MISL playoffs on line Saturday for Storm

The Chicago Storm (14-12) shoot for their first victory against Baltimore this season when they host the Blast (16-9) at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Sears Centre Arena.

Baltimore holds a 2-0 record against the Storm this season.

"They're one of the teams that's playing well right now," Storm head coach Steve Morris said. "We expect a tough game from them. We know we have to be at our best."

A victory gives the Storm an edge for a playoff spot, but does not guarantee a slot at the moment. Pending a Storm win, Chicago would have a tiebreaker advantage against Philadelphia. But Philadelphia has a tiebreaker advantage against New Jersey. And the KiXX and Monterrey face each other one more time, so that tiebreaker is to be determined.

Should Chicago win, it is mathematically possible for four teams (the Storm, New Jersey, Monterrey and Philadelphia) to share 15-15 records when the regular season is over.

So far, three teams have qualified for the postseason: Detroit, Milwaukee and Baltimore. The top six teams advance to the MISL playoffs.

Following Saturday's match is the season finale of the Storm's and Q101's concert, which features Florida band Sister Hazel.

Points leaders: Matthew Stewart leads the Storm with 52 points and 22 goals (all two-pointers). He is putting together a career-best campaign in his sixth season, bettering his previous high of 49 points last season. Chile Farias is second on the Storm with 51 points after posting a seven-point game against New Jersey last weekend. He leads the Storm with 20 assists.

Baltimore ties: Chile Farias played for the Blast in 2003-04 and for part of the 2004-05 season. In 2003-04, Farias led the MISL with 43 assists as the Blast won a league championship. He ranked third on the team with 65 points that season. Farias is not available for Saturday's match because of multiple yellow cards issued during Chicago's last match against New Jersey.