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WINGS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

WINGS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

Bandits take 19-14 win

The Philadelphia Wings made a valiant attempt to erase a nine-goal deficit with an 8-2 run over a period of just under 15 minutes in the second half, but penalties derailed the effort late and the Buffalo Bandits took a 19-14 win in Philadelphia’s first game of a two-game weekend.

The Wings were going up against an undefeated Bandits team that has had both the best offense and defense in the league so far this season, averaging 15.25 goals per game while giving up just 8.25 per night. The Wings posted nearly double that average on the strength of a nine-goal second half.

Philadelphia saw Buffalo’s powerful offense at its best in the first half plus 25 seconds, as an early third quarter goal from Chase Fraser gave the Bandits a 14-5 lead.  Holden Cattoni and Phil Caputo scored as the quarter progressed, only to see the Bandits answer and push the lead back to 16-7.

At that point, the Wings started a run where they scored six goals in less than six minutes spanning the third-quarter break. Cattoni had four points during that run on two goals and two assists, while Joe Resetarits assisted on four of the six tallies. Just over three minutes into the fourth quarter, Cattoni’s third goal of the night made it 16-13.

After Buffalo finally stopped the momentum, Mitch Jones pulled the Wings back within three at 17-14, but that’s as close as they would get.  Just over a minute later, Buffalo’s Ian MacKay was defending when he turned and ran into the Wings’ Sam LeClair, drawing an illegal body check penalty.  While the Wings were on the penalty kill, Alex Pace was called for a cross-check while defending Tehoka Nanticoke and then was also assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction. The extended PK time ended Philadelphia’s offensive momentum, and Buffalo scored twice during that sequence to finish things off.

Resetarits (2G, 6A) and Cattoni (3G, 5A) each ended up with eight-point games, while Jones had two goals and five assists. LeClair had a hat trick, Blaze Riorden had two goals and two assists, and Phil Caputo also potted two goals. Philadelphia’s league-leading power play was a perfect 3-for-3 on the game.

Defensively, Connor Sellars grabbed 10 loose balls for the Wings while Scott Dominey picked up nine and caused three turnovers. Nick Damude made 35 saves on 49 shots in 49:17 of action, while Deacon Knott contributed eight saves on 13 shots in 10:43.  The Bandits took a total of 62 shots on goal, which was just five fewer than the Wings franchise record of 67 that Buffalo took in March of 2024.

The Wings will have an opportunity to bounce right back on Monday evening when they host the Vancouver Warriors at 5:00 at Wells Fargo Center.

Purchase your tickets for 90s night – https://www.ticketmaster.com/philadelphia-wings-tickets/artist/806665

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