BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bandits beat their rival, the Toronto Rock, 14-5 in Game 1 of a best-of-3 series in the East Conference finals Friday night at KeyBank Center.
The Bandits led Toronto through all four quarters of the game but peaked during the third after drilling six unanswered goals against the Rock. Buffalo then went into the final frame up 13-4 before both squads finished the quarter off with a goal each as Buffalo won this one with a final score of 14-5.
A standout player from Friday's matchup was Josh Byrne, who scored five goals and had two assists. He notched his first goal just 30 seconds into the game, getting his teammates and Banditland hyped up and ready early.
Bandits goaltender Matt Vinc also had a great night, saving 52 of the 57 shots on goal from Toronto.
Game 2 will be a back-to-back game for both teams and will take place on Saturday at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton at 7 p.m. If Game 3 is necessary, the series will head back to Buffalo next week, on May 20 at 7:30 p.m.