Ryan O'Halloran: From coach to star players, scenes from Buffalo Bandits' post-game celebration

Vinc was wearing his balky goalie pads and a title T-shirt and hat. Smith and Byrne were still wearing their jerseys (Nos. 92 and 22, respectively) and championship hats.

As they sat down, they left a trail of orange confetti fragments on the carpet, pieces that had been stuck to their sweat-drenched uniforms.

Their 13-4 win in Game 3 of the final series meant something else wasn’t stuck to the Bandits: The reputation of being great regular season team that couldn’t finish the postseason deal.

Those three runner-up finishes in 2016, ’19 and ’22 were avenged.

No wonder the players and coach John Tavares were excited and relieved, thankful and reminiscent. The heartbreak had calloused up this group to reach the top of the National Lacrosse League.

“I’d love to have four championships, but this one means the world to me,” Smith said.

It meant the world to Smith, the Bandits’ best player. Same for Tavares, who previously helped Buffalo win four titles as a player. Same for Byrne, who missed Games 1-2 with a head injury. And same for Vinc, who won his fourth NLL title.

Here are their stories.

Another ring for coach

Coaches always have a unique expression on their faces after a title is clinched. They want to watch from the side. They have the proudest-of-proud grins. They aren’t in rush to raise the trophy.

Tavares, completing his fourth season as the head coach, was that coach as captain Steve Priolo accepted the NLL Cup and it started to get passed around.

“I just enjoy watching my team have fun,” Tavares said when I asked him about the player vs. coach winning emotions. “I was happy for every single guy on the team. I thought the entire year, everybody has worked hard and bought into what the coaches have been preaching.”

As the standout player, Tavares would take control of the game when on the floor, willing his teammates and organization to victory with his actions more than his words. As a coach, well …

“It’s more stressful being a coach than a player – you feel a lot more responsible for the overall team performance,” he said.

On Saturday, even though the first quarter was tied at 1 for a span of 9 minutes, 53 seconds, the Bandits were always in control. When Byrne scored 28 seconds into the third quarter to make it 5-2, they never led by fewer than three goals. They played with urgency to build the lead and displayed calm to get to the finish line.

“That was one of our best games this year,” Tavares said. “This feels good. The core guys have been together for a few years.”

The all-time player was a championship head coach for the first time.

“I played a long time and won four championships and the championship teams, I remember more,” he said. “This group will be forever together as the 2023 National Lacrosse League champions and that’s the bond they will share forever.”

No holding back Byrne

On the afternoon of Mammoth-Bandits Game 1 (May 27), Byrne called Smith with the bad news: The injury sustained against Toronto two weeks earlier would keep him out.

“Just balling my eyes out telling him I can’t play,” Byrne said. “Frustrating, frustrating. I never thought I would have to sit out a championship game, especially from an injury.”

The Bandits’ leading goal-scorer in the regular season (43 in 15 games), Byrne was on fire earlier in the playoffs (11 goals and 15 assists in just three games).

The Bandits hung on to beat Colorado 13-12 in Game 1, but missed Byrne in the Game 2 loss.

“After Game 2, no matter how I was feeling, I was going to play,” he said.

Byrne was cleared to practice Friday and Tavares believed he was good to go after the workout.

Byrne’s Game 3 tour de force (four goals and three assists) gave him 33 points in four playoff games (33!). He assisted on the Bandits’ first goal.

“He didn’t miss a beat for somebody that was hurt,” Tavares said.

That led me to ask Byrne if he felt in the flow right away.

“Not great, honestly,” he said with a laugh. “I was throwing the ball away a lot in the first quarter, but obviously you trust your teammates and they trusted me and this guy (Smith) was the first one to look at me and even if I made a dumb play, he’s like, ‘Keep going, man, it’s all good.’”

Byrne was all-great in the third quarter, scoring at :28, 3:14 and 11:02 to turn a 4-2 Bandits lead a 7-3 cushion.

The first overall pick in the 2017 NLL Entry Draft was a champion for the first time.

“One of the biggest emotional rollercoasters of my entire life,” Byrne said. “The universe has a funny way of working and fortunately, we got to Game 3 and now we’re champs. You couldn’t have written it any better.”

A just ending for Smith

Since entering the NLL with the Bandits in 2013, Smith had stockpiled individual awards. He was the league MVP in 2016 (137 points in 18 games) and 2021-22 (135 pounds in 18 games). He is climbing to the top of the league’s playoff records.

But the team title alluded him. Along with Priolo and fellow alternate captain Nick Weiss, Smith was on the runner-up teams in ’16, ’19 and ’22. So close to winning, but simultaneously so far.

Heavy is the burden of the best player on a team with annual championship aspirations, but not the official result. Last June, I was in Tampa after the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup and just the overall relief/excitement/shock of star Nathan MacKinnon was obvious. Smith reminded me of MacKinnon.

Smith was the MVP of the final series (nine goals and 14 assists) and his 49 points in six playoff games was a league record … and eight better than the previous record.

Priolo handed the NLL Cup it to Smith. I asked him to describe the instant feeling.

“It was heavy,” Vinc interrupted with a laugh.

“It was heavy … or I’m weak,” Smith added.

Turning serious, Smith said: “You dream as a kid to play professional lacrosse, at least I did. Once I got to the professional level, my goal was to win a championship. I put so much hard work in with these guys throughout this process. It wasn’t easy. I’ve been in this league for (10) years and had nothing to show for it until tonight.”

By midnight, Smith was at Cobblestone on South Park Ave., NLL Cup in hand to celebrate with friends and fans.

The Bandits’ best player was a champion for the first time.

“You don’t get recognized for accolades, you get recognized for those (title) banners and we finally did it,” Smith said. “I’m so thankful. It’s a dream come true.”

Vinc rises to occasion

Vinc, who turns 41 on Friday, has been an NLL pro since 2006. He spent the week semi-stewing about the Bandits’ Game 2 performance at Colorado; the 16 goals allowed matched a season-high.

“The way we finished Game 2, I don’t think that sat well with anybody,” he said.

To start Game 3, Vinc set the defensive tone by making three consecutive saves on Colorado’s initial push. The Bandits scored on their first shot and never trailed.

Vinc made 46 saves and Colorado’s four goals were the fewest allowed in Bandits playoff history (100 games) and in any NLL championship series game.

“It shows a lot of character in our locker room, not only the defensive end, but the offensive end to come out with a performance like (Saturday),” he said. “Basically, we couldn’t have scripted a better game plan.”

The game in hand, Vinc let his eyes and mind wander over the final five minutes.

“Being able to look up in the crowd, knowing exactly where your family members are and so many people that have supported me through the way – I had my kids in the crowd and I was one of those kids and I remember those banners going up and to be able to be a part of it, it’s extra special,” Vinc said.

The three-title NLL title-winning goalie for Rochester was a Bandits champion for the first time.

“Since I decided to come to Buffalo (in 2019), this is what I wanted,” Vinc said. “It’s been a long time for Bandit-land to experience a championship. To be a part of the group that puts another banner up there, it gives you chills just talking about it.”