*Note: This article was written on Dec. 7, 2025.

MATT VOLZ 

Editor in Chief 

“Piss ‘em off and go for four.” 

That’s a line that many Buffalo sports fans of a certain age will remember fondly. 

In 1993, the Bills were attempting to reach their fourth consecutive Super Bowl, getting up off the mat after three straight Super Sunday losses. 

Many NFL fans wanted nothing to do with another Super Bowl featuring the Bills, feeling that the team had “ruined” the past three championship games with their stain of losing. 

The Bills didn’t care, and they even wore T-shirts donning the less-than-PG slogan mentioned above. 

32 years later, another Buffalo team is in a position to “go for four” — the Bandits. 

The Bandits are arguably the most successful organization in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), boasting a league-best seven championships. 

That success has been on display even more over the past few years, as the Bandits have won the last three NLL titles. 

After a 15-year gap between titles that featured three NLL Finals losses, the Bandits reclimbed the mountaintop with a 2023 victory over the Colorado Mammoth. 

They went back-to-back with a 2024 sweep of the Albany FireWolves, and Buffalo capped off the three-peat by beating the Saskatchewan Rush last season. 

Like any other dynasty, the Bandits had to face the harsh truth of not being able to keep everyone. 

Chase Fraser and Chris Cloutier, two of Buffalo’s top secondary scorers, left in free agency to sign with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. 

Defenseman Sam La Roue also departed, heading to the Ottawa Black Bears. 

The remainder of their core stayed intact, as players such as Tehoka Nanticoke, Kyle Buchanan, Paul Dawson, Steve Priolo and Nick Weiss were all re-signed. 

The Bandits also brought back their goalie, as Matt Vinc is back for his 21^st season in the NLL. 

Vinc, who turned 43 in June, is the only player in league history to win three straight championships for two different teams. 

He was in net for the Rochester Knighthawks when they won three straight from 2012 to 2014. 

In addition to several players being re-signed, the Bandits also brought back two former players during the offseason. 

Ryan Benesch signed a one-year deal to help Buffalo’s offense after the departures of Fraser and Cloutier, and he returns to a place where he was once one of the league’s top scorers. 

Benesch played for the Bandits for four seasons from 2014 to 2017. He recorded his best statistical season during that stretch, scoring a league-best 55 goals in 2015. 

He has played for 10 different teams over the course of his lengthy career, and the soon-to-be 41-year-old is in search of his first championship. 

The Bandits also made a late offseason trade to boost their defense, acquiring Mitch de Snoo from the Philadelphia Wings. 

De Snoo’s career began in Buffalo, as he played his first five seasons with the Bandits from 2016 to 2020. 

He joined the Toronto Rock in 2022, remaining there until the Rock traded him to Philadelphia at last year’s trade deadline. 

Like Benesch, de Snoo returns to his old team in hopes of winning his first championship. 

The Bandits began their season on Saturday, Nov. 29, hosting the Georgia Swarm in front of a sold-out crowd. 

The pregame ceremony included the raising of last year’s championship banner, something Bandits fans have gotten quite used to. 

Fraser and Cloutier returned from Las Vegas to celebrate with their old team before their season began. 

Buffalo’s opponent proved to be no pushover, as the Swarm have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. 

Just 32 seconds into the game, Shayne Jackson drew first blood for Georgia. Dhane Smith quickly responded for Buffalo to tie the game before the game reached the one-minute mark. 

After another goal from Jackson, the Bandits rattled off four straight goals, including a goal from both Benesch and de Snoo. 

The Swarm scored twice in a row to close out the quarter, and Jackson began the second quarter by completing the hat trick to tie the game at 5-5. 

The teams traded goals for the rest of the quarter, which included Smith picking up a hat trick of his own. 

It was an 8-8 game at halftime, despite Buffalo holding a heavy advantage in shots on goal. 

The fireworks continued early in the third quarter, as a Georgia goal in the first minute was met with two Buffalo goals, scored 30 seconds apart. 

With the Bandits holding a 10-9 lead, Georgia goalie Brett Dobson delivered a hit that landed him in the penalty box with a five-minute major. 

Devlin Shanahan, a former Bandit, filled in for Dobson while he was serving the penalty. 

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve seen a goalie actually go to the box for a penalty. 

It was absolutely hilarious. 

The Swarm killed off the entire five-minute major, but immediately after the penalty expired, Nanticoke stripped the ball from Shanahan and scored to put Buffalo ahead by two. 

A power play goal from Ian MacKay gave the Bandits a three-goal lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Jackson kept Georgia in the game with his fourth goal of the night. 

Buffalo scored two of the next three goals, including a shorthanded goal from Smith for his fourth of the game. 

An empty net goal from Dylan Robinson sealed the win for the Bandits, as they began the season with a 15-11 win. 

The Bandits are home again on Saturday, Dec. 13, hosting the Halifax Thunderbirds at 7 p.m. 

It’s still early in the season, but Buffalo looks primed to “piss ‘em off and go for four.”