The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were the #1-ranked team in the
af2 heading into Friday night's game against the Green Bay Blizzard,
and they showed why as they overcame a 7-point halftime deficit to
defeat the visiting Blizzard 42-27. The loss dropped the Blizzard to
2-4 on the season, while the Pioneers improved to an af2-best 5-0.

In a game marred by miscues, penalties and dust-ups, the Blizzard
started out strong and led the Pioneers 27-20 at the half. That
would be all the scoring that the Blizzard could muster as the
Pioneers pitched a shutout in the second half, outscoring the
Blizzard 22-0.

The wheels started to come off after the Pioneers took the first
possession of the 2nd-half right down the field for the tying TD.
Even a holding penalty on the PAT that moved them back 10 yards
didn't stop them from evening the score. On the ensuing Blizzard
possession, a false start penalty and two blocked passes backed the
Blizzard up under the shadow of their own nets. As K Wade Tydlacka
prepared to attempt a FG from his own 1-yard-line, the snap was
mishandled and the ball was forced out-of-bounds for a safety. The
Pioneers took the lead 29-27 and never looked back.

Things would not go much better for the Blizzard for the remainder
of the 2nd half, as the Blizzard were called for numerous penalties
ranging from false starts to unsportsmanlike conduct. All night long
the Pioneers played on a much shorter field than the Blizzard, as
Tydlacka had trouble with the low-hanging scoreboard; he hit it on
all 5 of his kickoffs. The corresponding penalty would give the
Pioneers the ball on their 20-yard-line, giving them only 30 yards
to traverse to reach the end zone.

In a pre-game interview Pioneers Head Coach Rich Ingold praised the
Blizzard for their hard-nosed, tough-as-nails style of play,
describing them as "the most physical team we'll play. They're a lot
like us. They've got a bunch of bullies." While this was surely
meant figuratively, the fans at Wachovia Arena took it to heart, and
showered the visiting Blizzard with a cacophany of barbs as they
left the field after the game. After a near-incident with a rowdy
fan, the Blizzard did their best to keep their cool, even though
they needed to be escorted off the field to safety by arena
security.