NLL all-stars light up scoreboard

VERONA - Buffalo Bandits offensive star John Tavares is a man who loves offense more than most. But even he was left with a strange feeling after watching the East notch a 30-26 win over the West in the National Lacrosse League's All-Star Game Sunday afternoon.

"I felt bad for the goalies," said Tavares, the league's all-time leading scorer.

The game's goalies were indeed under assault for much of the contest. Each team finished with 81 shots, and the total of 56 goals was nearly three times what a "normal" NLL game might have.

Even so, no one goes to an All-Star Game to see great defense. The league's best players were up to that offensive challenge, scoring in a variety of ways - some of them spectacular.

"Some of the guys have amazing stick skills," said Luke Wiles of the Washington Stealth, who led all players with six goals. "It's great to get out there with those guys."

The game was played before a crowd of about 2,000 in the Turning Stone Casino Event Center, and almost the entire crowd was rooting for the East. Many fans made the trip down the Thruway, and they were rewarded by good performances from their favorite players.

Shawn Evans of the Rochester Knighthawks was named the game's most valuable player. He scored four goals with eight assists for a game-high 12 points. Evans had to travel about 100 miles to the game after playing against Edmonton in Rochester on Saturday night.

"I'm definitely tired after two games in less than 24 hours," Evans said. "I'm a little sore right now."

Meanwhile, Bandits players were all over the scoresheet. Tavares had two goals and an assist, and even won three faceoffs. Mark Steenhuis had five goals, and the most valuable player of the 2009 All-Star Game in Denver could have had some more had he cashed in a couple of the other in a seemingly endless series of breakaways.

"I had too many ideas in my head - that was the problem," Steenhuis said. "I had a few tricks early, but later I just tried to get some goals."

Teammate Brett Bucktooth had a very successful homecoming. He is a member of Oneida Nation, which sponsored the game. The transition player finished with three goals and three assists.

"It was a thrill just to play with such a great group of guys, such great lacrosse players, and having a good time," Bucktooth said.

The fourth Bandit player, Chris White, had a late assist to add his name to the list of players who collected a point. White had earlier become the first player in the game to pick up a penalty, as he earned a cross-checking minor in the fourth quarter.

"Of course they'd give a penalty to a Buffalo guy, and of course they give it to Whitey," Steenhuis said with a laugh. "That's the way it goes."

Both sides went out of their way to put on an entertaining show.

"When one team got ahead, it was almost as if the other didn't want to get embarrassed and came back," Tavares said.

Not surprisingly, one thing led to another and the first half had moments where the game seemed to get out of control a little bit. If it had been a basketball game, you'd say there was a lot of "basket-hanging" going on.

"The first half was pretty sloppy," Steenhuis said. "The guys on the bench were saying we need to shape up a little bit and not have so many dropped passes. We wanted to have some fancy stuff to try to get the crowd into it, but at the end of the day you do want to win. In the second half, there was a bit better product.

"I don't think anybody in this game wants to lose, whether it's in their backyard or it's at an All-Star Game. We all have that competitive edge."

With six minutes to go, and the game tied at 25-25, the East took control with five straight goals. Garrett Billings of the Toronto Rock had the go-ahead goal for the East, while Steenhuis and Bucktooth added insurance.

For Tavares, the captain of the East squad, the result proved a basic fact.

"The East picked it up and showed it was the best," he said with a smile.

As for the event, the players gave the contest good reviews. They seemed to think the event was well staged and that it was a good show for the fans.

"It was a fun day," Wiles said. "The organizers did a good job - kudos to them."