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Chill become conference champions with 2-1 win over Michigan

Brandon Swartzendruber is as clutch as they come.
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Thunder Bay's Andrew Marinez (right) is tripped up by Michigan's Colin Givens Saturday at Chapples Park during the PDL Central Conference final. The Chill won the game 2-1. Marinez injured his shoulder on the play and had to come out of the game. (By Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)
Brandon Swartzendruber is as clutch as they come.

The Thunder Bay Chill’s leading goal-getter scored the tying goal in the 84th minute and the winner in the 109th, delivering his team back to the Premier Development League’s championship weekend for the second time in three seasons thanks to a 2-1 triumph over the Michigan Bucks in Saturday’s Central Conference championship at Chapples Park.

It certainly wasn’t the orthodox way the Chill are used to winning games, but the team will take them any way they can get them, Swartzendruber said, two wins away from another national title.

“It was a tough day. Michigan’s a great team. I think we showed a lot of character. There haven’t been a lot of situations this year where we were down 1-0 and had to come back, especially not a high-pressure game like this,” he said.

“We just did it and that’s only going to help us tremendously going back to the final four next weekend.”

It’s a place Swartzendruber envisioned from the minute he decided to return to the Chill for the 2010 season, after taking a year off to play one step up in the USL’s second division.

“It’s everything. This season would mean nothing if we didn’t win tonight. And if we don’t win next weekend, it’s the same thing. We don’t expect anything less than a championship, and anything less than that, to be honest, is going to be a disappointment,” Swartzendruber said.

It was a win that almost never was, thanks to a careless mistake by goaltender Stephen Paterson in the 80th minute.

With Michigan players swarming the box, Paterson ventured almost to its edge, calling for a ball in the air. Chill defender Wilson Neto headed it away, but seconds later it was back. Paterson bumped the ball, rather than grabbing it and hanging on, only it landed at the feet of a Michigan player, who spotted 33-year-old Kenny Uzoigwe, one of the most dangerous weapons in PDL history.

Uzoigwe drove the ball into the empty net and the Chill found themselves trailing with time running out, despite a huge advantage in chances over the course of the game, and in particular, the second half.

“I think he did get a piece of it, it was just the way that it landed,” said Chill coach Tony Colistro, seconds before getting doused with a Gatorade bucket full of ice water.

“It landed on their top scorer and he sure didn’t make any mistake. That wasn’t an easy goal either, he hit a half volley right in the back of the net.”

At that point Colistro gave his players some words of advice.

“I said we’ve got 10 minutes, be patient. You only need one. That’s it. And they were. The experience prevailed and we got the one we needed and just kept at it.”

The Chill controlled the play early on in this one, including a near miss by Swartzendruber in the opening minute. But it soon became a back-and-forth affair, as the Bucks used their athleticism to run with their opponent.

But as the game wore on, it was the Chill who had the majority of the good scoring opportunities. Anthony Colaizzi raced down the sidelines in the 68th minute and feathered a high arcing pass to Swartzendruber, whose header bounced off the cross bar and over the net.

A minute later Colaizzi fired one wide right on Michigan netminder Mitch Hildebrandt. Two minutes after that Nolan Intermoia found Swartzendruber open, only to have Hildebrandt get in the way of the shot.

The pressing continued after the Bucks took the 1-0 lead, and finally the Chill found the back of the net in the 84th, when Zetroy Robertson fed Swartzendruber, who teed it up and crushed into the goal, evening the score.

Neither team scored in the first overtime period; at least not goals that counted anyway. Uzoigwe broker free on a 3-on-1 in the 99th minute and beat Paterson, but was whistled for an offside as he continued to celebrate what he thought was the go-ahead goal.

But with the Chill on the constant attack, Swartzendruber saved his best for last and fired shot that curved left and sailed past Hildebrandt and ultimately secured the win.

“They had some opportunities for sure, but we had some opportunities too. It was one of those games. They’ve got some strong strikers, but I thought we prevailed. We were patient, we were organized and it’s great that we can come from down a goal with 10 minutes left,” Colistro said.

Colistro hasn’t had much time to think about next week – the team will learn Sunday where the PDL championship will be held, in all likelihood Portland, Ore. – but like Swartzendruber, it’s why he dedicates so much time to the team.

“It’s great for the club, it’s great for the organization. But the credit goes to the players. We’ve got some really good players and I hope the fans here in the community can appreciate the talent that they’re seeing here.”

 

 



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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