut it to 5-3. Tracey has played pretty well so far in the early going (meaning Friday and tonight). Got to give him credit for that.

8:30 p.m. -- The goal scoring has turned frantic in the last 10 minutes, and Minnesota has had the better of it. Shayne Jackson has been the major villain to date. He had the last two goals to give him three for the night. Chad Culp scored for the Bandits. We have an 8-5 lead for the Swarm (Mark Steenhuis scored as I was typing this) with 4:16 left in the half.

8:42 p.m. -- 8-6 Minnesota at halftime. Off to do radio.

8:58 p.m. -- Always fun to talk to John Gurtler on the radio broadcast. We've been doing that at the home opener for five years. Shots for first half were 27-23, Buffalo.

9:02 p.m. - Tavares gets a goal to start the second period to cut the lead to 8-7, the closest Buffalo has been in quite a while.

9:06 p.m. - Funny how when the Bandits need some important goals, John Tavares is the one to get them. Are we sure he is 44? We have 8:50 left in the third quarter, and the Swarm is up, 8-7.

9:15 p.m. -- The scoring pace has slowed down a bit. Jordan MacIntosh has the only goal of the last few minutes. He took a relatively slow shot that seemed to fool Wagar. It went just over his shoulder and into a small opening in the top corner.

9:21 p.m. -- The score remains the same, as Led Zeppelin almost sang. It's 9-7, Minnesota after three quarters.

9:43 p.m. -- Computer problems here. We're at 12-12 with 4:34 to go. Nice burst by the Bandits but them ahead, and we've traded goals lately. A thriller.

9:48 p.m. - 30 seconds left. Minnesota has the ball, down one. Can't ask for much more than this for a season opener, eh?

9:51 p.m. - Bandits win it, 13-12. Big win by game two standards.

11:47 p.m. -- I resisted the temptation to ask Dhane Smith if the game-winner was the biggeest goal of his life as a pro. He said he shot without looking; ah, rookies.

This was a good win for the Bandits. With a bunch of divisional games on the horizon, the team didn't want to be 0-2 at this point in the season.

A couple of other notes - Mat Giles will resume practicing in the near future. The forward is on the injured list. Coach Darris Kilgour said that he'll let him become fully healthy before reaching a decision on his status. Derek Suddons was still weak from the flu but gave it his best shot for a while. He finally sat out the final few minutes because he had nothing left to give.

On to Rochester next week to see the defending champs.

--- Budd Bailey

The Buffalo Bandits have turned over about half of their roster from last season's team that finished 7-9 and was eliminated in the first round of the National Lacrosse League playoffs.

A total of 12 players are back on the roster, while 11 newcomers are part of the 23-man squad. Three of the new faces are 2012 draft picks: Carter Bender, Dhane Smith and Hayden Smith.

Here is the breakdown by position: Forwards: Bender, Nick Cotter, Chad Culp, Mike Hominuck, Tracey Kelusky, John Tavares, Luke Wiles, Shawn Williams and Aaron Wilson. Transition: David Brock, Jon Harasym, D. Smith, H. Smith, Mark Steenhuis and Jay Thorimbert. Defensemen: Glen Bryan, Michael McNamara, Steve Priolo, Scott Self, Billy Dee Smith and Derek Suddons. Goalies: Anthony Cosmo and Kurtis Wagar.

Kevin Brownell, Craig England and Derek Hopcroft have been placed on the practice squad. Jordan Critch, Mat Giles and Jamie Rooney are on injured reserve, while Jimmy Purves has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Marty Hill and Joel Matthews were cut, while Joe Smith is on the holdout list.

--- Budd Bailey

It's an interesting week for fans of the Buffalo Bandits ... not to mention their players.

The Bandits have to reach the 23-man limit by Thursday afternoon. They have all sorts of new faces around, and they have a good chance of claiming jobs. That includes trade acquisitions, free agents and draft choices.

We've already seen some familiar faces depart in the past several weeks. Ian Llord, Roger Vyse and Tom Montour were let go, and Chris White signed as a free agent with Toronto. Mike Thompson and Darryl Gibson retired.

