BUFFALO, NY (March 21, 2025) – The Desert Dogs put up a fight at KeyBank Center against the Buffalo Bandits but fell in a 13-10 loss. Despite a slow start, Vegas rallied in the second half and recorded their highest goal total ever against Buffalo.
The Bandits came out firing, opening the game with an eight-goal run before Casey Jackson finally put the Desert Dogs on the board with a dive from behind the net, finishing off a feed from Luke Pilcher, who picked up his first career point in his NLL debut.
Vegas looked to build off that momentum in the second quarter as Holden Cattoni capitalized on a power play opportunity to open the scoring. However, Buffalo responded with two more goals before halftime and carried an 11-2 lead into the break.
The Desert Dogs refused to go away quietly in the second half. Kyle Killen buried a snipe to record Vegas' third goal of the night, and Jonathan Donville found the back of the net with a five-hole finish to bring the Desert Dogs to four. Donville continued his impressive night by adding a short-handed goal before Buffalo struck again to make it 13-5.
Vegas kept pushing as Casey Jackson sniped his second of the night, and Killen added another to keep the momentum going. Pilcher scored his first career goal, and Jackson Webster added another to bring the Desert Dogs within four. Donville completed his hat trick late in the game, marking a strong offensive push for Vegas.
The Desert Dogs return to the Den on April 6 to take on the Toronto Rock.
