Georgia Opens the New Year in Search of a Win Against Buffalo

DULUTH, Ga. (January 5, 2023) – After taking a three-week hiatus, the Georgia Swarm are back in action at home this Saturday night, marking Casino Night in Gas South Arena. Pregame you can play bingo, spin a prize wheel, and make predictions on game outcomes for a chance to win prizes.

The Georgia Swarm (0-2) are on the hunt for their first win of the season after most recently falling by one goal, for the sixth time in a row, to the Philadelphia Wings. Georgia plays its third-straight home game, inviting the Buffalo Bandits (2-1) to town.

The Swarm and Bandits meet for the 39^th time in NLL history. Buffalo holds the advantage in the all-time series, 26-12. Georgia defeated Buffalo six times at home, winning the last one in Duluth, Ga. on March 18, 2018, 14-10. The last win the Swarm saw over the Bandits was a 14-9 victory on March 9, 2019, in Buffalo, NY.

After two games, Swarm newcomer Andrew Kew leads the squad in points (11) and assists (7) while ranking second in goals (4). Assistant Captain Shayne Jackson follows Kew with 10 points and 5 assists while topping the charts in goals (5).

Buffalo’s Dhane Smith is tied for third in NLL points with 22 while Josh Byrne ranks tied for fourth, notching 21. Byrne recorded 12 of his 21 points against the Halifax Thunderbirds, putting up seven goals and five assists.

Throughout the first two games, Georgia’s backline has been stepping up on both ends of the field. The defense averages 14 caused turnovers, 7 blocked shots, and 98.5 loose balls per game. Among NLL defenders Adam Wiedemann ranks tied for second in points (4) and goals (3) while TJ Comizio is tied for third in points (3), tied for first in assist (3), and tied for second in forced turnovers, causing six.

Against the Wings, goaltender Craig Wende played 54 minutes in net, stopping 32 Philadelphia shots. 2022 First Round NLL Draft selection Brett Dobson spent 6 minutes in net, facing only one shot.

The last time we faced Buffalo, Wende relieved 2022 retiree Mike Poulin in net, recording 30 saves and a .789 save percentage. Buffalo’s Matt Vinc ranks fourth across the league in saves (123), recording 44 against the Thunderbirds last week.

The first faceoff between Georgia and Buffalo starts at 7:00 PM ET. Following the matchup, both teams are set to face each other again next week. The Swarm and Bandits play each other back-to-back, meeting next on Saturday, Jan. 14, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.

Swarm Spotlight:

• The Swarm rank first in shots against per game, holding opponents to 134 total shots (67.00 per game)
• TJ Comizio is tied for second in NLL caused turnovers, forcing six. Among NLL defenders Comizio is tied for third in points (3) and tied for first in assists (3)
• Adam Wiedemann has scored three goals within the first two games of the season, ranking him tied for second in NLL defender points (4) and goals (3)
• Georgia averages 11.50 goals per game and are led by Shayne Jackson’s five
• Andrew Kew is the Swarm front runner in points (11), assists (7), and power play points (1)
• Jackson follows Kew in points (10) and is tied for second in assists (5) with Lyle Thompson who also ranks third in points (8) and goals (3)
• Jeremy Thompson picked up the most loose balls among the squad throughout the first two games, totaling 25. Thompson is second on the team in caused turnovers, forcing four

Eyes on the Bandits:

• Buffalo is on a two-game win streak, defeating the Halifax Thunderbirds (18-13) and the Toronto Rock (11-8)
• The Bandits rank sixth in NLL goals per game, averaging 13.00
• Dhane Smith ranks tied for third in NLL points with 22 while Josh Byrne is tied for fourth, totaling 21
• Josh Byrne recorded 12 points (7G, 5A) against Halifax and now ranks third in NLL goals with 11
• Dhane Smith dished out 18 assists in three games, ranking him first in league assists
• Nick Weiss leads the team and league in blocked shots, totaling five
• Matt Vinc totals 123 saves in net this season, ranking fourth in the NLL after spending 180 minutes in net. Vinc posts a .790 save percentage and a 10.67 goals against average

Milestones:

• Bryan Cole needs six points to reach 100 in his career.
• Shayne Jackson needs three assists to reach 400 in his career.
• Jordan MacIntosh needs four loose ball recoveries to become the 10^th player all-time with 1500.
• Lyle Thompson needs one assist to reach 300 in his career.

Where to Watch:

• Gas South Arena – Get tickets for as low as $15 to the Georgia Swarm vs. Buffalo Bandits game
• ESPN+ – Use your ESPN+ account (or create a new one) to watch the game live Saturday, January 7, 2023, and all season long
• Watch in person at six Gwinnett County Taco Mac locations: Buford, Cumming, Duluth, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville & Suwanee