Thunder Bay Chill News Release -- www.thunderbaychill.com
Thursday, May 30, 2013
THUNDER BAY, Ontario – The Thunder Bay Chill will host the Des Moines Menace for the first time this season after a two-game sweep on the road last weekend of WSA Winnipeg. The game, originally scheduled for tbaytel Field at Chapples Park, will instead be held at Fort William Stadium due to field conditions caused by recent weather. Kickoff remains set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
The home opener for the Chill will be the first time the two teams have met since the Menace were ousted from the postseason last July when the two teams met in Des Moines. Des Moines took four out of a possible six points that weekend fighting for a playoff spot where the Chill had already captured their fifth Heartland Division title the weekend before.
The Chill (2-0-0) were handed one of their only two losses incurred in the 2012 season that saw the team make the playoffs for the sixth season in a row, however, Des Moines came up one point short and bowed out to Real Colorado Foxes.
The Menace are 2-1-1 in the four league games this season, and they have also played in three U.S. Open Cup games, bowing out to Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City 2-0 this past Tuesday in front of 15,621 fans at Sporting Park. The Menace also faced WSA Winnipeg earlier ahead of their trip to Thunder Bay, taking a 4-1 win behind three goals in the opening 11 minutes.
“This game will definitely be a challenge” said Chill head coach Tony Colistro. “Injuries to key players are causing us to change the formation we would like against Des Moines.”
After their victory against WSA Winnipeg earlier this evening, Des Moines leads the Heartland Division with seven points with the Chill holding two games in hand.
Six-foot-seven Swedish defender Axel Sjoberg was named to the PDL Team of the Week for his strong defending as well as scoring a goal last weekend against WSA Winnipeg.
The Chill play Des Moines only once in Thunder Bay due to the shortened 14 game schedule, and will face them twice in Des Moines on June 14th and 15th. The Chill will host the St. Louis Lions next weekend on June 7th and 8th. Call the box office at 623-5911 for game day tickets.