It was a clash of the titans at the HSBC Arena tonight as the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Orlando Titans 12-10.

The Bandits would come out strong in the first quarter to take a 4-0 lead.  A natural hat trick by Mark Steenhuis and a goal by Jon Harasym provided a huge spark to a struggling offense.

Darris Kilgour: Audio | Video
Mark Steenhuis: Audio | Video
Ian Llord: Audio | Video
Ken Montour: Video
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Sparks also flew between both teams three times during the game when scrums and fights would show that there is still bad blood between the two teams from last year’s eastern conference semifinal.

In a night of records, Head Coach Darris Kilgour tied the all-time coaching wins record set by Les Bartley.

“It doesn’t matter one bit to me,” Kilgour said.  “I’m here to win championships and games, and I’m here to be part of the team, and I could do nothing without the players on the bench.”

Mark Steenhuis would also set a record for season-high goals in a game, registering six goals throughout the night. The forward also put to rest any concerns that his game was waning after a quiet game last week.

Goaltender Ken Montour would also return after missing two games with a concussion to keep the game close and hold the number one team in the league to just three goals at the end of the first half.  In total, Montour would make 43 saves on 53 shots to clinch the victory.

“It was a big win for us and the type of win that it was,” Head Coach Darris Kilgour said. “Kenny was unbelievable in the fourth quarter and in the second half, playing just six defenseman; he made some huge saves for us.”

However, the Bandits bench took some major hits as Chris Corbeil, Steve Priolo and Kyle Schmelzle would all exit the game with injuries.  Still absent from tonight’s match-up were Frank Resetarits and Chris White.

Even with a short bench, the Bandits were determined to get the win and played strong throughout the fourth quarter to clinch the victory and reward their goaltender for his efforts.

“Obviously we lost a couple of key players to injury and a couple of them seem like they are going to be out for a few weeks,” Mark Steenhuis said.  “It was nice to see how our defense stepped up and saw what kind of job they can do short two men, and also give a ton of credit to Kenny in net for keeping us in there in the fourth.”

Now 3-6, the Bandits take to the road next week with back-to-back games beginning Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13.  Game times are 7:30 p.m. each night.