Blaine Manning scored with just under four minutes to play as the Toronto Rock edged the Buffalo Bandits, 8-7, Saturday afternoon at HSBC Arena.

Mike Murray was the first to light the lamp in what would turn out to be a defensive battle. Murray beat Bandits goalie Steve Dietrich just a minute and a half into the game, giving the Rock a 1-0 lead, but neither team would score for the next sixteen minutes. Despite a twelve-minute power play when Pat Coyle was given two minutes for roughing and a ten-minute misconduct penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Bandits were unable to get anything to work in the first quarter and most of the second.

Glenn Clark put the Rock up 2-0 two minutes into the second quarter with an unassisted power play goal. Twenty-five seconds later, the Rock had a 3-0 lead when Blaine Manning added a power play goal of his own. Clark made it 4-0 a minute later and, twenty seconds after that, Dan Stroup added another goal for the Rock. Buffalo's John Tavares finally put the Bandits on the board at the eight-minute mark, and Jonas Derks cut the Rock's lead to 5-2 with just over a minute left before intermission.

Buffalo's Roy Colsey was the lone scorer of the third quarter, with his power play goal at 3:45. The Bandits continued to battle their way back in the fourth quarter. Randy Mearns cut the Rock's lead to only a goal just two minutes into the final stanza, and Chris Seller knotted the game at five with ten minutes left to play. Stroup scored his second of the night to retake the lead for the Rock, but Pat Maddalena tied the game again just a shift after taking a stick to the mouth that resulted in some stitches. Colin Doyle and Tavares then traded goals to tie the game at seven with five minutes to go.

With just under four minutes remaining, Manning took a weak shot as he was being hauled to the floor. The shot hit the left goal post, hit Dietrich in the back of the leg, then rolled over the goal line. This was the end of Buffalo's comeback. The Rock defense managed to keep the Bandits from having a good opportunity for the remainder of the game to pull out the 8-7 victory.

Toronto's backup goaltender, Anthony Cosmo, started in place of the injured Bob Watson and made forty-one saves, earning himself Player of the Game accolades. Dietrich made forty-two stops for Buffalo.

Colin Doyle led the Rock scorers with four points on a goal and three assists. Tavares was tops for the Bandits, also with four points, including two goals and two helpers.

BOX SUMMARY
                                      1  2  3  4     TOT
Toronto Rock (9-2)                    1  4  0  3  --   8
Buffalo Bandits (7-7)                 0  2  1  4  --   7

TORONTO ROCK                  BUFFALO BANDITS
               G - A   PTS                   G - A   PTS
Doyle          1 - 3     4    J Tavares      2 - 2     4
G Clark        2 - 1     3    Derks          1 - 2     3
Stroup         2 - 1     3    Mearns         1 - 2     3
Manning        2 - 0     2    Colsey         1 - 1     2
Millin         0 - 2     2    Maddelena      1 - 0     1
M Murray       1 - 0     1    Seller         1 - 0     1
K Squire       0 - 1     1    Accursi        0 - 1     1
Veltman        0 - 1     1    Dietrich       0 - 1     1
                              R Kilgour      0 - 1     1
                              Langdale       0 - 1     1

Shots on goal           51    Shots on goal           48
Saves made by           41    Saves made by           43
   Watson            41          Dietrich          43
Penalties                8    Penalties                5
Penalty Minutes         24    Penalty Minutes         13
Power Play Chances       6    Power Play Chances       6
Power Play Goals         2    Power Play Goals         2
   G Clark            1          Colsey             1
   Manning            1          J Tavares          1
Shorthanded Goals        0    Shorthanded Goals        0
Loose Balls             88    Loose Balls            104
   Cosmo             16          Accursi           15
   Veltman           13          Dietrich          15
   Stroup            10          McCready          14
Faceoffs Won             5    Faceoffs Won            14
   Chapman      ( 5- 6)          Accursi      (14- 5)
   Toll         ( 0- 8)          

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