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Most people don’t know that there is a second arena football team in the Chicago area. While the Chicago Rush has been here for a decade now, there is another team playing at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates and has been since 2007. They are the Chicago Slaughter and they play in the Indoor Football League. Previously the Chicago Slaughter played in the CIFL and they won that leagues championship with an undefeated season back in 2009. While most of the rules between the Slaughter and the Rush are similar, there are some differences. For starters the Slaughter by way of a legal patent are not allowed to use the nets that the Rush use.
Instead they have goalposts hanging from the rafters at the Sears Centre. Also, offenses in the IFL are allowed to send two men in forward motion where as the AFL is only allowed to send one. Another difference is that the shotgun formation is allowed in the IFL where as it is not allowed in the AFL. Both leagues play 8-on-8. And both offenses start a quarterback, three wide receivers, and 3 offensive linemen. But the difference between the two leagues is that the AFL starts a Fullback while the IFL starts a regular Running Back.
And the defenses are different as well. The Rush start three defensive linemen, two linebackers, and three defensive backs. Where as the Slaughter start three down linemen, one linebacker, three cornerbacks, and a safety. Both leagues have a 50 yard field with 8 yard endzones. And both leagues use the “dasher boards” which are the padded boards used as sidelines. The Chicago Slaughter host the Bloomington Edge from downstate Bloomington.
A team which they beat in their season opener back in February. Since then the Slaughter have gone on a 3 game losing streak. The Slaughter are currently 7th place in the IFL’s United Conference while Bloomington is at the top of the conference. There are no divisions in the IFL. The Slaughter are coached by former Chicago Bear and pro wrestler Steve “Mongo” McMichael. Former Bears Quarterback Jim McMahon is an executive with the team.
And Former Fighting Illini standout Juice Williams is the teams starting Quarterback. He was also a member of the Chicago Bears briefly in the spring of 2010. As for the Edge, they don’t have anybody that has previous NFL experience. But they have guys who have played in the AFL and other indoor/arena leagues. But the big thing with the Bloomington Edge is that 9 of their players played their college ball here in the state of Illinois. 1 from the University of Illinois, 3 from my wife’s alma-mater Illinois State, 1 from Northern Illinois, and 3 from Eastern Illinois University.
It should be a very interesting game. The Slaughter are looking to break their losing streak and go up 2-0 on the season against Bloomington. While the Edge are looking for payback from the season opener. The Slaughter are also looking to improve their offense as they only average 35 points a game for the 2012 season. So I’ll be here at the Sears Centre keeping an eye on the action.
You can follow me during the game on Twitter: @GabeSalgado82 Hashtag: #Q101Sports
Gabe Salgado reporting from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates:
Also, as the 3rd hockey team in the Chicago area, the Express remain largely unknown. They are currently 9th in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference standings, they are just one point behind the Cincinnati Cyclones for the 8th and final playoff spot in the ECHL East. They also sit third in the ECHL’s North Division behind Cincinnati and the Kalamazoo Wings. Should the Express win tonight, a Cincinnati loss ties them for 8th. The Express are coached by Steve Martinson.
And they are led on the ice by Forward Pierre-Luc Faubert who hopes to play in either the AHL or NHL someday. He leads all Express goal scorers with 63. The Chicago Express are the ECHL affiliate for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. Currently the Express alternate at the goalie position between Rob Madore and Brooks Ostergard as the goalies that started at the beginning of the season are making their way through the AHL and NHL respectively.
Madore will start in goal tonight for the Express. He is 3-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a save percentage of %0.938. It amazes me that a young upbeat team like this hasn’t gotten enough media attention. They struggled at the beginning of the season but they started to pick things up in January. The Express have gone 5-2 in their last 7 games and this recent surge is the reason why they are back in the playoff hunt. Of course I will be here at the Sears Centre throughout the night.
I will post on Q101.com as much as possible during the game, and will post videos during the intermissions. I will also have my final reports after the game. As always you can follow me on Twitter: @GabeSalgado82 Hashtag: #Q101Sports
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