The Dartmouth Bandits clinched first place in the ECJLL Regular Season Standings for the first time since 2013 when they finished 11-2-3. Alex Taylor was the leading point getter on that squad with 62 pts (39G 23A), and his return to the ECJLL has contributed greatly to the Bandits squad in 2016.
 
After being defeated in five games last season at the hands of the Halifax Northwest Marley Lions in the ECJLL Semi-Finals, the Bandits have been out for blood all season. Their play does not mirror the prim and proper white-collar style of play trending across the bridge with both Halifax Northwest and Southwest. Dartmouth’s style is a rough and tumble, force the issue kind of play – and it’s working.
 
With revered Head Coach Mitch Hannigan gone and assistant Luke Parker coming into the fold, many wondered what would be of the 2016 Bandits. The structure was there, but the necessity to gel throughout a full season is essential, something the Bandits had lacked in recent years.
 
New Captain Bobby Green brought forth a calm, cool, and collected demeanor on the floor, and the team follows his lead. In his five years of Junior he’s never had more than 50 pts (43 pts with three games remaining in 2016), but never had fewer than 35 pts including his rookie year.
 
New goaltender Ayden Pierro put naysayers to rest by leading the league in wins (6) and GAA (4.89), with big wins in big games for the Bandits. All this, with two capable backups behind him, and little more than four regular season games played in the ECJLL prior to this season.
 
What separates this Bandits team from others is, ultimately, consistency. In 2015, the Bandits Top 5 goal-scorers combined for 65% of the team’s goals, whereas in 2016 the Top 5 goal-scorers have combined for 56% of the team’s goals this season.
 
For any team there are defining moments in any season, and the Bandits are no exception, here’s what got them to where they are today:

Rocky Start in Game Two

The Bandits dominated the Mi’kmaq Warriors in the ECJLL Season Opener against the Mi’kmaq Warriors 16-2, but that wasn’t the case two days later in Moncton. The New Brunswick Mavericks made it tough on the Bandits, losing by two goals to a team that dominated them in 2015. Fighting majors for both teams made the third period especially uncertain, with the Mavericks scoring two in the period and coming close, with Alex Taylor burying one in the third to ice it. This game and this weekend was the emergence of rookie sensation Andrew Neilson, who had six pts (5G 1A) in two games that weekend.
 
Bobby Green, Alex Taylor, and Ryan Daley combined for 14 points.

GAME SUMMARY
 

Big Win Over Hurricanes

Every team needs a signature win, and this one appeared that way for the Bandits. Needing confidence heading into a stretch where the Bandits played the Hurricanes twice with a Marley Lions game between them, the Bandits needed to start this series on a high note. And they did just that with a convincing win 10-5.
 
GAME SUMMARY

Lions Take Momentum

After a key win, comes a crushing blow. The Marley Lions weren’t supposed to beat the Bandits, but they did just that a week after the Bandits defeated the Hurricanes. Brandon Deveau was sensational in nets for the Marley Lions, and they came out victorious 5-3. The Bandits offense sputtered out of control, with nothing working from the outside.
 
Northwest’s captain John MacDonald was also sensational in this game, with 5 pts  (2G 3A)
 
GAME SUMMARY

Dartmouth takes Momentum Right Back

They had to wait nearly a month, but the Bandits took what was theirs from the Halifax Northwest Marley Lions on June 19^th.
 
With the Lions coming off a 28-9 scorcher over the Mi’kmaq Warriors the same week, the Bandits came in and set the tone early. Rookie Jordan McKenna was all over the floor, and the Bandits found ways to score under any circumstance. ECJLL veteran Nile Cyr had two shorthanded goals, and the Bandits has numerous goals on the powerplay. On top of this, the Lions never really got it going offensively. Late goals from Chris Walker (three of them actually) made the score look closer than it should have been.
 
GAME SUMMARY

What Remains for Bandits

After weathering the storm against the NB Mavericks on Sunday, the Bandits have two games remaining on July 4 and 6 against the Halifax Southwest Hurricanes and the Halifax Northwest Marley Lions. These games are crucial for the Bandits, as no team gets a bye, and a five game series against either the Sackville Wolves or the NB Mavericks is a real possibility.
 
After beating the Marley Lions handily in 2015, the Lions ended up stealing the semi-final series from the Bandits and challenging the Hurricanes in another five game series.
 
What do we need to see from the Bandits in the remainder of this season? More of the same. With Dalton Brown returning from the Junior ranks of Ontario, the Bandits will get a boost on either side of the floor, wherever he fits in with the 2016 Bandits. No doubt he will be a cog in the Bandits offense for years to come, but at this point it’s hard to mess with such a good thing.
 
Knowing that the team is set up well with dynamic rookies making a real impact on a first place team has to be a good feeling for Managers Glenn MacDonald and Paul McInnes, who worked tirelessly to get this team to this point.
 
As we mentioned in our team preview of the Bandits, what matters most is who shows up in the ECJLL playoffs. 2016 would be considered a waste without a finals birth for this team, and there are two other teams looking to make that nightmare a reality.