Skimpy shorts, big score: Angels win in Lingerie Football debut

Abbotsford - The B.C. Angels ran all over the Regina Rage, 41-18, in the first ever Canadian Lingerie Football League game, played before 2500 fans at the Abbotsford Convention Center Saturday. B.C. was lead by running back Stephanie Manou, who scored 3 TD's.

The game was hotly contested and fast and the Abbotsford News reported that some fans were surprised it was more than nice-looking women running about in skimpy uniforms (though naturally an aspect of the LFL is nice-looking women in skimpy uniforms). "I was expecting some sloppy, soft hitting stuff," Abbotsford fan Matt Baillet told the News' reporter Kevin Mills. "But, you know, these girls actually hit pretty hard so good on them. They're athletes. I'll come again." While they played hard the Rage, despite the experience of quarterback Nikki Johnson, an import who has played in the American LFL, were unable to penetrate the aggressive and speedy Angel defenders. Defensively they had trouble with Mary Anne Hanson, the Angels quarterback making her LFL debut. The Angles were helped by a home team crowd that cheered throughout and even did the wave. Lingerie Football League began in 2009 Players wear garters, bras and panties along with shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads and ice hockey helmets with clear plastic visors. It's a 7 on 7 indoor game and the coaching staffs have spent months preparing their players, many of whom, like Manou and her teammate, Stevi Schnoor, came to the game from rugby. The league began as a Super Bowl half-time show/game available on a pay-per-view basis. The concept expanded into a league in 2009. There are currently 12 franchises in the U.S., such as the defending champs, the L.A. Temptation, the Seattle Mist, the Philadelphia Passion and the Las Vegas Sin. There are just two more teams in Canada, the Saskatoon Sirens and Toronto Triumph. The next game in the Canadian Lingerie Football League sees the Angels travel to Saskatoon to play the Sirens on Saturday, Sept. 1.