Chill ready to rock

Glancing up at the Chapples Park sign commemorating their 2008 Premier Development League championship, Thunder Bay Chill goalie Stephen Paterson said he and his teammates have plenty of unfinished business.

Paterson, a 10-year veteran, said five years is too long to wait between titles.

They’ll begin that quest this weekend on the road Saturday and Sunday against WSA Winnipeg, and finding their way back to the PDL final and winning is the only goal on the team’s collective minds.

“Yeah, it’s been a few years. We’ve had a couple of pretty good goes. I think in the last four years, we’ve lost to the eventual champion three of the four times. It’s kind of like a little dagger in the leg, or wherever you want to put it,” Paterson said.

“It hurts a little bit and I think that’s the motivation for those guys who have played and done it before. It helps with everybody, like Axel (Sjoberg) and Nolan (Intermoia) and all the guys who are coming back. It’s hard to put into words, but I think everybody feels the same way.”

The Chill are coming off a magnificent 2012 regular season, one  that saw them finish 13-1-2 atop the Heartland Division standings.

However, their playoff run ground to an abrupt halt in Pontiac, Mich. with a 1-0 loss to Forest City London in the Central Conference Championship opener, a heartbreaking, red-card laden match. London went on to defeat the Carolina Dynamo 2-1 in the PDL final.
Paterson said he thinks the Chill are close to championship calibre, but until the games are played on the pitch, it’s hard to say for sure.

It’s a question he’s asked every season.

“Every year we’ve got talent and every year we’ve got skill. But it really boils down to how much heart do you have and how bad do you want it,” Paterson said.

“And these guys are all pretty dedicated guys. This group, this mix, I think we’ve definitely what it takes. We haven’t started the season yet, but we’ll see. This weekend is going to be a big test for us, how we play.”

The Chill owned WSA Winnipeg (0-1-0) last season, outscoring them 11-0 in winning all four matches.

It’s important to keep that streak alive, said coach Tony Colistro, whose team can’t afford early losses in a season cut by one game to 15, a move that will cost each PDL franchise a home game.

While he’s confident he’s got the right mix among the 23 players he plans to keep this season, there’s always a lingering doubt and worry in the back of his mind that he could have done better.

Reality should rise to the forefront this weekend.

“Obviously as the season gets going, you’ll get a better analysis of what the team looks like. But it’s been difficult the last few weeks with the weather conditions being difficult to find and have quality training sessions. So it will be interested to see what happens this weekend,” Colistro said.

Returning players include Jose Altamirano, Gavin Hoy, Intermoia, Paterson, Dominic Roberts, Sjoberg, Zetroy Robertson, Paul Dillon and Abraham Villon.

Key newcomers are forward Sunny Omoregie, who Colistro has been trying to sign for several seasons, and midfielder Sergio Campano, who welcomed himself with a hat trick against the Winnipeg Lions in last Saturday’s friendly.

It’s the midfield and up front that Colistro says will likely be the backbone of the Chill, though a defence-first mentality could change that in a hurry.

“We haven’t really been tested back there yet. So it’s hard to say if we’ve got a weakness there or not. We’ve got four of the five players back there back, so we should be pretty solid,” Colistro said.

Pitch marks: The Chill will open at home next Saturday against the Des Moines Menace (1-0-1) ... Chill forward Sullivan Silva (foot) is hoping to return for the June 14 road game against Des Moines, but Colistro said the team won’t rush the 2012 PDL MVP back too soon.