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Things have gotten hairy for the Buffalo Bandits.

With each victory, more and more guys are sprouting Mohawk haircuts.

And since the Bandits will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday night’s National Lacrosse League Champion’s Cup final against the Portland LumberJax at HSBC Arena, a lot of hair has been hitting the floor.

“I think it’s something they wanted to do,” said coach and General Manager Darris Kilgour, who is one of about 15 on the team sporting the look. “So it gave them a reason to get a Mohawk, which a lot of guys don’t have the guts to do on their own. . . . Hey, anything can help.”

Artvoice

The past 12 months have been a pretty miserable time for sports fans here in Western New York. Brutal disappointments for our Sabres, Bills, Bisons…let’s not even go into the major college basketball programs.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have one chance, just one, to honk our car horns in jubilation, dance in the streets, and cheer to our hearts content as a Buffalo team brings home the hardware?

That opportunity comes this Saturday.

Lacrosse Magazine

Ten years later, it could very well be playoff game seven in the series between Dallas Eliuk and the Buffalo Bandits.

Not to infer that the 43-year-old goaltender is a one-man team, far from it. But the 18-year National Lacrosse League veteran has already endured enough thrills and spills against Buffalo to write a book.

The next may come Saturday night at HSBC Arena, when his Portland LumberJax (8-10) go for their first Champion's Cup against the Bandits (12-6).

Slam! Sports


The Buffalo Bandits are due.

They lost the 2004 National Lacrosse League final in Calgary, they were beaten at home in 2006 by Colorado, and here they come again. They'll have home-floor advantage against the Portland LumberJax for the Champions Cup showdown Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET).

The Bandits have been around for 17 years and last wore the pro crown in 1996. Given the drought, and their disappointments in '04 and '06, they're hungrier than a dog that hasn't been fed for a week. They are 12-6 this year including playoffs.

NLL.com

The Buffalo Bandits will host the Portland LumberJax on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET in the Edge 2008 National Lacrosse League Championship Game at HSBC Arena.

The Bandits, who are the top overall seed in the playoffs, have defeated the New York Titans and Philadelphia Wings on their home turf in East Division playoff games, while the LumberJax, who were seeded eighth overall in the post-season, have been road-warriors, upsetting the Calgary Roughnecks and San Jose Stealth in their respective buildings on their road to the Champion's Cup.

Bandits.com

The Buffalo Bandits will face off against the Portland Lumberjax at HSBC Arena on Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 PM in the 2008 Edge NLL Championship Game sponsored by HSBC Bank, Verizon, Labatt USA, Supercuts and The Seneca Gaming Corporation.  

The Bandits will be hosting a pre-game party that will begin at 6:00p.m. at HSBC Arena on the 100 level east wing. There will be a live performance by "Fully Clothed Gents" (a Barenaked Ladies cover band) from 6-7:15 p.m.

Bandits.com

The National Lacrosse League announced today that Buffalo's John Tavares and Mark Steenhuis have been named to the 2008 First All-Pro team.

The First Team All-Pro consists of the top three vote-getters for the league MVP award, Philadelphia's Athan Iannucci, New York's Casey Powell and Buffalo's John Tavares (listed alphabetically), as well as the 2008 Defenseman of the Year (Ryan Cousins), Transition Player of the Year (Mark Steenhuis), and Goaltender of the Year (Bob Watson).

Bandits.com

The Buffalo Bandits do their best to follow their head coach when on the field.

But judging by the team's new look, their obedience doesn't end there.

In what may be lacrosse's adaptation of the NHL playoff beard, a new style initiated by Darris Kilgour has taken over the squad as of late.

And it appears the mohawks are here to stay.

InsideLacrosse.com

Despite chopping two big West Division opponents down to size, the Portland LumberJax are getting little respect for their unexpected post-season surge.

I’m betting there are few folks outside of Oregon giving them any chance to beat the Buffalo Bandits this Saturday at the HSBC Arena in the Champion’s Cup final.

Let’s face it, the optics aren’t good: The No. 1 seeded Bandits vs. The No. 4 seed Jax; Buffalo went 10-6 during the regular season, the Jax 6-10; The Bandits were 7-2 at home during the regular season, the Jax 3-5 on the road.

NLL.com

Most teams have their die-hard fans: The unconditionally loyal following that tailgate early and leave late with only face paint and strained vocal cords remaining.

But what few organizations can match, and what Buffalo lacrosse can provide, is the intensity and the atmosphere known simply as Banditland.

"It's like Halloween every day," said Jon Cramer, president of the team's official fan club, the Bandit Brigade.