Ryan Powell was interviewed after the Buffalo Bandits dramatic 20-19 come from behind win on the road against the Washington Power. In his NLL debut, Powell had two goals and four assists and was key to Buffalo's win, but on his first goal of the night, part of a Buffalo third quarter surge that brought the Bandits back into the game, Ryan was announced as Casey as the goal scorer. No bother. He routinely had eclipsed his brother's shadow with his play on the field. PLPA Correspondent Ken Schulz caught up with Powel after the game:
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What are your thoughts on the game tonight?
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I thought it was great. As far as my play out there, there was a little bit of an adjustment process in the first half, but I started to feel really comfortable in the second half.
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It appeared that the Bandits played much better as a team in the second half. What enabled you guys to get back in the game? Particularly, what enabled you to excel in the second half?
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I think that I lot of times I play better when I feed off the momentum of the game. During the second half we started to get our fast breaks and our run and gun offense going, and that's more in my comfort zone. I was starting to feel comfortable out there after getting a half of play in there.
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What were the keys to the third quarter (when Buffalo erased a six goal deficit)?
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I think our legs kicked in and overtook theirs a little bit. I think we got them a little winded, and we appeared to be in better shape. Our team just wanted it a little bit more today, and we showed it.
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Were there any strengths you had, or particular weaknesses of Washington that you exploited to secure the win?
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I think that there was solid goaltending on both ends, and it really was an up and down battle. But we're a run and gun team, that's what we like to do, and that's why we were successful today.
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How are you enjoying the indoor game thus far?
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I really love it. It's a learning process for me, and I'm playing with a great bunch of guys, particularly with one of the greatest players to ever play the game in John Tavares. They're doing a great job in helping me along and getting me used to this game.
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What was it like getting here from Buffalo (given the storms that blanketed the northeast with snow).
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Well, I've had a really long ride. I left Arizona yesterday at 6 a.m. (from Mickey-Miles Felton's Arizona Holiday Lacrosse Camp, where he taught with brothers Casey and Ryan), and we got stuck in Chicago because of the snowstorm there. I got into Buffalo at about 8 p.m. on Friday, but I had to drive here from Buffalo because of the snow up there.
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Did you hear when you were announced as Casey Powell after scoring your first goal, not once but twice?(John Tavares in background: "Yeah, I heard that.")
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No. They did? Jerks (laughs).
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They corrected it though.
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Still.
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And how did it feel being the recipient of the Hit of the Game over in the corner?
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The hit of the game? I got hit? That's awesome. No, it's not awesome (laughs).
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