Chill plan to increase local content on roster, want to learn to finish games

THUNDER BAY -- While there may be plenty of imports playing for the Thunder Bay Chill this summer, second-year coach Gio Petraglia said local players will have an increased role.

Last summer, when the team made a return to the Premier Development League playoffs after a rare one-year absence, finishing second in the competitive Heartland Division, the Chill carried four local players on their roster.

This year that number is expected to jump to as high as eight, Petraglia said, promising the move won’t sacrifice the team’s ability to chase a national title.

“I think we’re still going to be competitive. Our boys are going to be ready to go because our program and our academy is better,” Petraglia said. “So looking down I can see a future of our PDL team with more than 50 per cent of our local guys. I’m pretty sure about it.

“Whoever is going to be on our roster isn’t going to be there because of any kind of gift. He’s going to be there because he deserves to be there and is good enough to be there.”

Regardless of who makes up the roster, the Chill must learn to close out games if they want to win in 2016.
It was a trait that cost them dearly last summer.

In their playoff opener the Chill were in the driver’s seat leading the powerful Michigan Bucks 2-0 in the second half, but collapsed late and fell 3-2, a one-and-done exit from the PDL post-season.

And it wasn’t the first time the team had blown a late lead.

It’s something Petraglia plans to address on Day 1 of training camp, which won’t open until mid-May.

“It’s more mental work,” said Petraglia, whose team was 9-3-2 in his rookie campaign patrolling the Fort William Stadium sidelines.
“There’s something tactical in it, for sure. But the major part of this aspect is the mental part.”

Former PDL MVP Sullivan Silva, expected to be ready to start the season barring complications from another upcoming foot surgery, said finishing has long been a problem for the Chill.

“We start very well, but toward the end we drop the intensity and it’s something that we have to work on. I think Gio is doing his best job to make sure we don’t commit the same mistakes that we’ve made in the past,” Silva said.

With Silva and his other strikers in mind, Petraglia said he plans to build a team that can put the ball in the net.

By setting the offensive pace, he thinks he can build a winner.

“Obviously we’d like to have a little bit of both,” Petraglia said, noting the importance of defensive responsibility.

“But our style is not going to change. We want to be a little more solid defensively, for sure. But our style is going to be a team that wants to lead the game. So we’re going to try to keep possession all the time. We don’t like when the other team has the ball.”

The Chill open the season on June 3 on the road against WSA Winnipeg.