Squad assembled

When defender Sean Reynolds learned he would be playing soccer in Northern Ontario this summer, he did what many Floridians might do.
 
“I actually bought a parka to bring here,” he said with a smile stretching across his face.
 
When Reynolds joined the Thunder Bay Chill this season he expected cold. But never having been in Northern Ontario before, he wasn’t exactly sure how cold it might be. The team’s logo – a polar bear breaking through ice while clutching a soccer ball in its paws– may have encouraged the purchase of a large arctic jacket.

Reynolds was not wearing that parka during the Chill’s season opening news conference at Chapples field Friday afternoon. But like many of his teammates, he fought the cold bite of the wind with the team-provided blue Chill toque.

There is a handful of returning Chill players this season, but Reynolds is one of the club’s many new faces. Reynolds was encouraged to join the club by long-time friend and fifth-season Chill veteran, Nolan Intermoia.

Reynolds met the Chill’s midfielder after making the starting squad of his University of West Florida soccer team in his freshman year. Being on the University team put him right next to Intermoia, a senior at the time.
 
“We got to know each other that way and ever since then I’ve been really close to him,” he said. “We’ve kept in touch, and I’ve been good friends with him ever since.”
 
The friendship also encouraged the 21-year-old defender to keep an eye on Thunder Bay’s progress in the PDL.

When the opportunity to make the trip to Northern Ontario presented itself, it was easy for Reynolds to accept. Neither the Northern climate, polar bear mascot nor arctic logo were ever deterrents.
 
When he began to meet more of his teammates, the coaching staff and others within the Chill organization, Reynolds grew confident that joining the squad had been the right decision.

“Everyone in Thunder Bay has been asking ‘how is the team looking’ and ‘are you guys getting ready,’” he said. “Everybody knows about the soccer team here, so in my mind it was not a bad decision to come here despite the cold weather.”

In his fifth season, Intermoia could almost be considered by some of his teammates as a local. But the midfielder has a good idea of what some of the new players, who might be coming to Canada for the first time in their lives, might be feeling.

“Usually people outside of Canada, when they think of Canada and Thunder Bay they think of hockey, (Patrick) Sharp, and the Staal brothers,” Intermoia said. “What they don’t understand is that there is an appreciation for soccer in this community and you can tell that by the fans who come to this game.

“For the newcomers, they will get a sense of it during that first game day against Des Moines.”

During Friday’s news conference, head coach Tony Colistro introduced the returning players and newcomers to media and fans. He joked that weather, among other things, are what helps bring the high caliber players to this city to play.

Following the news conference, he admitted to media that it’s the progress the club has made from season to season and the reputation it has built that has allowed the Chill to attract players from around the world.
 
“It definitely gets out in the global community that Thunder Bay is a place to play,” he said. “The players are treated professionally when they are here, the fans are great, and the environment that we play in is welcoming. The players want to play for this community.”


The Chill hits Chapples field for a pair of home exhibition games against the Winnipeg Sons of Italy this weekend. Saturday’s match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. while Sunday’s game is set for 1 p.m.
 
Regular season play begins with the Chill’s home opener on Friday, June 10 at Chapples field against Des Moines Menace. That game also starts at 7:30 p.m.