The Calgary Roughnecks yesterday hired Buffalo Bandits assistant coach Troy Cordingley as their new head coach.

Cordingley is the latest product of a lacrosse pipeline from New York to Alberta, a trend which began when Kurt Silcott quit as the Bandits' general manager in September 2005 to take the same job in Calgary.

Cordingley takes over for Jeff Dowling, who was 4-3 as the Riggers' coach after the firing of Chris Hall in February.

"[Cordingley] is an experienced coach in both the NLL and Ontario Lacrosse Association and we are lucky we were able to get him to come to Calgary," Silcott said.

"I know the type of lacrosse that Troy preaches and I believe our players will soon buy into it."

Cordingley had been an assistant coach with the Bandits since 2003 and added the title of assistant general manager last season, serving in both positions under Darris Kilgour.

He also has been the head coach and general manager of the OLA's Brampton Excelsiors the past three summers.

Like Kilgour, Cordingley was a longtime Bandit in his playing days, moving on to stops in Albany and Rochester. In 96 career games, Cordingley scored 143 goals, dished out 202 assists and recovered 393 loose balls.

Cordingley inherits a club which has made the playoffs the past five seasons and which includes standout forwards such as Tracey Kelusky and Lewis Ratcliff.

"The existing core is exceedingly strong, and with just a tweak here and there I honestly feel we have the ability to take the championship."

Calgary's only NLL championship came in 2004, when the Roughnecks defeated -- you guessed it -- the Buffalo Bandits in the Champion's Cup Final.