Iron Fall in Rivarly Game
July 17, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Milwaukee Mustangs News Release
In the first annual Battle for the Milk Can, the Milwaukee Iron's quest for a victory over the Green Bay Blizzard was spoiled. The Blizzard won the rivalry game 60-20 at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis. on Friday night, sweeping the season series against the Iron, 3-0.
Gino Guidugli passed his way into the Blizzard record books, setting a team record for passing yards in a single season thanks to a 218-yard performance. Guidugli threw for five touchdown tosses and completed 18 of his 25 passes en route to the record.
Green Bay struck first on a Guidugli TD toss to Nate Forse, but the Iron quickly responded with a touchdown pass of their own when Todd Hammel found Antoine Burns for a score with 4:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Then the Battle for the Milk Can went bad for Milwaukee. Forse hauled in another touchdown strike to end the quarter, sparking a run of 46 consecutive Blizzard point. Things almost got even worse for the Iron, already down 14-7 early in the game, when Hammel left with an apparent knee injury. He returned after missing just one play, but the Milwaukee offense couldn't regain the rhythm and promise that it showed on the its opening drive.
With the exception of Antoine Burns, who crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark with 11 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, the Iron offense went stagnant while Guidugli and the Blizzard racked up the points. Even the defense got into the scoring act, recording a safety when pressure on Hammel led to an intentional grounding call. Guidugli found Robert Garth in the back of the end zone and Bob Forstrom added a field goal to give the Blizzard a 26-7 halftime lead. Green Bay's defense continued the pressure in the third quarter, shutting out the Iron for a second straight frame while Guidugli hit Anthony Crissinger-Hill and Terry Love for scores.
In the fourth quarter, Garth, who announced before the game that he will retire from the Blizzard following the season, ran for a score and the Blizzard defense forced a fumble and took it to the house to cap a 46-0 run. Iron WR Robert Gill, who was signed earlier this week, made his first catch with the Iron a big one, ending the Iron scoring drought with a 26-yard grab.
Force, who finished with nine catches for 112 yards and three scores, added a late touchdown for the Blizzard while a Scott Burnoski touchdown prevented the Iron from posting their lowest point total of the season.
With their third consecutive loss, the Iron fall to 5-10 on the season and will need a lot of help to make the post-season. They will close out the regular season at home against Albany on 7/24.
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