Thunder Bay Chill News Release - www.thunderbaychill.com
Friday, August 14, 2009
THUNDER BAY, ON – As the Ventura County Fusion lifted the title winner’s cup this past weekend as the 2009 USL Premeir Development League Champions, the Thunder Bay Chill look back at the PDL season that saw them experience many highs and lows. Although, they showed many flashes of brilliance, the Chill were never able to hold top form, and their inconsistency saw them bow out early in the first round of the playoffs against the Real Colorado Foxes.
Entering the 2009 season, the Chill looked to emulate the form that saw them crowned 2008 USL PDL Champions; however, with very few returning players from their winning squad, the odds were stacked against them. Head Coach Tony Colistro set out to build a strong team core, made up of new recruits fused with the returning players, and several local talents. What he ended up with was a squad that was filled with talent and passion, but had a lack of experience, and only a short time to come together as a team.
The team profile and makeup reminded Colistro of his 2007 squad that needed a year to gel, and eventually formed the basis of his 2008's championship club. Colistro hopes that the 2009 campaign will have provided his current crop of players with the experience and time they need to prepare themselves for a run at the 2010 PDL title.
Despite their disappointing loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Foxes, the Chill had several notable accomplishments throughout the season, individually and as a team.
Highlights from the Thunder Bay Chills 2009 PDL Season:
- 2nd Place in the Heartland Division.
- Securing a playoff spot for the 4th consecutive season.
- Stephen Paterson’s 6-game shutout streak from June 28th to July 15th, 2009.
- Wilson Neto and Nolan Intermoia named to the 2009 PDL Central Conference Team.
- Nolan Intermoia named PDL Player of the week for the 10th week of the PDL Season.
- 1-0 win over the Des Moines Menace on July 4th, 2009. The Menace’s only regular season loss.
With the curtain closed on the Thunder Bay Chill’s tenth season, the team will be inducted into the USL Hall of Fame in November 2009, during the Annual General Meeting in Tampa, Florida.
As the preparations have already begun for the teams eleventh season, the Thunder Bay Chill would like to thank all of the fans and media for your support during the 2009 season. The Chill’s home stadium, Chapples Park, was an electric atmosphere on game nights, and provided the Chill players with a wonderful place to play.
The Thunder Bay Chill look ahead to next years campaign with high hopes, and will continue the strong tradition of representing Northwestern Ontario in soccer at the highest level.
