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Final Ice game is Fan Appreciation Night

July 13, 2007 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Colorado Crush News Release


FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Come enjoy the final game of the 2007 United Indoor Football regular season as your Colorado Ice (6-8) take on the Omaha Beef (7-7) in a critical contest. The game has been labeled Fan Appreciation Night to show appreciation for the incredible fan support during the Ice's inaugural season. Game programs will be free, as always, and the first 1,000 fans will receive Thunderstix. There will be a special halftime performance by the Yellow Designs stunt crew. Be ready to watch some of the best BMX riders perform tricks and high-flying stunts in the Budweiser Events Center. Yellow Designs has also performed during Colorado Crush and Denver Nuggets games.

Week Seventeen Preview: Omaha Beef

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado Ice (6-8) are set to host Western Conference rivals, the Omaha Beef (7-7) for the final game of the 2007 United Indoor Football league regular season Saturday, July 14, for a 7:05 p.m. MT kickoff. It will be the third meeting between the two teams and the second time the Beef will set foot in the Budweiser Events Center. Each team holds a home victory over the other to tie the series record at 1-1. The game has been themed Fan Appreciation Night to thank the loyal fans that have enjoyed Colorado's inaugural season as a franchise.

The two teams last met on April 21, for Game five when the Ice defeated the Beef 39-32. Game two featured a 31-20 loss in Omaha, Neb. on March 30. Colorado put up a total of 279 total yards between the two games while quarterback Ryan Clement totaled 212 yards and three scores. Running back Eugene Reed scored two of the Ice touchdowns in Game two, tallying 55 yards on 15 carries. Defensively, George Holley had a team high 10 tackles between the two games, two for loss. Defensive back Travis Garcia had an interception in each game, one returned for a touchdown. Rod Jackson caught the team's third pick.

Colorado is coming off a convincing 61-18 victory over the Sioux City Bandits while Omaha defeated Ohio Valley 40-12. The Ice defense scored three of the six touchdowns against the Bandits. DL Jeff Spletzer and DB Travis Garcia each returned an interception and DL Ross Walker returned a fumble. RB Ryan Drinkwater carried the ball ten times for 58 yards and three scores while QB Matt Gutierrez was 13-of-20 for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

The winner will secure the #3 seed of the Western Conference Semi Finals on July 21. The #3 seed will travel to Billings while the #4 seed will play at Sioux Falls. The Western Conference finals will be held July 28 followed by the United Bowl on Aug. 4 for a match up between the Eastern and Western Conference champions.

Tickets are available by calling 877-544-8499, online at comcasttix.com, in person at the Budweiser Events Center Box Office, the Colorado Ice Headquarters, or any Comcast tix outlet. All Ice games will be broadcast live on 1310 AM or 1310kfka.com.

2008 Season Tickets Now Available

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Season tickets are now available for 2008 Colorado Ice home games. Come watch United Indoor Football action as the Ice enter their second season as a franchise. Current season ticket holders have the first right of refusal until Aug. 31. Ten percent discounts will be given to those who put the 25% deposit down before Aug. 15. Each season ticket package includes eight regular season home games, an Ice t-shirt, exclusive access to events with the team and first rights to purchase both 2008 playoff tickets and 2009 season tickets.

More ticket information, seating charts and prices can be found on the Colorado Ice website www.thecoloradoice.com under the season ticket page. Season tickets can only be purchased thru Ice Headquarters by phone: (970) 482-0128 or email: S.Veltri@TheColoradoIce.com.

Colorado (6-8) will conclude the 2007 regular season this Saturday, July 14 with a home finale against the Omaha Beef (7-7). The winner will secure the #3 seed of the Western Conference Semi Finals on July 21. The #3 seed will travel to Billings while the #4 seed will play at Sioux Falls. The Western Conference finals will be held July 28 followed by the United Bowl on Aug. 4 for a match up between the Eastern and Western Conference champions.

Ice Topple Bandits

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado Ice (6-8) dominated Saturday night at the Budweiser Events Center for Jackpot Night to defeat the Sioux City Bandits (3-11) by a 61-18 margin. It was the third meeting this season between the two teams and Colorado holds a 3-0 series advantage.

First half points for Colorado came from three rushing touchdowns, two returned interceptions, a safety and a field goal. Kicker Deric Yaussi made a field goal at 7:54 in the first quarter to put the first points on the board. DL Jeff Spletzer caught his first interception of the season and returned it seven yards for a score. Sioux City kicker Zac Gradoville put the Bandits on the board with a 44 yard field goal to end the quarter with the Ice leading 10-3.

RB Ryan Drinkwater opened the second quarter with back-to-back rushing touchdowns within less than two minutes of each other. DB Travis Garcia caught his sixth interception this season and returned it 20 yards for a score at 9:23. Sioux City was able to add two points with a team safety when QB Matt Gutierrez was charged with intentional grounding. WR Josiah Richmond entered the game for the last series to catch a team-long 29-yard touchdown pass as time ran out to give the Ice a 38-5 advantage.

