7:32 - Beating the 1-4 Minnesota Swarm was one thing - tonight the Buffalo Bandits face the NLL East leading Toronto Rock, who enter the game with a 4-1 record.  The Bandits will try to improve to 2-4 with a win this evening.

7:35 - To earn their second straight win, the Bandits will need to be efficient with their scoring chances, and Mark Steenhuis must continue his torrid play.  Fortunately for Buffalo, forward Roger Vyse is healthy tonight - he missed the victory over the Swarm due to injury.  Still no Tavares for the Bandits, though.

7:40 - The Rock are fantastic on special teams - their power play converts at a clip of 50% (Buffalo is only 30.8%), while the penalty kill is a stellar 72%.  Buffalo must excel in odd man situations to have a chance tonight.  Mark Steenhuis should be more assertive looking for his own shot, too, after only tallying one goal against the Swarm.

7:42 - Right on cue, the Bandits are assessed the game's first penalty.  Kyle Clancy heads to the 'sin-bin' for 2 minutes. 

7:44 - Buffalo is called for a 'too many men' penalty, but the Rock bail them out by committinga two minute minor unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

7:45 - Ken Montour makes one easy save, then a tough one - stopping Josh Wasson from just inside the white line, then foiling a Rock attacker from in-close.  Steenhuis has attempted two deep shots for Buffalo without any success.  Steve Dietrich, the former Bandit netminder, will be between the pipes for Toronto.

7:47 - Garrett Billings has the best chance of the early going for Toronto, but his shot flies just left of the target. 

7:47 - Thee Rock get on the scoreboard first after peppering Montour with shots.  The ball is passed from the top of the attacking zone to the right wing, where Stephan Leblanc finishes to the near post.  1-0 Rock with 10:15 left in the first.

7:49 - The Rock's first goal was scored on a delayed penalty on Tom Montour, the Bandits' defender.

7:51 - Great ball movement from Toronto results in a shot that caroms off the post by Leblanc, who leads the Rock in points with 32.  That opening goal was the rookie's tenth of the season.

7:53 - Just as he's checked by Brendan Doran, Mark Steenhuis uncorks a rocket that bounces in front of Dietrich and skims into the right corner.  Francis and Clancy are credited with the assists.  1-1 tie with 7:48 left in the first.

7:54 - Kyle Clancy, the Bandits' first round pick this past year, as provided a huge spark for Buffalo.  Right after Steenie's goal, Clancy darted through the middle of the Rock defense and hit a cutting Frank Resetarits down the left wing.  Frank made no mistake with his shot, bouncing it under Dietrich for a 2-1 Buffalo lead.

7:58 - Plenty of penalties shortly after Buffalo took the lead - Cam Woods of Toronto was sent to the box, while off-setting penalties to Sanderson and Clancy were awarded a minute later.

7:58 - Great instincts by Dietrich as he stones Steenhuis from point blank.  Roger Vyse just missed another fine opportunity as well, firing just to the keeper's left.

8:01 - The Bandits' second goal was Resetarits' fourth in the past two games.  He can't be faulted for squandering any easy chances - the Hamburg native has been sharp in the attacking zone.

8:02 - Another Bandit heads to the box - Tom Montour is whistled for illegal check and holding - the two minors will put him in the box for four minutes - and the Bandits must with-stand a tough stretch towards the end of the first quarter.

8:03 - Short-handed goal for the Bandits!  Billy Dee Smith breaks in alone on the counter-attack and dives across the crease from right-to-left and buries his shot past Dietrich for a 3-1 Buffalo lead.

8:04 - The outlet pass that sprung Smith was from Darryl Gibson, his third assist of the season.

8:06 - Swarming defense by Kyle Schmelzle of Buffalo during the penalty-kill.  1:04 left in the first.

8:08 - On a blast from the middle of the attacking zone (with the shot-clock winding down), Billings clangs the right up-right with his shot.  Ken Montour corrals the rebound, and the first quarter draws to a close.

---------------------------------------------------End of First Quarter, 3-1 Buffalo------------------------------------

8:09 - If you're Bandits' fan, you have to be thrilled with the first fifteen minutes.  After conceding the first goal, Buffalo responded with three of its own, including the final one short-handed.  The home team has been forced to kill off several penalties, and Tom Montour remains in the box for another 38 seconds to start the second quarter.

8:12 - The goals arrive in a flurry to start the second - Josh Wasson tallies first for Toronto on the power-play, but Mike Accursi immediately answers back after a nasty no-look assist from a cutting Kyle Clancy.  4-2 Buffalo with 13:50 left.

8:13 - With his assist on Wasson's goal, Toronto's Colin Doyle joins John Tavares and Gary Gait as the only players in the history of the NLL with over 1,000 points.  Congratulations to a lacrosse legend.

8:14 - Ken Montour stops the first attempt from Pat McCready, and Chris White of the Bandits grabs the rebound.  Alertly, Stephan Leblanc swats at White's stick in front of the Bandit goal, and the ball deflects past an unexpecting Montour.

