THUNDER BAY -- The Thunder Bay Chill faced off Friday night against WSA Winnipeg with one goal in mind – collect six points this weekend.
The struggling Premier Development League team got the job done in Game 1, riding second-half goals by defender John Stojcevski and striker Sullivan Silva to escape with a 2-0 win and improve to 3-2-1 on the season.
It was a game filled with chances for the Chill, but they just couldn’t capitalize until late in the contest, a situation coach Gio Petraglia would like to see rectified in Saturday’s rematch.
Needless to say, seeing Stojcevski jam the ball home in the 63rd minute off a free kick off the foot of Silva eased the tension flowing through Fort William Stadium.
Petraglia and his troops had to be wondering if they were destined for a scoreless draw against a Winnipeg team content to play a defensive set against an opponent that dominated from possession perspective.
“The goal, it was big. It was huge,” Petraglia said.
“We worked on our set plays and John was one of the players in this game who needed to go to the net. He was in the right position and he was there. We stuck to the plan. The goal was important because we don’t know if we don’t score on that play if we will score later.”
Stojcevski, an Australian import, said coming off a pair disappointing results, getting the win was all that mattered.
It might not have been the prettiest victory, but the points add up the same, he said.
“We sort of struggled in the first half. The goals didn’t come. But in the second half we knew if we got one, we could pull it off. And we’ll take the win,” Stojcevski said.
Petraglia said ironically enough, it’s the first time this season he hasn’t made tactical adjustments at the half.
The opening 45 minutes were all about the Chill and scoring chances.
Silva, who entered play Friday night with just one goal in five outings, had a pair of credible scoring chances in the first half, but both were turned aside by Winnipeg goalie Evan Barker.
Then, after midfielder Anthony Putrus was hauled down on the box, Silva blasted a penalty kick well over the crossbar in the 40th minute and the game remained scoreless.
Silva finally made good in the 80th minute, putting the game away when he buried a Pedro Adan pass behind Barker for the Chill’s second goal of the night.
“It’s a big confidence boost,” Stojcevski said.
Winnipeg wasn’t with its own scoring opportunities, the best coming in the 50th minute when Prince Amarra broke through the middle off a throw-in, only to roll his shot wide of Daniel Milton in the Thunder Bay net.
It was the Chill's first clean sheet of 2016.
