BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The National Lacrosse League will crown its champion Saturday in front of a capacity crowd at KeyBank Center.
The Bandits are going for an NLL Cup three-peat and trying to become the first franchise to win seven titles when they battle the Saskatchewan Rush in the deciding game of the best-of-three championship series. Face-off is at 4:30 p.m.
Here’s how to watch, stream and listen to the games.
Game 3 will be broadcast on ESPN2 in the United States, and TSN in Canada.
NLL games stream live on ESPN+ and on TSN+. A replay will be available through NLL+, a new, free service available this year.
The championship game can be heard on 1520 AM.
The game is sold out but tickets are available on the secondary market, priced as low as $115. … There will be a pregame Party in the Plaza starting at 2:30 p.m. … The Bandits attracted an average crowd of 16,293 for its three previous home playoff games. … Having set a league attendance record during the regular season selling out four of nine home games, Buffalo’s average attendance for 13 dates including the postseason will be 18,014. … Game 2 in Saskatoon drew a crowd of 8,216.
Buffalo and Saskatchewan tied for the best record in the regular season (13-5) and both went unbeaten through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. … Buffalo gained home-field advantage with a 9-7 victory in Saskatoon on March 1. … The Bandits began the series by rallying back for a 12-10 win at KeyBank Center on May 17, and the Rush evened it up with an 11-10 victory two nights later. … Buffalo has not lost at home during the past three postseasons.
Bandits star Dhane Smith was named Offensive Player of the Year after tallying 134 points in the regular season, tying teammate Josh Byrne for the league lead. … Smith, a finalist for the MVP award won by Rochester’s Connor Fields, a Western New York native, surpassed John Tavares for most career playoff points (212) earlier in the series. … Saskatchewan’s Frank Scigliano was named Goaltender of the Year. Scigliano led the league with a 9.40 goals-against average. Buffalo’s Matt Vinc’s was a finalist for the award. Vinc had a 10.71 goals-against average in the regulr season, and has raised his game in the postseason with a 7.40 average. … The Defensive Player of the Year is Matt Hossack, an Ontario native who played college lacrosse for RIT and works as an engineer for Cheektowaga-based Wendt Corp.
The Bandits’ six titles are tied with the Philadelphia Wings and Toronto Rock for the most in league history. Their 14th appearance in the championship game or series is a league record. … The Rush won the 2015 title while playing in Edmonton then beat Buffalo in 2016 after moving to Saskatchewan. That was the Bandits’ first Finals appearance since 2008. Saskatchewan beat Rochester for another title in 2018.
The Bandits are seeking to become the first NLL team since the 2012-14 Rochester Knighthawks to win three straight NLL championships. Here are the last teams to three-peat in the four major American sports:
- NBA: Los Angeles Lakers, 2000-02 (the Golden State Warriors lost a bid for a three-peat in the 2019 Finals, as did the Miami Heat in 2014)
- MLB: New York Yankees, 1999-2000 (no team has repeated as champions since)
- NHL: New York Islanders, 1980-83, four-peat (the Tampa Bay Lightning lost in the Stanley Cup Final in their three-peat bid in 2022)
- NFL: None (the Kansas City Chiefs lost their shot at the NFL’s first three-peat by losing the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles in February … the Buffalo Bills tried to three-peat in the AFL in 1964-66, but lost the 1966 championship that would’ve sent them to the game now known as Super Bowl I)
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.
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