SELL OUT CROWD READY TO BRING THE NOISE FOR NLL FINAL GAME THREE
There are a few certainties when it comes to game three of the National Lacrosse League Final: Alumni Plaza will be rocking for hours leading up to the opening faceoff, Banditland will be a major factor with another sellout crowd incoming, and the NLL Cup will officially be awarded at the end of the game. The Buffalo Bandits host the Saskatchewan Rush for the series finale tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.
Beginning at 2:30 p.m. a pregame ‘Party in the Plaza’ will get fans riled up for Game Three just outside of KeyBank Center, at Ticketmaster Alumni Plaza. With a live band performance, Bandits Alumni appearances, fans can get their party started two hours before the opening faceoff.
With another announced sellout, their record-setting sixth of the season, the hometown fans are hoping their energy can provide a spark to lift the Bandits to their third straight Championship. A fast start is imperative for Buffalo, as they’ve come out flat in each of the first two games of this series, giving up the first two goals in game one, and then falling behind 3-0 in game two last weekend.
At the end of the day, one team will celebrate as Champions with the NLL Cup awarded after the game’s conclusion. It will either be the Rush’s third title since moving to Saskatoon in 2016 (which would be their fourth title in franchise history, after winning in 2015 as the Edmonton Rush), or Buffalo would become the winningest franchise in NLL history with their seventh Championship. The Bandits are just one win away from joining the old Rochester Knighthawks as the only team to win three consecutive titles.
The Party in the Plaza begins at 2:30, with faceoff for Game Three of the NLL Final at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at KeyBank Center. If you can’t make it to Banditland, the game will be broadcast live on CW23 locally, and nationally on ESPN2 in America, and TSN in Canada.
BILLS TO BE FEATURED ON HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP
Fans of the Buffalo Bills will get a closer look at the team before the 2025 season begins, as Western New York’s football team will be featured on The HBO docu series Hard Knocks during Training Camp.
HBO’s documentary series takes a deeper look at NFL teams with in-depth features and mic'd up segments behind the scenes that fans and media alike rarely get to see. In the past, there have been a number of storylines that came about surrounding the team that was covered, some good and some bad. The question will be, are the headlines that come out of this docuseries positive and add momentum for the Bills, or will they create negative narratives and build up senseless drama that wouldn’t have been storylines had Buffalo not been featured? After all, HBO is trying to sell this product to the audience, and what drums up a crowd more than drama? If nothing else, this series will be a nice chance for Bills fans to get to know their newest additions, with around a dozen new players set to make noticeable impacts to Buffalo’s defense this coming season.
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills will premiere August 5th on HBO Max, just after Bills’ Training Camp begins on July 24th in Rochester.
USA ADVANCES TO SEMIFINALS, CANADA STUNNED BY DENMARK AT WORLD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
The United States Men’s Ice Hockey team is just one win away from history at the IIHF World Championship, while Team Canada’s run at a gold medal fell short with a loss in the Quarterfinal on Wednesday.
With a 5-2 win over Finland in the Quarterfinal, the Americans advance to the Semifinal game, just one win away from their best finish at the World Championship Tournament in 75 years. However, the task ahead for Team USA is large, with their next opponent being the hosts, Sweden. Throughout the tournament, both the USA and Sweden have suffered just one loss each. The US lost to Switzerland, while team Sweden fell to Canada in the preliminary round. Team USA has only ever won a gold medal once at the World’s, back in 1933. The Semifinal between the Americans and the Swedes is set for Saturday at 8:20 a.m.
Despite being led by Sidney Crosby, and adding the reinforcement help from Nathan MacKinnon, Team Canada fell in the Quarterfinal to Denmark in stunning fashion. After nine straight appearances in the semifinal, the Canadians suffered a 2-1 loss to the host Danes, blowing a 1-0 lead in the final 2:17 of the game. Denmark plays Switzerland in the other semifinal tomorrow night in Sweden.
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