Thunder Bay Chill: Difference between revisions

| stadium = [[Chapples Park Stadium]]<BR>[[Thunder Bay]], [[Ontario]]

| manager = GiovanniTony PetragliaColistro

| season = [[20212023 USL League Two season|20212023]]

| position = Did1st, notDeep playNorth ([[COVID-19Division<br pandemic|COVID-19]])/>Playoffs: Conference Semifinals

| pattern_b1 = _shoulder_stripes_blue_stripes

| leftarm1 = 0000000000ff

| body1 = 000000ffffff

| rightarm1 = 0000000000ff

| shorts1 = 000000ffffff

| socks1 = 0000000000ff

| pattern_b2 = _whitesleevelinesandsides_adidaswhite

The team plays its home games at [[Chapples Park Stadium]]. The team's colours are white and blue. The club also has a large youth program, with over 2000 youth players.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ontariosoccer.net/page/show/5978070-thunder-bay-chill-club-recognition-award|title=Thunder Bay Chill - Club Recognition Award|work=[[Ontario Soccer Association]]|date=November 8, 2020}}</ref>

The Thunder Bay Chill were established in 2000 by founder Tony Colistro.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thunderbaychill.com/about-us|title=About Us|work=Thunder Bay Chill}}</ref> They played their first home match on May 27, 2000, against the [[Wisconsin Rebels]], losing 4-04–0.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thunderbaychill.com/page/show/2345990-2000|title=Chill Play 1st Ever Home Game - May 27, 2000 VS. Wisconsin Rebels|date=May 27, 2000|work=Thunder Bay Chill}}</ref> In 2002, they were named the PDL Organization of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thunderbaychill.com/page/show/2345989-2006-2001|title=2006-2001 Memories|work=Thunder Bay Chill}}</ref>

In 2007, the Chill won their first Heartland Division title.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thunderbaychill.com/page/show/2345988-2007|title=Chill win Heartland Division for the First Time!|work=Thunder Bay Chill}}</ref> In 2008, the Chill became the first Canadian club to win the PDL National Championship, after the defeated the [[Laredo Heat]] in penalty kicks in the final.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mlfnews.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/gold-and-thunder-bay-chill-defeat-heat-to-claim-pdl-championship/|title=Gold and Thunder Bay Chill defeat Heat to Claim PDL Championship|date=August 19, 2008|work=MLF News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ontariosoccer.net/news_article/show/741656-colistro-steps-down-in-thunder-bay|title=Colistro steps down in Thunder Bay|date=January 6, 2015|work=[[Ontario Soccer Association]]}}</ref> In 2009, the four Ontario-based PDL teams ([[Forest City London]], [[Toronto Lynx]], [[Ottawa Fury (2005–2013)|Ottawa Fury]], and the Chill) created a pre-season round robin tournament called the [[Victoria Challenge Cup]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uslsoccer.com/home/314763.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221102253/https://www.uslsoccer.com/home/314763.html|archive-date=December 21, 2009|url-status=dead|date=March 20, 2009|title=Inaugural Victoria Challenge Cup|work=[[United Soccer League]]}}</ref> with the Chill emerging as champions, after winning all three of their matches.{{cncitation needed|date=February 2022}}

From 2007 to 2013, they won the Heartland Division six times in seven seasons (finishing 2nd in 2009),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://oceancityfc.com/latest-news/know-your-opponent-thunder-bay-chill|title=Know Your Opponent: Thunder Bay Chill|first=Matt|last=Vis|work=[[Ocean City FC]]}}</ref> and qualified for the playoffs ten times in an eleven -year span from 2007 through 2017 (missing only in 2014),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/chill-look-to-rebound-after-disappointing-2018-1436876|title=Chill look to rebound after disappointing 2018|date=May 10, 2019|first=Leith|last=Dunick|work=TB News Watch}}</ref> as part of a dominant stretch in their history which included a five-year period, where they did not suffer a home loss until 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-sports/chill-rebound-397820|title=Chill rebound|date=June 8, 2014|work=TB News Watch}}</ref> In 2015, they moved their home stadium to Fort Williams Stadium, after splitting the past two seasons between the turf stadium and the natural grass field at Chapples Field.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/chapples-stadium-pitch-on-track-to-be-ready-for-next-year-1551011|title=Chapples stadium pitch on track to be ready for next year|date=July 2, 2019|first=Matt|last=Vis|work=TB News Watch}}</ref> They finished as Central Conference Champions five time over this period, earning them trips to the playoffs Final Four.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/chill-advance-to-pdl-final-four-677828|title=Chill advance to PDL Final Four|date=July 23, 2017|first=Leith|last=Dunick|work=TB News Watch}}</ref> After their PDL Championship title in 2008, they advanced to the Championship final an additional three times in 2010, 2013, and 2017, but ultimately lost in the finals on each of those occasions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chroniclejournal.com/sports/local_sports/chill-cant-hunt-down-eagles/article_3d09fa66-7a5e-11e7-b7ba-8b15562f70ac.html|title=Chill can't hunt down Eagles|date=August 6, 2017|first=Reuben|last=Villagracia|work=[[The Chronicle-Journal]]}}</ref>

In 2020, the Chill announced they would not play in the 2020 USL League Two season due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/chill-to-sit-out-2020-season-2245150|title=Chill to sit out 2020 season|date=April 10, 2020|first=Leith|last=Dunick|work=TB News Watch}}</ref> with the league later cancelling the entire season anyways. In 2021, the Chill once again withdrew from the league due to continuing travel restrictions associated with the pandemic (although the league did return to operteoperate a season in 2021).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/thunder-bay-chill-opt-out-of-2021-season-3315061|date=February 2, 2021|title=Thunder Bay Chill opt out of 2021 season|first=Leith|last=Dunick|work=TB News Watch}}</ref>

After a two -year hiatus due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the Chill returned to the league for the 2022 season,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lakesuperiornews.com/Public-Safety/-Weekly-Stats-Thunder-Bay-Crime/thunder-bay-chill-return-in-2022|title=Thunder Bay Chill return in 2022|date=January 27, 2022|work=Lake Superior News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/chill-returning-to-usl-2-pitch-in-2022-4991632|title=Chill returning to USL 2 pitch in 2022|first=Leith|last=Dunick|date=January 25, 2022|work=TB News Watch}}</ref> also marking their return to newly reconstructed Chapples Park, which previously served as their home field until 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/chill-set-to-rejoin-rapidly-expanding-usl-2-in-2022-5009186|title=Chill set to rejoin rapidly expanding USL 2 in 2022|first=Leith|last=Dunick|date=January 30, 2022|work=TB News Watch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/city-opens-chills-home-field-in-chapples-park-2745327|title=City opens Chill's home field in Chapples Park|date=September 26, 2020|first=Leith|last=Dunick|work=TB News Watch}}</ref>

|rowspan="2226"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cansha.coffeecup.com/tbchill.html|title=Thunder Bay Chill Statistics|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}</ref>

|Conference Semi-finalssemifinals (R16)

| bgcolor=silver|National Finalistsfinals (F)

|Semi-Finals National semifinals (SF)

|Conference Semi-Finalssemifinals (R16)

| bgcolor=silver|National Finalistsfinals (F)

|Conference Semi-Finalssemifinals (R16)

|Conference Semi-Finalssemifinals (R16)

| bgcolor=silver|National Finalistsfinals (F)

|rowspan=45|[[USL League Two]]

*[[Premier Development League / [[USL League Two]]

* {{flagicon|CAN}} Tony Colistro (2000–2014, 2023-Present)

* {{flagicon|ITA}} Giovanni Petraglia (2015–present2015–2022)