THUNDER BAY – Defence wins championships.
It’s a motto the Thunder Bay Chill have been living by all season long. They’ll get to put the theory to the test next Saturday, when they take on the host Charlotte Eagles in their fourth Premier Development League final since 2008, seeking a second championship title.
Led by the superb – and sometimes spectacular – goaltending of keeper David Elias and an unlikely goal in the 58th minute from centre-back Luca Mastrantonio, the Chill knocked off the offensive-minded FC Golden State Force 1-0 in front of a record 1,862 fans at Fort William Stadium to secure their berth in the PDL final
“We’re writing history right in this moment,” said Mastrantonio, an Italian import in his first season with the Chill.
“We won our last championship in 2008 and now we’re right back in the final. That’s what we’ve been waiting for. We’ve been training all this season and it’s a great feeling to score. I hope to keep it up and let’s bring the trophy here to Thunder Bay.”
The Chill owned most of the best chances in a scoreless opening half, Sullivan Silva – who would depart 30 minutes in with an injury – with two golden opportunities in the first 14 minutes of what turned out to be a rugged, physical match.
Mastrantonio’s goal came as the Chill swarmed the Force zone early in the second half.
“Sometimes the ball just stays there and you need to be quick to get there. You just need to be there like a shark. And I was there, as a shark,” he said.
The goal gave the home side a chance.
It was Elias who delivered the win. More than any player on the field, it was the California native who stood his ground and calmly snatched up any and every ball directed his way.
Elias, who played for the Force last season, was never better than in the 72nd, when Golden State’s Mark Verso fired twice from point-blank range inside the box, only to have the opposition keeper deny both chances with game-saving stops.
“I kind of just stood my ground and he hit it right at me. I got up again and he hit it right at me again. It was two good saves, but two good saves the team needed me to make and I came up and made them,” Elias said.
Captain Mitch Osmond said it’s par for the course with Elias.
“David, on this season, has been on a whole other level in goal. We take pride in our defence and stop as many chances as possible, let alone goals, but the times when we need him, he steps up more often than not.”
It was Thunder Bay’s third straight clean sheet this post-season, adding to back-to-back shutouts in last weekend’s Central Conference championship against Kitchener-Waterloo and Des Moines.
Golden State’s Eshel Chardon was handed his second yellow card of the game in the 74th, but the Glendora, Calif.-based Force only had to play shorthanded for five minutes, the Chill’s Adam Abdellaoui served a red card of his own for a rough tackle in the 79th.
The Chill hung on, playing 10 men a side.
“It means a lot,” midfielder Abraham Villon, the heart and soul of the Chill, said of the victory.
“This team has put a lot of sacrifice into the season today. We played against a good team today. They put up a good fight and in the end the one who made the first mistake was going to lose. And that’s what happened.”
