1986–87 American Indoor Soccer Association season
| Season | 1986–87 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Canton Invaders (3rd title) |
| Matches played | 168 |
| Goals scored | 1,534 (9.13 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Rudy Pikuzinski (51) |
|
← 1985–86 1987–88 → | |
Statistics of the American Indoor Soccer Association in season 1987–88.
Overview
The Columbus Capitals and Kalamazoo Kangaroos did not return after the 1985–86 season. Four teams, including former NASL stalwarts, Tampa Bay Rowdies, joined the league in 1986–87. The Fort Wayne Flames, Memphis Storm and Toledo Pride were all newly formed expansion teams. The addition of Tampa Bay in particular, and Memphis to a lesser degree, marked the AISA’s first clubs outside of the Midwest. Rudy Pikuzinski of Canton won the league scoring title en route to his first of three straight MVP awards, while Memphis boss Terry Nicholl took home Coach of the Year honors.
Just as in previous AISA seasons, Canton and Louisville proved to be the class of the league and faced each other in the finals for a third straight year. For the first time the championship series went the full five games, and in a clash of titans, the Thunder finally bested their rivals, three games to two. Alas, the Thunder’s glory would be short lived, as Game 5 proved to be their final match ever. Ownership, no longer able to bear the financial losses, opted to shut the team down instead trying to defend their crown for 1987–88.[1]
Regular season
G = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Winning Percentage, GB = Games Behind Leader, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against
- -Playoff qualifying teams.
| Northern Division | G | W | L | % | GB | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Invaders | 42 | 31 | 11 | .738 | – | 255 | 165 |
| Chicago Shoccers | 42 | 26 | 16 | .619 | 5 | 234 | 200 |
| Toledo Pride | 42 | 14 | 28 | .333 | 17 | 179 | 210 |
| Milwaukee Wave | 42 | 12 | 30 | .286 | 19 | 148 | 222 |
| Southern Division | G | W | L | % | GB | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville Thunder | 42 | 27 | 15 | .643 | – | 213 | 181 |
| Memphis Storm | 42 | 24 | 18 | .571 | 3 | 180 | 166 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 42 | 21 | 21 | .500 | 6 | 170 | 172 |
| Fort Wayne Flames | 42 | 13 | 29 | .310 | 14 | 157 | 218 |
AISA League Leaders
Scoring
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudy Pikuzinski | Canton | 42 | 51 | 30 | 81 |
| Zoran Savic | Louisville | 41 | 42 | 34 | 77 |
| Salvador Valencia | Chicago | 40 | 47 | 28 | 75 |
| Carlos Salguero | Toledo | 42 | 45 | 23 | 68 |
| Elvis Comrie | Chicago | 40 | 37 | 31 | 68 |
| Kia Zolgharnain | Canton | 42 | 34 | 31 | 66 |
| Chris Hellenkamp | Louisville | 41 | 26 | 36 | 62 |
| Steve Wegerle | Tampa Bay | 35 | 26 | 36 | 62 |
| Jim Gabarra | Louisville | 40 | 36 | 23 | 59 |
| Oscar Albuquerque | Memphis | 24 | 35 | 18 | 53 |
Goalkeeping
Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; Sho = Shots faced; Svs = Saves; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses
| Player | Team | GP | Min* | Sho | Svs | GA | GAA | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaro Dachniwsky | Memphis | 18 | 958 | 432 | 187 | 53 | 3.33 | 10 | 8 |
| Jamie Swanner | Canton | 24 | 1402 | 600 | 312 | 84 | 3.59 | 19 | 4 |
| Arnie Mausser | Tampa Bay | 35 | 2074 | 891 | 436 | 126 | 3.64 | 19 | 16 |
| Victor Petroni | Louisville | 26 | 1392 | 671 | 339 | 94 | 4.05 | 14 | 8 |
| Bill Naumovski | Canton | 20 | 1012 | 504 | 222 | 76 | 4.10 | 12 | 7 |
*(Minimum 400 minutes played to qualify)
All-Star game
On February 21 the Louisville Thunder hosted the AISA All-Star Game. Instead of using the Thunder’s home field of Broadbent Arena at the state fairgrounds, the match was played at the more intimate Louisville Gardens in downtown Louisville. In a departure from the previous season, both squads were composed of mixed rosters. In the past, the host team had faced all-stars from the rest of the league’s teams. The Northern Division all-stars wore blue jerseys, while the Southern squad wore grey. Players on the winning side each received a $100 bonus. The Northern Division squad defeated their Southern counterparts by a score of 7–5. Louisville forward Zoran Savic (1 goal, 2 assists) and Canton goalie, Jamie Swanner (11 saves, 2 goals given), were named the game’s offensive and defensive MVPs respectively.[2] Although neither game would come to pass, it was also announced that the 1988 All-Star game would be hosted by Tampa Bay, with the 1989 game being awarded to Milwaukee.[3]
Southern Division roster
- Coach: Terry Nicholl, Memphis
| Starters | Position | Reserves |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Petroni, Louisville | G | Arnie Mausser, Tampa Bay |
| Gregg Willin, Memphis | D | Tom Alioto, Fort Wayne • Peter Roe, Tampa Bay |
| Paul Kato, Louisville | D | Glenn Ervine, Tampa Bay |
| Chris Hellenkamp, Louisville | M | Tony Carbognani, Memphis • Mark Lugris, Fort Wayne |
| Steve Wegerle, Tampa Bay | F | Jim Gabarra, Louisville |
| Zoran Savic, Louisville | F | *Tim Walters, Tampa Bay |
*Original selection Rubén Astigarraga of Tampa Bay was unable to play and was replaced by teammate Tim Walters.