The Colorado defense held the Bandits scoreless in the third quarter while the offense was able to produce two touchdowns and a field goal. WR Tim Pope caught a three-yard pass from Gutierrez before Yaussi added a field goal to make it 48-5. DL Ross Walker returned a forced fumble on the subsequent drive to make it 55-12. Drinkwater opened the fourth quarter with his third touchdown of the game to give the Ice a 61-12 lead. The Bandits got their only touchdown in the fourth on a 1-yard catch by Johnnie Ostermeyer to end the scoring.

Drinkwater finished with 58 yards on 10 carries with three scoring runs. Gutierrez was 13-20 for 108 yards and one touchdown to Pope, who led the receivers with 25 yards on five carries. DL Steve Frye led the defense with five total tackles, 1.5 sacks. DL Jeff Spletzer and Ryan Palmer each caught interceptions to give the Ice defense three picks and two fumble recoveries.

Wichita to Join UIF

WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita Wild indoor professional football team is looking to join United Indoor Football (UIF) for the 2008 season. Following a press conference in Wichita today, Wild General Manager Mike McCoy says they're making the best choice for Wichita. "We examined many categories," he said. "The UIF is the most owner-friendly, fan-friendly, player-friendly league I've seen."

UIF Executive Director & Commissioner, Dakota Crow, says Wichita is in the final stages of its application to the league. He's impressed with the Wild. "The ownership and management together with a good team make them very appealing to the UIF."

The Wild is undefeated this year, but has played all its games at home against outdoor teams in an independent schedule. Head coach Carl Caldwell says there's a lot of talent in the UIF. Assistant coach Rick Lee says there's a similarity between UIF rules and those the Wild have been playing under this season. "Our mindset won't change. Our philosophy on offense and defense will not change," Lee said. Defensive back Jess Langvardt is excited about the chance to play at a higher level. "The competition to make the team will be tough," he said. Langvardt feels the competition will mean the Wild won't be winning by lopsided scores as they have this year. "No games are going to be 92-0."

On the business side of joining, Wichita owner Wink Hartman is impressed with the UIF. "I like the overall balance of the cost aspects and the competence and knowledge of the UIF," Hartman said.

Wichita would find some likely regional rivalries in the league with Omaha, Colorado and RiverCity (St. Charles, MO). Hartman says "It's a natural fit." Crow hopes expansion efforts bring rivalries even closer to Wichita.

United Indoor Football is the premier indoor football league of North America and is committed to serving its teams and fans. Please contact the UIF league office with any comments, concerns or suggestions.

Ice Jump to Second in UIF's Community Service Program

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado Ice have moved into second place in the United Indoor Football League's Extra Points Program which tallies community service hours. Evansville continues to top the scoreboard, totaling 432 total hours, with 189.75 in the past four weeks. Colorado has jumped to second over Bloomington with a total of 405.5 hours and a league-high 217 in June. Last month the program reached the 1,000 hour milestone among the 11 teams. With this month's hours, the program is close to reaching the 2,000 hour mark with 1,946.25 total hours contributed in their respective communities.

In the past month, the Ice have participated in a Special Olympics Torch Run & Picnic, A Woman's Life Festival, New Life Community Church's ALIVE youth group football camp, Athlete Day at the Loveland Probation Center and the Hope Lives! Breast Cancer Survivor Support charity car wash. Colorado will continue to spend time in northern Colorado communities over the next several weeks by helping with another charity car wash, supporting a golf tournament benefiting less-fortunate children as well as attending other events.

The UIF has decided that the first annual Extra Points Community Service Award will be presented to the top team at the All-Star Classic in Bloomington, Ill., August 16-18. The league will then make a donation to the winner's charity of choice.

UIF All-Star Voting Underway

Omaha, Neb. - United Indoor Football (UIF) All-Star fan balloting began Friday. Coaches and media representatives will receive their ballots Monday, July 9. More than 3,400 ballots were e-mailed to fans that had registered for the weekly UIF Newsletter. Ballots must be completed before 5 p.m., Monday, July 16 to be valid.

UIF Communications Director, Dave Holly, is pleased with early response. "The ballots were e-mailed at 10 a.m. central time. It was exciting to see that we had over 100 responses by noon. That pace continued through mid-afternoon as well", Holly said.

The 11-team league announced it would hold its first All-Star game in late May. A week later it was announced fans would be part of the voting process. UIF Commissioner Executive Director, Dakota Crow, stated at the time, "It's their (the fans) chance to have their voice heard for their favorite players."

For fans to be eligible to vote, they needed to register to receive the league's free electronic newsletter. Holly says that produced a great increase in newsletter subscribers. "Before we solicited fans to register to vote for the Casey's All-Star Classic, we had just under 27-hundred newsletter subscribers. This morning more than 34-hundred UIF fans got ballots to show their appreciation for their favorite players."

Western Conference All-Stars will face Eastern Conference All-Stars during the Casey's All-Star Classic in Bloomington, IL. The event will run August 16 - 18 with the All-Star game being played Saturday, August 18, 7:05 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Tickets are available through the U.S. Cellular Coliseum box office at (309) 434-2679.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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