After a fantastic 2008 season which saw the Pioneers completely dominate the League for the first half of the season, 2009 unfortunately did not manage to live up to those expectations.  The strong addition of long time Carolina Cobra star GM Lev Milman was another reason to be optimistic, but the Pioneers just could not seem to manage to play consistently, like many other teams losing some very close matches and having some bad breaks go against them.

     Despite the disappointing overall season, the Pioneers still definitely had some very bright points, with FM Andrei Zaremba being very active on Board Three, scoring very well, along with their longtime rock, GM Alex Stripunsky, also having a very good season, his only loss coming due to an unfortunate mouseslip, and both players made the All Star Team.

     Though 2009 obviously did not fulfill the team's expectations, there is no question that the Pioneers have the tools to build a team that can duplicate their nice 2008 run.  Having Stripunsky, Milman, Zaremba, along with several strong IMs on their team, it seems certain that a team with such ridiculous collective strength is destined to make their mark on the League in the near future.