January 8 (1995)

In a rematch of two teams that played for the NPSL championship the previous season, the St. Louis Ambush knock out the NPSL champion Cleveland Crunch 18-17 before a national cable TV audience, and 7,179 fans at the Kiel Center. Cleveland’s Oscar Draguicevich gets even with Steve Maurer by landing a punch above Maurer’s left eye with 6 seconds to play. “I got him pretty good earlier in the game,” Maurer admits to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Following the ensuing scuffle, both players, along with Cleveland’s Zoran Karic, are ejected and Ambush goalkeeper Jamie Swanner is sent to the penalty box. Mark Moser scores four goals, including the winner on a power play with 9:02 left. The victory is the Ambush’s second in as many games over the Crunch in the 1994-95 season and lifts the Ambush’s overall record to 14-3. Cleveland falls to 13-5. The Ambush will go on to win the NPSL championship, the only national pro league title won by a St. Louis team.