This Day in Buffalo Sports History: Soccer returns
Nov. 6, 1992 -- This was the night that indoor soccer returned to Buffalo, at least for a while.
The Buffalo Blizzard debuted on this date, and a local product was the star. Here's how Bob Summers reported the story in The News:
Buffalo' newest sport produced an instant hometown hero Friday night. Rudy Pikuzinski, the 33-year-old Buffalo native who scored a hat trick in his final game with the old Buffalo Stallions back in 1984, kicked five balls past Denver Thunder goalkeeper Jim St. Andre to lead the brand new Buffalo Blizzard to a 15-7 victory in its first game in the National Professional Soccer League.
Pikuzinski's play (his goals were worth two points each under the NPSL scoring system), combined with a stingy defense headed by goalkeeper Jamie Swanner, who made 15 saves, and defender Mike DiNunzio, delighted a Memorial Auditorium crowd of 10,953.
By the way, Paul Kitson had a hat trick for Denver that night. He went on to coach the Blizzard.
--- Budd Bailey
