Derek Malawsky and Scott Hochstadt fired three goals each, and John Tavares added two goals and seven assists, as the Buffalo Bandits improved their record to 2-1 with a sloppy, poorly-played 21-17 win over the Albany Attack.

How messy was this game? Try 238 loose balls! Of the 38 goals, maybe a half-dozen required real creativity and spark. The rest were the product of outside shots, lazy defence or just plain sloppiness. The game degenerated into random motion, and the primary reason the Bandits won was that goalie Matt Disher managed to be border-line adequate, while the Albany tandem of Rob Blasdell and Derek General were lost, hopeless and everything in between.

The Bandits got great games from newcomers Mario Lopez (two goals, three assists) and Hochstadt. Rookie Josh Sanderson had a fine outing for the Attack, leading the expansion Hudson River gang with four goals and two assists.

The Bandits led 5-3 after one, and bagged the first four goals of the second quarter to run the lead to 9-3. But then Albany put together its best run of the game, scoring five straight to cut the lead to 9-8. But that's as good as it got for the visitors. Hochstadt and Kyle Couling closed out the half with consecutive crease-flying goals to give the Bandits a 12-9 cushion.

Albany did manage to tie it on goals by Scott MacDonell, Troy Cordingley and Dallas Squire, but Buffalo continued to ride hot shooting and poor Albany goalkeeping to lead 16-14 after three.

Buffalo capped the carnage at 12:12 of the fourth, when Mike Accursi cashed in a brilliant behind-the-back pass from Chris Prat to close it out.

Albany coach and general manager Terry Sanderson can't have been happy with this one. Known throughout the lacrosse world for his brilliant defensive strategies, it must have crushed him to see Bandit after Bandit charge his crease uncontested. Albany's also got to think about upgrading its goaltending if they want to be around come playoff time.

For Buffalo, a 2-1 record, but the team looks very, very ordinary at the back. They'll win if they score 21 goals, but they'll be in real trouble against a disciplined opponent that knows how to get things done in the defensive zone.

Another small crowd, too, announced at 6,742, but in reality only around 4,000 -- and that's on family day.

Exciting if you like lots of goals, but tedious if you love lacrosse.

BOX SUMMARY
                                  1  2  3  4     TOT
Albany Attack (1-3)               3  6  5  3  --  17
Buffalo Bandits (2-1)             5  7  4  5  --  21

ALBANY ATTACK                 BUFFALO BANDITS
               G - A   PTS                   G - A   PTS
D Kilgour      2 - 5     7    Tavares        2 - 7     9
J Sanderson    4 - 2     6    Malawsky       3 - 4     7
Cordingley     4 - 1     5    Accursi        2 - 3     5
D Squire       3 - 1     4    Lopez          2 - 3     5
Rosa           0 - 3     3    Driscoll       1 - 3     4
Rosyski        0 - 3     3    T Kilgour      1 - 3     4
Dowling        1 - 1     2    Williams       1 - 3     4
Woods          0 - 2     2    Hochstadt      3 - 0     3
Johnston       1 - 1     2    Prat           2 - 1     3
Beisal         1 - 0     1    Maddalena      1 - 2     3
MacDonell      1 - 0     1    Seller         1 - 1     2
Fannell        0 - 1     1    Disher         0 - 2     2
Gibson         0 - 1     1    Couling        1 - 0     1
                              Sweet          1 - 0     1
                              R Kilgour      0 - 1     1

Shots on goal           70    Shots on goal           59
Saves made by           38    Saves made by           53
   General           24         Disher            53
   Blaisdell         14
Penalties               12    Penalties               11
Penalty Minutes         27    Penalty Minutes         25
Faceoffs Won            26    Faceoffs Won            16
   Fannell      (16-14)          R Kilgour    (10-18)
   Rosa         ( 9- 2)          Accursi      ( 6- 8)
Loose Balls            131    Loose Balls            107
   Rosa             16           Disher            12
   Woods            13           Tavares           11
   Fannell          10           Lopez              9

*** STATS OFFICIAL BY VERIFY WITH BUFFALO BANDITS ***