Blizzard Play for Division Lead
June 27, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Green Bay Blizzard News Release
Who, Where, When:
The Green Bay Blizzard (6-5 Overall, 3-2 Midwest Division) take to the road this week to take on the Quad City Steamwheelers (7-5 Overall, 3-1 Midwest Division) in a key Midwest Division matchup on Friday June 29th. Kickoff is set for 7:00p.m. CST, and the venue will be The MARK of the Quad Cities (9,437) in Moline, Illinois. Officials for the game are set to be: Tony Canella (Referee), Pat Bayers (Umpire), Gus Golembiewski (Head Linesman), Donald Shouse (Line Judge), and Larry Orrico (Back Judge).
The Series:
Heading into the 2007 season the Steamwheelers held the upper hand over the Blizzard in the all-time series. The two teams' first meeting was on May 16, 2003 in Quad Cities; the game ended in a 64-52 Steamwheeler win. Green Bay went on to lose each of their next three contests against the Steamwheelers. The first Green Bay win in the series did not come until May 21, 2005 in Green Bay; the final score was Green Bay 56 - Quad City 49. The two teams would trade wins in 2005, but that would mark the end of the Steamwheeler dominance of the series. The Blizzard have won all of their last three games against the Steamwheelers, including this season's 44-14 win over Quad City on April 27, 2007 on U.S. Cellular Field at the Resch Center.
The Stakes:
This Friday's game will impact the division standings and playoff structure for the entire American Conference. The Steamwheelers are the current Midwest Division leaders, but they hold a slim half-game lead over the rising Blizzard. The winner of Friday night's game will become the leading contender for the Midwest Division Title and a top seed in the playoffs.
Steamwheeler Update:
The 2007 season has been one of peaks and valleys for the Quad City Steamwheelers. The Steamwheelers have already seen two winning streaks come to an end, and they are currently on their second losing streak thus far. The Steamwheeler season started hot, winning three straight games, two of which were on the road. The Steamwheeler rollercoaster then took a turn to the South as they went on to loose three in a row. Returning home for a three game stand the Steamwheelers then went on to win four straight bringing them to the top of another peak in performance and the top of the Midwest Division. Their good fortune would not last for long. During a 34-63 loss to the Mahoning Valley Thunder, the Steamwheelers' head coach, Sean Ponder, would be ejected for tripping a player. Ponder would go on to receive a three game suspension to the league, and his team would go on to lose their second game in a row to the undefeated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers the next week. Ponder still has two games to serve on his suspension as the Blizzard head into town for one of the biggest matchups this year.
Blizzard Update:
Where the Steamwheelers' season has been one of streaks, the Blizzard season has been quite the opposite. The Blizzard have been back and forth between wins and losses all year long, breaking the trend only once, winning two straight games in the middle of May to give them their only winning streak of the year. The Blizzard look to change their trend this week with a road win over the Steamwheelers. Everything seems to be coming together for the Blizzard at the right time as they head into a possible Midwest Division Championship game in Quad Cities and seek to capture a home playoff game in the process. The Blizzard defense, which ranks third in the league in scoring defense (35.3 points/game), third in pass defense (203.2 yards/game), first in rush defense (8.8 yards/game), and first in total defense (212.0 yards/game), is maintaining its high level of play as the season wears on. The Blizzard offense, which has not been as consistent as the defense, seems to be headed in the right direction under the new leadership of QB Gino Guidugli (6-4, 225, University of Cincinnati). The Blizzard offense has put up season highs of 54 points in each of its last two wins, and Guidugli threw for a combined 11 touchdowns in the two most recent Blizzard wins. As the Blizzard prepare for the final quarter of the 2007 regular season, and the biggest game of their year to date, both sides of the football seem to be hitting their stride. At this point in the 2006 season the Blizzard held the same record of 6-5. The 2006 team went on to win seven of their next eight games and capture the American Conference Championship along the way. With both the Midwest Division Title and a home playoff game within their grasp, the 2007 Green Bay Blizzard seem poised to make another run at the ArenaCup.
For more information contact the Blizzard office at (920) 405-1264.
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