As we wait for official announcements of some of the rest of the departures, a couple of exiting players have opted to scoop the Bandits on announcements. Travis Irving, a former top draft choice, said on Twitter that he was no longer a Bandit.

Then backup goalie Angus Goodleaf tweeted Tuesday night that he might have to spend the winter playing hockey -- not a good sign about his future in Banditland. That should mean Kurt Wagar has won the backup goalie job behind Anthony Cosmo. Wagar saw 73 minutes of action with Philadelphia last season, with a GAA above 22. That's not a fair sample size, to be sure, but it will be interesting to see how coach Darris Kilgour handles the goalie duties.

--- Budd Bailey

Guess that Bandits aren't done changing their roster.

They completed yet another trade on Wednesday. They gave up Jeremy Thompson in a deal that brought Edmonton's Aaron Wilson and a conditional second-round pick.

Wilson is a proven scorer in the National Lacrosse League. He's been over 30 goals in a season five different times. Wilson started his career with Toronto, and moved through Rochester and Minnesota before landing in Edmonton.

If there's a worry here, it's the direction of Wilson's production. He's gone from 40 goals in a season to 23 to 13 the last couple of years. Wilson will be 32. That's clearly not old by NLL standards - ask John Tavares - but it's easy to wonder what's up. However, he is an Ontario native and might appreciate the chance to play in the area again.

I could possibly argue that Thompson's departure carries a little risk. He was the Bandits' top draft choice last year. I do remember Luke Wiles saying without prompting that the Bandits needed to find Thompson some playing time, because he had a lot of talent. I think it's fair to say that coach Darris Kilgour likes an experienced roster

On the other hand, Thompson was a second-round pick. And the Bandits may have traded a former second-rounder for a potential 30-goal scorer and a second-rounder. Hard to argue about that.

By the way, IL Indoor reports that Wiles is in the midst of a contract dispute with the Bandits. There is a pay scale, but there are bonuses available in different ways. It's difficult to believe something won't get done before the start of the season ... but I believe I said something like that about the National Hockey League this summer.

--- Budd Bailey

Lacrosse sticks were seen in the First Niagara Center on Saturday. It was kind of nice to see the building host sports activity, if you know what I mean.

The Bandits hosted free agent tryouts during the day, including workouts and a scrimmage. Many draft choices turned out for the session. Coach Darris Kilgour had his first chance to see how they looked in that setting. Interestingly, ex-Bandit Kyle Schmelze was there as well. It is to his credit that he'd show up at an event like that, even though his talents are obviously well-known to the coaching staff.

There was someone missing. Equipment manager John Craig reportedly has retired from his position after 15 years with the team.

Craig was one of the unsung heroes, frequently driving ridiculous distances to do his job at all hours of the day or night in sason. Talk about bleeding orange - when the Bandits won a title in 2008, he had a tattoo of the Cup put on his body as a tribute.

And on a personal note, John might have been the first person I met when I took over the Bandits' beat in December 2008. He was friendly on the first day, and friendly on the last. To say that his personality will be missed, by me and everyone else around the team, is an understatement. Good luck to him.

--- Budd Bailey

(Born November 3, 1963) -- In basketball, there’s a phrase among scouts that goes something like, “You can’t teach height.” In other words, it’s always a good idea to take a big man. The football equivalent probably is something like, “You can’t teach big.”

Howard Ballard was big. He was so big, in fact, that it didn’t take him long to get the nickname of “House.”

Ballard played college football at Alabama A&M, where he was all-conference twice. He was a classic “project” pick by the Bills, going in the 11th round of the 1987 draft.

It took a while, but Ballard grew into a fine offensive tackle for Buffalo. Eventually he became a starting tackle in 1988, as Joe Devlin moved over the guard, and played in four Super Bowls for the Bills. He even participated in two Pro Bowls.

Then Ballard moved on to Seattle in 1994 for four years and $10.5 million. He stayed with the Seahawks through 1998. After starting for three seasons, Ballard’s knees started to give out and he had to give up the game.

--- Budd Bailey