Northern Division roster
- Coach: Trevor Dawkins, Canton
| Starters | Position | Reserves |
|---|---|---|
| Jamie Swanner, Canton | G | Rick Schweizer, Milwaukee |
| Oscar Pisano, Canton | D | Walt Schlothauer, Canton • Tim Tyma, Canton |
| Martin Rancon, Chicago | D | John Dolinsky, Milwaukee |
| Don Tobin, Canton | M | Art Kramer, Canton • Ruben Stivan, Chicago |
| Carlos Salguero, Toledo | F | Elvis Comrie, Chicago |
| Salvador Valencia, Chicago | F | Rudy Pikuzinski, Canton |
Match report
| February 21, 1987 All-Stars | Northern Division | 7–5 | Southern Division | Louisville, Kentucky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:05 PM (CST) | Comrie  14:18'Dolinsky 23:42'Schlothauer 33:21' (pp)Tobin 35:09'Comrie 38:17'Salguero 43:12'Kramer 59:57' |
report | Wegerle 5:31' Savic 21:37'Gabarra 46:22' (pp)Ervine 47:32'Gabarra 52:27' |
Stadium: Louisville Gardens Attendance: 2,473 |
Playoffs
First Round
| Lower seed | Higher seed | Game 1 | Game 2 | Mini Game | notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo Pride | - | Chicago Shoccers | 4–5(OT) | 7–1 | 1–0 | Chicago wins series 2–1 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | - | Memphis Storm | 4–1 | 5–4 | 2–3 | Memphis wins series 2–1 |
Semifinals
| Lower seed | Higher seed | Game 1 | Game 2 | Mini Game | notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Shoccers | - | Louisville Thunder | 3–7 | 4–5 | – | Louisville wins series 2–0 |
| Memphis Storm | - | Canton Invaders | 3–4(OT) | 3–5 | – | Canton wins series 2–0 |
Finals
| Lower seed | Higher seed | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville Thunder | - | Canton Invaders | 5–6 | 5–4(OT) | 3–2 | 3–4 | 6–4 | Louisville wins series 3–2 |
All-AISA first team
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| G | Jamie Swanner, Canton |
| D | Tim Tyma, Canton |
| D | Gregg Willin, Memphis |
| M | Chris Hellenkamp, Louisville |
| F | Zoran Savic, Louisville |
| F | Rudy Pikuzinski, Canton |
Post season awards
- Most Valuable Player: Rudy Pikuzinski, Canton
- Coach of the year: Terry Nicholl, Memphis
- Defender of the year: Tim Tyma, Canton
- Goalkeeper of the year: Jamie Swanner, Canton
- Rookie of the year: Paul Zimmerman, Chicago
References
- ↑ Lilley, Bill (February 8, 1988). "Whole league ‘biting bullet’". Akron Beacon Jounal. p. A1. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ↑ Younkin, Lou (February 22, 1987). "North team, Louisville Gardens are AISA all-star game winners". The Courier Journal. p. C1. Retrieved 14 June 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ Younkin, Lou (February 20, 1987). "Smaller arena may enliven All-Star Game action". The Courier Journal. p. D6. Retrieved 14 June 2017 – via newspapers.com.