VALENTINE’S DAY - WHO IS EXCHANGING THEM IN BUFFALO SPORTS?
With love in the air today, I wonder who would be exchanging valentines in the Buffalo sports scene. There are two “perfect matches” in my estimation, that will stand the test of time.
Two years since their love was rekindled, the Buffalo Bandits and the NLL Cup have been going steady, with no other team getting between them since 2023. Currently, their love is undefeated, as the Bandits have yet to lose this year. With two other suitors for the NLL cup taking their shot at disrupting the happy couple this weekend. The Bandits are in Toronto tonight at 7, before hosting San Diego tomorrow night at 7:30.
Sometimes, true love requires a matchmaker, as Brandon Beane and the Bills’ brass played the role of, pairing Bills Mafia with their MVP quarterback, Josh Allen. These two are a match made in heaven, and as time has gone on, the two have seemingly fallen deeper in love with each other. Allen’s speech after accepting the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award last week is just the latest example of how the gunslinger originally from California has become the embodiment of a community in Western New York. “Be good, Do Good, God Bless, Go Bills.” At this point, it’s blasphemy for anyone to even think about #17 wearing any other teams’ colors.
In a toxic relationship where friends are begging the pair to stop seeing each other, the Buffalo Sabres and the NHL Draft Lottery will be exchanging valentines for the 14th straight year. In what started as a fun, flirtatious relationship a decade ago, fans of the Sabres wanted their team to end up the lucky one, to get the best chance to win the lottery. Ever since the lottery scorned the team in 2015, the relationship has been rocky, to say the least. Despite the Sabres trying their hardest to move on from the Lottery, getting far away from it multiple times at the start of seasons, the team falls into its old ways, and have ended every season on a Bachelor-style date with a dozen other teams, hoping to wind up with the “rose” of the number one pick in the draft. Despite the Lottery choosing Buffalo twice, both in 2018 and 2020, the Sabres have tried their darndest to escape that fateful zoom call in May. Unfortunately for Sabres fans, despite their begging for the team to move on, the Sabres are just a few months away from, once again, wearing their lucky socks in hopes that they don’t get left standing alone at the end of the night at the Draft Lottery.
CANADA & USA/FINLAND WIN FIRST GAMES OF FOUR NATIONS FACE-OFF
For the first time since 2016, National Hockey League players are participating in an international hockey tournament dubbed the “Four Nations Face-Off.” The United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland will all play each other once in the round robin stage to determine who faces-off in the Championship game.
On Wednesday night, Team Canada squeezed out a 4-3 win in overtime over Sweden, claiming two points in the standings. Mitch Marner scored the game winner, causing mixed emotions for the crowd in Montreal, passionate for Team Canada, but conflicted cheering for a current Toronto Maple Leaf. With the OT loss, Sweden collected one point. Sidney Crosby, captain of Team Canada, was named the player of the game with three assists. Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was playing on the third pair for Sweden, and did not see a single shift in the three-on-three overtime period.
Last night, Team USA showed exactly why they are the odds on favorite to win the tournament, beating Finland 6-1. Sabres’ defenseman Henri Jokiharju scored the game’ first goal for Finland, before America turned up the pressure and filled up the Finnish net. Matthew Tkachuk earned game MVP honors with two goals and an assist for Team USA. Given three points for the regulation victory, the red white and blue sit atop the standings after two days.
All four countries will play tomorrow in more round robin games in Montreal, with two rivalry games. Finland and Sweden meet at 1PM, while Canada and Team USA drop the puck at 8PM on Saturday. Both games tomorrow will air on ABC nationally in America, and on Sportsnet across Canada.
FNL PREVIEW: NORTH TONAWANDA VS AMHERST GIRLS HOOPS
Tonight, the Friday Night Lights crew will showcase a must-see non-league matchup between two top girls' basketball teams in Section VI. The Amherst Tigers host the North Tonawanda Lady Jacks tonight at 7PM.
While these two teams won’t meet in the postseason, with Amherst in Class A and NT in Class AA, this duel is as good as it gets for mid-February basketball at the high school level, just weeks before the playoffs begin.
Amherst (11-7) currently sits third in the ECIC II division, coming off a 62-44 win over Williamsville North last night. The Tigers, who are on a three-game winning streak, are led by freshman Lucy Giordano’s 18 points per game, with sophomore Taryn Ashley and junior Ada Radomski combining for another 30 points per contest. Amherst will have one final regular season game after tonight’s battle, when they head to Sweet Home on Tuesday for their final divisional game of the year.
North Tonawanda (16-2) has been blowing out most of their opponents all season, coming off a 120-9 drumming of their rival Timberwolves of Tonawanda. Currently sitting atop the Niagara-Frontier League, the Lady Jacks are led by the Day sisters, junior Annabelle and freshman Lily, who, on average, combine for 47 points per game. This is the final game on the regular season schedule for NT, before the Class AA sectional playoffs begin next week.
Stu Boyer and PJ Cauley have the call tonight on WBFO and WNED Create, with tip-off set for 7PM from Amherst High School.
The Scoreboard is presented by Zenner and Ritter Heating and Cooling
