A season that started with tremendous drama ends with raucous celebration at the Saddledome.

The Calgary Roughnecks overcame a late game-tying goal by the Buffalo Bandits, with Rhys Duch scoring a minute and 12 seconds into overtime to give the Riggers their first title in a decade Saturday.

All of the questions at the beginning of the year about Curtis Dickson and Wes Berg’s holdouts seemed lightyears away when the scoreboard flashed 14-13.

“Our guys came in this year and we knew we had something special,” Calgary forward Dane Dobbie said. “I couldn’t be more happy for the boys.”

Dobbie claimed NLL Finals MVP honors after scoring four goals and dishing out three assists in Game 2. He had six points on three goals and three assists in the opener in Buffalo.

Seven other players also found the back of the net Saturday, with Dickson, Duch and Riley Loewen each scoring twice.

“That’s what it takes,” Roughnecks coach Curt Malawsky said. “We talk about 25 guys together. No one’s bigger than the team. Everyone’s an important part.”

The Bandits got out to an early 5-3 lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter but began a parade to the penalty box midway through the frame. That helped the Roughnecks go on a 6-1 run to close the half up 9-6.

Buffalo clawed back quickly in the third, getting goals from Chase Fraser, Jordan Durston and Matt Spanger to tie the game in the first four minutes. From there the teams were back and forth, with Calgary taking the only lead larger than one when it went up 12-10. The Bandits responded yet again, tying the game on a Dhane Smith goal in the final four minutes.

Calgary appeared to net the dagger when Dobbie scored with less than a minute left, but Buffalo had another answer. Corey Small scored with the goalie pulled and less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

That just set up a tremendous moment for Rhys Duch, a player surprisingly waived by the Vancouver franchise he’d been with since the team’s days in San Jose. He got his hands free for a big windup on the left side and ripped it past Matt Vinc.

In an era dominated largely by their rival, the Saskatchewan Rush, Calgary has brought a title further west for the first time under Malawsky. With three titles under the franchise’s belt, the Riggers move out of a tie with the Colorado Mammoth and into one with Saskatchewan for all-time championships.

“I think it was truly our time,” Dobbie said. “I hate to say it, but I’m going to say it. We deserved this. Our guys worked hard for this, our young guys came in this season and worked hard for this. We deserved this. I’m just super excited right now.”

By completing the sweep, Calgary has continued its streak of winning the championship on its home floor. Over 17,000 were in attendance to see this one.

As for the Bandits, they exit 2018-19 with tremendous mixed feelings. Buffalo had an incredible regular season and rebounded from two straight years without the playoffs to making the NLL Finals.

Still, as the clear favorite and with all the moves the team made there’s a clear sense of disappointment. With continual expansion, Buffalo is bound to lose two strong pieces. The playing field gets more and more level.

After bringing in a playoff hero in Vinc, the Bandits ran into the league’s next Vinc in Christian Del Bianco. He made 43 saves in Game 2.

“Nothing affects him,” Dobbie said. “That’s the thing that I get from him. I’ve seen him get a goal scored on him in Game 7 of the Minto Cup. He picks it out of the net, hands it to the refs, and moves on. He’s been doing that with us for two or three years now.

“I love the guy, man. He’s our backbone. I’ll constantly say it. If I had a chance, this would be going to him, and his name would be right here — he’d be right beside me. He’s going to be here for a long time, and we look forward to it.”