Erie Freeze
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| Erie Freeze | |
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| Founded | 2005 |
| Arena | Louis J. Tullio Arena |
| Based in | Erie, Pennsylvania |
| Colors | Ice Blue, Black, & White |
| League | American Indoor Football Association |
| Head coach | David Arnold |
| President of Football Operations | |
The Erie Freeze is a charter member of the American Indoor Football Association and the team is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The team played very well in the league's inaugural year, getting a 9-1 regular season record and winning a playoff game against the Canton Legends. Despite hosting the league's very first American Bowl (the league's championship game), the Freeze couldn't keep the Richmond Bandits under total control. Six interceptions by quarterback David Dinkins, who would later be diagnosed with a corneal abrasion [1], and penalty problems led to the Freeze losing to the Bandits, 56-30, to finish second in the league. Even though the season ended on a sour note, it wasn't without some shining players, including Dinkins, who previously was on the roster of the Buffalo Bills of the NFL as a utility player. Dinkins was named 2005 AIFL MVP with a 60% completion rate, along with 3,000+ passing yards and 812 rushing yards. Also, Mike Esposito was named 2005 AIFL Coach of the Year.
The Freeze took necessary steps to prepare themselves for another championship run in 2006, which included the resignings of Dinkins (Quarterback), Johnathan Sitter (Center), JR Cipra (Kicker), Eugene Padgett (Defensive Back), Chris Blackshear (Defensive Back), and Donte Pimpleton (Wide Receiver). Unfortuantely, despite signing a three-year contract extension, Mike Esposito would not be re-joining the Freeze, as he got hired by the Odessa Roughnecks of the Intense Football League (which is an indoor football league in Texas). On Friday, January 6, 2006, the Freeze named Jerry "The Condo" Crafts as the team's new head coach. Crafts played several years as an offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills, and later for the XFL's Los Angeles Xtreme and the Arena Football League's Buffalo Destroyers. Now, he brings his 14-year football experience to the Freeze. [2]
On Friday, March 31, 2006, the Freeze managed to set some records during their 62-6 onslaught over the Steubenville Stampede. Freeze DB Sam Reynolds recorded a league-regular single game record with four interceptions. Also, the Freeze defense put up 9 turnovers and held the Stampede to a league low 6 points.
On Friday, April 7th, 2006, the Freeze was handed their first regular season loss by the Huntington Heroes 55-33.
On Monday, April 17, 2006, the Freeze organization made a sudden change at the head coach position, as defensive coordinator David Arnold was named coach for the remainder of the 2006 season[3]. Today, he remains at the head coaching healm.
Despite a rocky second half of the season, the Freeze ended the 2006 regular season at 10-4 and the Northern Conference's #3 seed. Unfortuantely, they fell to the eventual-AIFL champion Canton Legends 54-45, making them 0-3 when they play them in Canton, Ohio.
Despite losing QB David Dinkins to the Pittsburgh RiverRats back in late August[4], the Freeze managed to sign Jovan Johnson, a Mercyhurst Preparatory and University of Iowa grad, he was a part of the New York Jets' camp, but he was released. Now, he joins the Freeze family.[5]
For the 2007, the Freeze took steps to resign some familiar faces around the Freeze organization, including Roosevelt Bejamin, Aaron Blair, Chris Blackshear, Shea D’Ambrosia, Manuel Johnson, Sam Reynolds, Dajuan Smith, Darmel Whitfield, and Randall Secky.[6]
The team plays their home games at the Louis J. Tullio Arena (also the home of the OHL's Erie Otters). The name 'Freeze' refers to Erie's frigid temperature in the winter, due to the lake effect from Lake Erie. The team colors are black and ice blue. Their official mascot is Freddy, a friendly snow-white yeti wearing a black jersey, football pants, and boots.
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[edit] Trivia
- Whenever an Erie Freeze player scores a touchdown at home, the song "Freeze Frame" (by the J. Geils Band) is played.
- Prior to the arrival of the Freeze, Erie, Pennsylvania had one arena football team, the Erie Invaders of the Indoor Football League, back in 2000.
[edit] Season-By-Season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie Freeze (AIFL) | |||||
| 2005 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1st League | Lost American Bowl I (Richmond) |
| 2006 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3rd Northern | Lost Opening Round (Canton) |
| Erie Freeze (AIFA) | |||||
| 2007 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Totals | 20 | 7 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
[edit] Entire 2005 Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 16 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Away | Win 47-27 |
| April 23 | Richmond Bandits | Home | Win 55-43 |
| April 30 | Canton Legends | Away | Lost 32-45 |
| May 14 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | Win 60-34 |
| May 20 | AIFL Ghostriders | Home | Win 51-38 |
| May 28 | Raleigh Rebels | Home | Win 70-34 |
| June 4 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | Win 87-43 |
| June 11 | Raleigh Rebels | Home | Win 52-38 |
| June 18 | AIFL Ghostriders | Home | Win 76-22 |
| June 25 | Canton Legends | Home | Win 77-64 |
| July 9 | Canton Legends (Semifinal) | Home | Win 73-58 |
| May 20 | Richmond Bandits (American Bowl I) | Home | Lost 30-56 |
[edit] Entire 2006 Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 26 | Reading Express | Away | Win 59-40 |
| March 3 | Canton Legends | Home | Win 61-53 |
| March 17 | Syracuse Soldiers | Home | Win 67-19 |
| March 25 | Huntington Heroes | Away | Win 46-38 |
| March 31 | Steubenville Stampede | Home | Win 62-6 |
| April 7 | Huntington Heroes | Home | Lost 33-55 |
| April 15 | Miami Valley Silverbacks | Away | Win 58-28 |
| April 23 | Syracuse Soldiers | Away | Win 44-22 |
| April 29 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Away | Lost 38-57 |
| May 6 | Steubenville Stampede | Away | Win 61-18 |
| May 12 | Reading Express | Home | Lost 48-59 |
| May 20 | Canton Legends | Away | Lost 27-50 |
| May 27 | Miami Valley Silverbacks | Home | Win 54-29 |
| June 9 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | Win 49-16 |
| June 17 | Canton Legends (Playoffs) | Away | Lost 45-54 |
[edit] 2007 Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 9 | Canton Legends | Away | |
| February 17 | Danville Demolition | Home | |
| February 25 | Reading Express | Away | |
| March 4 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | |
| March 16 | Reading Express | Home | |
| March 23 | Carolina Speed | Away | |
| March 29 | Danville Demolition | Away | |
| April 7 | Huntington Heroes | Home | |
| April 12 | Huntington Heroes | Away | |
| April 21 | Canton Legends | Home | |
| April 28 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Away | |
| May 12 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Home | |
| May 19 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Away | |
| May 26 | Mississippi Mudcats | Home |
[edit] External links
| American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) | ||||||
| Northern Conference | Southern Conference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Legends | Danville Demolition | Erie Freeze | Huntington Heroes | Johnstown Riverhawks | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Reading Express | Baltimore Blackbirds | Carolina Speed | Florence Phantoms | Lakeland Thunderbolts | Mississippi Mudcats | Montgomery Bears | Tallahassee Titans | |||||
| Defunct AIFL/AIFA teams: AIFL Ghostchasers | Binghamton Brigade/Brigadiers | Carolina Ghostriders | Carolina Sharks | Chattahoochee Valley Vipers | Syracuse Soldiers | ||||||
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