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

Comments

[E]

The Blizzard games were fun, but I never got into following them like I did the Stallions.....

[Mr. Kevin H. Hodge]

Sir, Great to Re-Visit These Old Soocer Vindatis..As Well, Back In Late 70"s--Early 80"s..There was a Buffalo Professional Soccer Team Played In a League for Only One Summer..End Of May-September..Had One Super-Star Player and Matches Were Played at War Memorial Stadium..Believe Name of Club..Was Cosmos..Star Name was Espy..Great Skill Sport and We Miss It Here In Niagara Forntier..Mr. Kevin H. Hodge

[E]

Kevin-

Are you thinking of the team "Buffalo Storm"? Sal DeRosa had it at All-High Stadium in a league w/ mainly Canadian teams. They also played a few home games in Niagara Falls. I went to a couple of games there.

I can't recall any other outdoor pro-level team in WNY.

[Budd Bailey]

Give E a gold star. The Buffalo Storm did indeed play at All-High Stadium for a summer in 1984. The team had the Pikuzinskis, and a few other Stallions (Dennis Mepham, Carlos Salguero, Wieslaw Surlit).

I saw the Storm play New York, an all-Greek team. The NY coach had been suspended for some reason, and I sat next to a teen that did play-by-play, in Greek, over the phone, to the coach. Then at halftime, the teen wrote down some instructions and ran down to the team's locker room to tell it what to do next.

[Joe in Italy]

Hi Budd,

Rudy Pikuzinski was indeed a Buffalo native -- but don't forget that Mike DiNunzio was too (Kenmore East '83) along with brother (and fellow defender) Bobby (KE '81).