BUFFALO, N.Y. — Winning is contagious.
“People say it's like a drug, you just want more and I strongly feel that way after winning last year,” Bandits star forward Dhane Smith said. “Having that feeling, having all of Buffalo, the city, have your back and you just want to get it again.”
However, the path back to that craved feeling certainly has not been as easy as it’s been in the past.
“We're so used to being the first place team and this year we're the fourth place team,” Smith said.
The Bandits, sitting at 11-7 heading into the National Lacrosse League finals, started the second half of the season at .500 before hitting their stride to win seven straight games.
“I think we're playing better at bigger games,” Smith said. “Those important games that we need to win, they're kind of easier to get up for where at the beginning of the year, we were just kind of trying to find our identity.”
“At the end of the day, it's a whole team effort to win a championship,” Smith added. “The young rookies, they're trying to find where they belong on our team. The more playing time they had, the more comfortable they got, the more successful they were and we're just finding our groove at the right time.”
The Bandits, securing a spot in the finals for the fourth straight season, are now right on track for an opportunity to earn back-to-back championship titles for the first time since 1993.
“I love these kinds of moments,” Smith said. “A lot of people talk about my legacy and my stats, all this stuff. It doesn't really matter unless I win a championship and bring a championship to Buffalo. To have this opportunity to hopefully bring another parade to Buffalo, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it.”
Although the task may not be easy, the team can always count on the unwavering dedication of “Banditland” to see them through.
“This year was different,” Smith said. “I feel like everybody supported us even more. I remember last year winning that championship, you'd be walking around the streets and be recognized even more than you usually do and they’d be thanking you like you saved the world. It's like no, thank you. you guys have supported us.”
In hope that level of support continues through the weekend, Smith has one last message for the fans of Banditland:
“Enjoy the moment. Have fun with it. I know you guys will be our backbone. You guys will travel well and we're excited for it, but be loud, we need you more than ever.”
Game 1 of the finals begins on Friday in Albany at MVP Arena with faceoff set for 7 p.m. Game 2 returns to Buffalo on Saturday in the KeyBank Center at 7:30 p.m.