The Pittsburgh RiverRats struggled early, getting out to an 0-3 start and scoring an average of just 24 points per game. However, behind the arm of 2006 AIFL MVP quarterback David Dinkins and a coach who was always adding talent to the roster, the Rats won five of their final eight to earn the #4 seed in the North Division playoffs. The Reading Express bounced the Rats from the postseason, 42-24, after the Rats trailed by three at halftime. The franchise moved to Erie and replaced the Freeze in 2008. Former University of Pittsburgh Quarterback Rod Rutherford led the team to a 10-4 regular season record and postseason appearance. Despite forcing a division tie with Reading, the Express won the season series against Erie and hosted the Rats in the playoffs. With time winding, down, Erie trailed 61-57. Rutherford had two chances from inside the Express ten yard line, but threw an interception, which was returned for fifty yards and a score. The Express defeated the Rats 67-57. The team moved to Erie in 2009, after the Freeze had been gone for a year. Unfortunately, success did not follow the team. Five players split time at quarterback, throwing for 43 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. The team scored just 466 points on the season, losing eleven games by an average of 21 points. The team's final game of the year was a 60-20 win at home against the defending champion Florence Phantoms.