Casual Rochester Knighthawks fans will experience a bit of a shock to the system when they see the Buffalo Bandits begin warmups at KeyBank Center or on B/R Live Saturday night.

Is that Matt Vinc rocking orange and black for the team’s archrival?

It’s true. It’s still weird to see the longtime Bandit killer now wearing the team’s new throwback-inspired uniforms.

“It’s definitely been different, but it’s also exciting,” said Vinc, who signed in Buffalo as a free agent. “It’s different to see that and wrap your head around it, because I’ve been on the opposing team in the rivalry for so long. But sometimes change is good.”

And while the look is new for Vinc as a professional, his days clad in orange and black go way back.

“It’s colors I grew up wearing in the stands as a kid,” Vinc said. “I’m excited to be able to finally wear them.”

To get to that point, Vinc had to make a decision he said was one of the hardest of his life. He’d played eight years with the Knighthawks, won three championships and established himself as one of the best players in franchise history.

“I feel like I have a lot of close friends on that roster, on that coaching staff, in that management,” Vinc said. “I enjoyed my time there. I couldn’t have been happier with my career as a Rochester Knighthawk. That was difficult because it was kind of like a family. It was a really difficult decision, but it was one that I had to make. I think I made the best decision.”

Vinc entered the offseason with options, not surprising considering his resume and a 2018 season that included NLL Goalie of the Year honors.

“I didn’t really think or know that Buffalo would be interested,” Vinc said. “I didn’t really have an idea of what I was actually going to do. When I got contacted by [Bandits GM] Steve [Dietrich] and with other news being released, it became a reality of where did I want to play this year, next year, all those types of things.”

“Anytime you have the opportunity to acquire, in my opinion, a Bobby Watson, the best goaltender that’s ever played the game, that’s something you’re going to take a run at.”

When it came to the Bandits side, Dietrich said the team didn’t push the pursuit into high gear until free agency was near commencing and Vinc hadn’t resigned in Rochester. Buffalo wasn’t exactly in a desperate position at goalie, having traded for Alex Buque the offseason prior.

“You’re always monitoring guys that are in the final year of their contract and what their dollar figure is,” Dietrich said. “We thought after the championship game and Matt hadn’t signed, you start to put the pages into place. OK, could this become a reality? [Bandits head of lacrosse operations] Scott [Loffler] and I and obviously the coaching staff talked about it, but never thought he’d get to Aug. 1. When he hit Aug. 1, and quite literally when it became 12:01, we reached out to him.”

They weren’t the only team to call, so Buffalo’s marketing department began concocting a pitch presentation, rather unprecedented since Dietrich took over as GM. It made sense, as the team had never gone after a free agent of Vinc’s caliber. There weren’t many who even hit free agency to come close to his level of talent.

The meeting, which included a video presentation, impressed Vinc. He said he was sold based on a handful of factors, including the proximity to home, the history of the franchise and the roster going forward.

“The fanbase, the atmosphere and the arena," Vinc said. "When you go to the rink, you want to be excited to play and I haven’t had the opportunity to play in a rink that holds 18,000 people and they actually do a great job filling it up. It’s one of those times where you look back on your career and I’ll be happy to say I had the opportunity to play in Buffalo.”

There was the stability factor as well. The Knighthawks are moving to Halifax after this season, making it impossible for Vinc to return to Rochester on a multi-year deal and not eventually travel far from his Ontario home.

“There was a lot of unknown,” Vinc said of the Knighthawks’ future. “There was a lot of things I knew about Buffalo. I knew what was going to go on in the future. I’m not that big of a risk taker. I knew the roster. I knew the players that were going to be there long term. … Later on in your career, those are the things you need to be comfortable with.”

CBA negotiations threw a wrench in the usual offseason schedule this year, especially when it came to free agent signings. Vinc and the Bandits came to a verbal agreement during the stretch where no big-name free agents officially signed. The first public sign of a deal came on Oct. 8, when Buffalo traded Buque to the New England Black Wolves.

“By no means does this mean that we were completely disappointed in the goaltenders we had last year,” Dietrich said. “I would have been completely comfortable with the defense that we added to bring back Buque and [Zach] 'Higgy' [Higgins]. But anytime you have the opportunity to acquire, in my opinion, a Bobby Watson, the best goaltender that’s ever played the game, that’s something you’re going to take a run at.”

The nitty-gritty details were finalized after a CBA agreement was made, and Vinc was officially announced as the Bandits’ new goaltender on Nov. 27. The team had another hype video prepared, this time for social media, and gave him a tour around the facilities that included a photo with Sabres goalie Carter Hutton.

“That’s all a part of that initial proposal,” said Vinc, who signed on for three years. “They’re going to do whatever it takes to be successful and get the best product on the floor. That was just a small glimpse.”

The Bandits are 2-1 this season, with victories over the Philadelphia Wings and Vancouver Warriors and a loss to the Toronto Rock. While they enter Week 4 slotted at third in the East Division standings, there have been some growing pains as the team figures out each other’s tendencies.

“We’re still trying to get used to each other and maybe a little bit different defensive strategy,” Vinc said. “Three games in, it’s early. … I liked the way we played last week five-on-five against Vancouver. Hopefully we can just continue to improve.”

This week marks Vinc’s first game against the Knighthawks since signing in Buffalo. He’ll make his return to Blue Cross Arena for the first time on Jan. 26.

“It’s going to be really weird,” Vinc said. “The one good thing about lacrosse is that I have played against a lot of close friends in the past. When you get on the floor like that, I’m not a guy who is going to get into a chirping battle or anything like that. … I’m just going to go in a play like I have most of my career.”