Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne each recorded a hat trick to lead the Buffalo Bandits to a 14-9 victory over the Toronto Rock on Saturday at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario.
Smith also had five assists for the Bandits (6-6), who pulled away by outscoring the Rock 5-2 in the fourth quarter. Byrne contributed four assists. Buffalo's Ryan Benesch and Nick Weiss each scored twice, while Kyle Buchanan added a goal and three assists. Mitch de Snoo and Matt Spanger each chipped in a goal. Goaltender Matt Vinc made 46 saves.
Mark Matthews led the Rock (6-5) with four goals and three assists. Owen Hiltz and Chris Boushy each scored two goals, with Hiltz adding two assists. Challen Rogers scored the Rock's other goal, a short-handed tally on a penalty shot in the second quarter. Goaltender Troy Holowchuk stopped 30 shots.
The game was a back-and-forth affair through three quarters. The score was tied at 3 after the first period before Buffalo held a 6-5 advantage at halftime. After a Mark Matthews goal tied the score at 7 midway through the third, the Bandits scored the next three goals to take a 10-7 lead early in the fourth.
Up next: The Rock visit the Vancouver Warriors on Friday at 10 p.m. ET. The Bandits host the Colorado Mammoth on March 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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