They were all there… the Bandettes cheerleaders, Annoying P.A. Guy, THE B-O-X guys leading the charge behind the penalty box, and a full house of 18,690 mostly Bandits fans, who needed a scoresheet to recognize all the new faces on this year’s roster.
Tonight at HSBC Arena Buffalo opened the 2008 season against the defending National Lacrosse League Champion Rochester Knighthawks.

Returning fan favorites include Mark Steenhuis with his trademark orange shoes, Rich Kilgour, one of the last of the original players on the team, and the ageless John Tavares, who entered this game needing just five goals to become the all time leading goal scorer in indoor lacrosse, cementing his legacy as the best player in the game.

Gone is goaltender Steve “Chugger” Dietrich, who departed for Calgary, with last year’s backup netminder Mike Thompson taking over the starting role.