8:16 - Cam Woods ties the score on a cross-field pass from Garrett Billings.  Buffalo still hasn't recovered from the fluke goal notched by McCready, who officially was the last Rock player to possess the ball before it entered the goal.  Leblanc deserves credit, however, as he produced the goal with a clever play in front.  4-4 tie with 10:22 left.

8:20 -Timeout on the floor with 8:26 left in the second quarter.  Toronto has out-shot Buffalo 23-19 overall, 9-5 in the 2nd.

8:24 - Toronto's Drew Petkoff sprints into the Buffalo defensive zone and hits Blaine Manning, who had just left the Rock bench, with a pass.  Once again, Montour's there with the save. 

8:25 - If there's an MVP so far for Buffalo, it has to be rookie Kyle Clancy, who just took a cross-floor pass from Brett Bucktooth and rocketed a shot past Dietrich.  That's Clancy's fourth point of the night.  5-4 Buffalo with 5:50 left in the half.

8:26 - Trailing only briefly, Toronto answers back rapidly with a goal of its own.  Great floor vision by Wasson finds Billings open in front of the Buffalo goal, and he patiently dekes his way around Montour for the finish.

8:28 - Huge fight just broke out after a scoring opportunity by Toronto - Buffalo goalie Ken Montour just got trampled into his own net, sparking a scuffle between at least 10 players.  Drew Petkoff was the guilty party, as he nearly decapitated Montour after beating the goalie.  The score is disallowed, and the game remains knotted at 5.

8:29 - Petkoff gets five minutes for goaltender interference and a game misconduct, while Billy Dee Smith gets two minutes for roughing and five minutes for slashing.  After all is sorted out, Toronto will begin a two minute penalty for Smith's roughing - it will be served by Brandon Francis.

8:31 - Montour will stay in the game - he was only briefly shaken up after suffering a blow from Petkoff.

8:33 - Shorthanded, Montour makes a nice stop on Leblanc, but he can't foil Blaine Manning, who lasers a shot over the goalie's shoulder from 15 feet out.  6-5 Toronto with 4:39 left in the half.

8:36 - Jon Harasym and Leblanc quarrel after the play and decide that dropping gloves would be the best idea to solve their problems.  Leblanc beats Harasym to a pulp, but in the end, Toronto's best player Leblanc will head to the box alongside Buffalo's little used role player Harasym for five minutes.  Buffalo will take that trade-off any day.

8:38 - With the momentum clearly in the Bandits' favor, Steenhuis takes advantage of a delayed penalty and finds the red-hot Kyle Clancy across the floor for another Buffalo goal!  The game is now tied at 6, and Buffalo starts at two minute power play.  2:25 left in the first half.

8:40 - Darryl Gibson commits a penalty to bring both teams to even strength.  He's whistled for holding.

8:41 - Bad news for the Bandits - Colin Doyle of Toronto rips a screen shot through the wickets of Montour for a 7-6 lead, and a frustrated Steve Priolo decks two Rock players after the goalie.

8:44 - Minor penalties on Tom Montour and Steve Priolo for roughing put Buffalo in a 3-on-5 situation for the next couple minutes. 

8:45 - Not surprisingly, the Rock extends its lead to two goals (8-6) on a great ball movement between Colin Doyle and Garrett Billings - Blaine Manning scores off Doyle's crafty over-the-back-shoulder pass.

8:46 - Poor discipline by Tom Montour and Priolo - compounding what was already a bad situation for the Bandits.  Giving up a late tie-breaking goal is one thing, providing a two-man advantage for the Rock to add to the lead is another.  Head Coach Darris Kilgour will undoubtedly have some unprintably harsh words for the two during the intermission.

-----------------------------------------------Halftime, Toronto 8-6-------------------------------------------------

9:04 - If you heard a familiar voice on KB1520, that was me.  Pretty sweet - The NLL.com commentator needed a halftime guest, and I obliged.  We had a nice little chat about Taro Tsujimoto, the fictional Buffalo Sabres draft pick, and the Bandits' first half action against Toronto.  I'll be honest, I was a little nervous and talked faster than I should have, but the experience from the Sports Assault weekly podcast made it a bit easier.

9:08 - Blaine Manning opens the second half scoring for Toronto on assists from Leblanc and Doyle.  Sorry, I'm still getting situated here after the halftime interview.  Special thanks to John Gurtler of NLL.com and KB1520 for that.  9-6 Rock.

9:10 - Brett Bucktooth brings the Bandits right back into the game - scything through the middle of the Rock defense and splitting the legs of Dietrich, the Toronto goalie.  A much needed score for a Buffalo offense that struggled in the second quarter.  9-7 Rock with 10:59 left in the 3rd.

9:11 - Buffalo is pouring it on now, as Roger Vyse nets his first of the evening, absorbing a stick to the face from a Rock defender and whipping a shot over Dietrich's right shoulder.  The Bandits will begin a power play, and that was an 'and-one' moment by Vyse.

