Brothers-in-arms and in name made deadly Bandits

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When the Kilgours want to stage a family reunion, all they have to do is show up at a Buffalo Bandits' lacrosse game.

Brothers Rich, Darris and Travis Kilgour, who have spent a good chunk of their playing careers in Canada, are this season all on the roster of the Bandits, the professional squad which competes in the Major Indoor Lacrosses League. Besides Buffalo, other entries in the six-team MILL are the Baltimore Thunder, Boston Blazers, New York Saints, Rochester Knighthawks and Philadelphia Wings.

Rich, 25, and Darris, 23, have been with the Bandits since their inception four years ago. They helped Buffalo win back-to-back MILL titles in1992 and '93. Buffalo also advanced to last year's league championship final, won by Philadelphia.

As for Travis, 21, this is his inaugural season in Buffalo. But it's not the first time the siblings, who were born in Niagara Falls, N.Y., have played for the same club.

In 1990, the Kilgours were key figures of the St. Catharines Athletics who captured the Minto Cup, the Canadian Junior A title. And though Travis only joined the squad for its playoff drive, the brothers were also battling for the same cause last year as members of the Six Nations Chiefs. The Chiefs ended up winning the Mann Cup, awarded annually to the top senior squad in Canada.

While the Kilgours are generating interest for their bloodlines, Darris doesn't see what the fuss is about.

"It's nothing new for me," said the middle brother, who lives with Rich and their father Richard on the Tuscorara Reserve in Sanborn, N.T. "I grew up with these guys. But sure it's nice to have them there though."

One thing the Kilgours have never done is played against each other. This has simplified things for family and friends.

"We don't want them to have to choose a side," said Darris, who scored the winning goal in the 1993 MILL final. "We've never had anyone have to cheer against us."

In Buffalo the brothers have plenty of people cheering for them. Since their first season in 1992, the Bandits have sold out almost all of their home games at Memorial Auditorium. Each MILL squad has an eight-game regular season schedule. Capacity at the Buffalo arena is slightly above 16,000.

The other MILL squads also have several thousand fans at their home matches. These crowd figures are tough to swallow for Canadian lacrosse officials who must work overtime just to get a few hundred fans out to their games.

One of the reasons for the huge difference in crowd support is Canadian teams are just trying to promote a sport while MILL officials are dubbing their matches as more of an entertainment package. In the MILL, fans are constantly being whipped into a frenzy, either by a vivacious public address announcer or by the loud rock music which blares throughout the rink - in many instances while the game is still in progress.

With Buffalo's sellout crowds, it would be tough to figure out how many are lacrosse fans and how many turn out for the attractions surrounding the game. Either way, the Bandits aren't complaining with their standing-room only crowds.

"We got lucky here," Rich said, trying to explain the reasons for the vast difference of support lacrosse has in Canada and the MILL. "And we got some really good marketing here."

Another reason for strong American support is the MILL's high-scoring games.

"In the summer leagues (in Canada), we usually have scores of 10-9. But it's like 17-13. You get 30 goals a night and the fans like that. But if you ask any of the Canadian players, they'll say the Canadian game is better."

As for Travis, though he was a star throughout the junior ranks, he can expect to see only a limited amount of playing time with the Bandits this year. Despite being warned he'd have to slim down to be able to keep pace in the MILL, Travis who stands

6-foot 2, showed up at Buffalo's training camp at his usual playing weight, 250 pounds.

Bandit's coach Les Bartley then sat Travis out for the club's eason opener as he didn't feel the youngest Kilgour was in prime playing condition yet.

"It's my fault I came in overweight," said Travis, who has since trimmed off about 15 pounds. "I didn't know the running was this much. My brothers told me about it but I didn't take them at their word."