Chill welcome all-time leading scorer Swartzendruber back to team

In the end, Thunder Bay was exactly where Brandon Swartzendruber wanted to be.

At 30, having bounced around the USL Professional Division for the past two seasons, the Colorado native decided a return to the Thunder Bay Chill was in order for 2015.

He was welcomed back with open arms. After all, he’s the Chill’s all-time leading goal scorer, connecting 57 times over four seasons, which included leading the team to a Premier Development League championship in 2008.

It feels good to be home, Swartzendruber said on Saturday, taking to the Fort William Stadium turf for the first time with his new teammates as the Chill training camp opened two weeks ahead of the start of regular-season play.

“I just wanted to come back here,” he said. “I’ve known for about nine months now that I want to come back. I love it here. The best time of my whole career has been here in Thunder Bay. I’m getting a little older. It may be my last year –hopefully not, but maybe.

Swartzendruber brings a legion of experience to a team that’s returning just four faces from last year’s squad, a group that includes defender Zetroy Robertson, midfielder Dominic Roberts, former PDL most valuable player Sullivan Silva and keeper Daniel Alvarado.

The team is also bringing back forward Sergio Campano Franco, an architect of the 2013 Chill team that lost in the PDL final and midfielder Kyle Andrade, who also played in 2013. 

But with so many new faces, experience is almost as important as talent, Swartzendruber said. Not that he doesn’t think he’s still got something to offer on the field too. 

“I’m 30, but I don’t feel 30. I still feel like I’m just as much of a workhorse as I was. And that’s pretty much my intention. I plan to bring a good work ethic. I think that’s something that was missing last year, from everything I’ve heard,” he said.

First-year coach Gio Petraglia, who took over from charter coach Tony Colistro, said welcoming a player of Swartzendruber’s stature back into the fold was just about the easiest decision he had to make all winter.

“Brandon is a Thunder Bay Chill player. He’s got Chill blood. We need someone out there with this kind of flair for this team, which is new – a new coach and a lot of young (players). We need someone with Chill history,” Petraglia said.

“And Brandon is someone in particular. He’s our top scorer ever so we know for sure he’s going to help us score lots of goals.”

Silva, who hopes to be back in the lineup on opening day, despite missing most of the past two seasons with a foot injury, said he’s looking forward to building chemistry with the legendary Chill forward.

“He’s a great guy who works very hard, so it’s going to help the team a lot,” Silva said, taking a break from training-camp drills.

“I know I’ve heard how he makes those runs, so if I get out there with him, I’ll try to find him in the game.”

The Chill’s season opens on the road on May 23 in St. Louis. Their home opener is scheduled for June 5 against Springfield. The Chill will play a pair of exhibition games on May 30 and 31 at home against the Winnipeg Lions.