9:14 - Power-play converted, and we have a tie-game here.  On a solo effort, Mark Steenhuis dashes down the left side of the Toronto zone and rips a shot past the Toronto goalie for a 9-9 tie.  Vyse and Resetarits on the assists.  8:35 left in the 3rd.

9:17 - Toronto has the edge in shots on goal with 43 to Buffalo's 29, but two goals apiece from Steenhuis and Clancy have kept Buffalo in the hunt for its second win.

9:20 - Vyse, Accursi, Bucktooth, Smith, and Resetarits scored the others in a balanced offensive effort.  5:55 left in the 3rd with the score still tied; Bandits in possession.

9:21 - Mark Steenhuis is called for a crease violation, and he trades a few jabs with a Toronto defender.

9:21 - I mentioned during the halftime show that Buffalo managed to regroup last week and hold Minnesota scoreless in the third quarter.  Once again tonight, the Bandits' defense has tightened its marking after Kilgour's halftime adjustments.

9:23 - A crease violation again on Steenhuis disallows a Buffalo goal - his right foot entered the crease just as he left the ground to shoot.

9:28 - Mike Accursi fires a shot wide, and the back-and-forth battle rages on.  Penalty on Steve Priolo of the Bandits, who's called for roughing.  Toronto tallied four power play goals in the first half and starts the man-advantage once again for two minutes.

9:29 - Solid defensive sequence from Darryl Gibson, blocking one shot and forcing a turnover from a Rock forward.

9:29 - The Bandits take the lead!  Clancy continues his dominance with a pass into the middle of the Rock defense, where Mike Accursi receives, dekes, and finishes past Dietrich for a 10-9 Buffalo lead.  I think that's seven points on the evening for Buffalo's 2009 first round pick.

9:32 - Buffalo holds for the final shot of the third quarter, but can't generate a quality chance.

---------------------------------------------End of Third Quarter, 10-9 Buffalo-------------------------------------------

9:35 - 47-30 is the shot margin favoring Toronto, but the scoreboard reads in Buffalo's favor, 10-9.

9:36 - Although he has two goals tonight, Mike Accursi needs to do a better job of protecting the ball - he's had two ugly turnovers, the last one resulted in a counter-attack goal by Blaine Manning.  The contest is tied once again, this time at ten.

9:38 - The Rock push in front again on a shot from the left face-off circle that beat Montour - Blaine Manning's second goal in less than 15 seconds - 11-10 Toronto lead with 12:55 left in the game.

9:40 - Four goals tonight for Manning, giving him 14 for the season. 

9:40 - Nice stop by a sprawling Montour on a 10 footer from a Toronto forward, preserving the one goal deficit.

9:41 - Reserve forward Kim Squire increases the Rock's lead to two goals - 12-10, as he takes a feed from Garrett Billings and fools Montour.  Buffalo's offense has been stagnant in the second and fourth quarters tonight, and this isn't the kind of consistency that Kilgour has been preaching.

9:45 - 9:32 remaining in the game, 12-10 Toronto, and the Rock have possession and a fresh shot-clock.

9:47 - Jon Harasym is called for an illegal cross-check penalty with 8:31 left - Buffalo, in desperate need of a goal, must play short-handed for the next two minutes.

9:48 - Buffalo wins possession and milks the shot-clock to help kill the penalty.  Under seven minutes to go; the Bandits trail by two.

9:53 - Roger Vyse rockets a shot towards the Toronto goal, but Steve Dietrich makes the stop, and the rebound skims just wide of the left post.  Brandon Francis whips a shot from distance, but Dietrich has no problems parrying it away.  Very few high percentage scoring chances in the fourth quarter for the home team.

9:53 - 14,467 in attendance, but you wouldn't know the number was that high because it's so quiet in here right now.

9:54 - The Bandits have the man-advantage right now with 4 minutes left; they absolutely must score here to have a chance.  Cam Woods strips a Bandit of the ball and sprints in alone on Montour, but the goalie stays in position to block the low shot.

9:56 - Mark Steenhuis has another long distance effort bounce wide, and Buffalo's attackers aren't moving effectively in the offensive zone.  Dietrich swallows up a challenged shot by Vyse, and Toronto has killed off the power play.

9:57 - Stephan Leblanc puts the dagger in the Bandits, taking a flip pass from Manning, faking low, and shooting over the shoulder of Montour.  13-10 Toronto with 1:47 left in the game.

9:58 - Brendan Doran adds an empty-net insurance goal after Ken Montour went to the bench in favor of the extra-attacker.  14-10 Toronto with under a minute left.

9:59 - Some boos rain down from the Bandits' fans after a lackluster second half effort in which the offense showed few signs of life.

10:00 - In frustration, a Brandon Francis crashes into Steve Dietrich in an attempt to snare a loose ball, instigating a fight in front of the Rock goal.  .2 seconds left in this one.  Darris doesn't look pleased on the bench.

------------------------------------------------End of Game, 14-10 Toronto--------------------------------------