(Photo: Mick Lite)
What a way to start! In front of just under 3,000 fans the St. Charles Chill got their inaugural season underway with a 2-0 win over the Missouri Mavericks in an exhibition opener that saw first period goals from Matt Whitehead and Justin Levac.
The crowd was loud from the start, filling the Family Arena with energy, and the players fed off it from the beginning with Whitehead’s goal at the 8:30 mark on an assist from Max Mobley. That would prove to be the game winner as the defense was stifling in front of a trio of netminders in Mathieu Corbeil (who got the win), Robert Moss, and Kevin McFarland.
Riley Emmerson kept the crowd in a frenzy with a solid fight against Missouri’s Shawn Courtney just before Levac slammed home the Chill’s second goal with under a minute remaining in the opening frame.
It was a tightly contested game the rest of the way with solid goaltending on both ends and a couple of near misses off the posts as the Chill tandem of Moss and McFarland cut down the angles and made some nice saves in front of the defense.
The Chill’s Kyle O’Kane pummeled Trevor Kell midway through the third to give the crowd another reason to get on their feet. As the clock ticked down on the first professional hockey game at the Family Arena since 2006 the crowd saluted their new team and the players followed suit after the game was in the books.
Whitehead and Kyle Kraemer led a balanced offensive attack for the Chill with four and three shots respectively.
The St. Charles Chill will host the Mavericks in the home opener on October 19th at 7:05 at the Family Arena. Season tickets start at under $10 per game (33 home games). For tickets, sponsorships, and more information on the St. Charles Chill visitwww.StCharlesChill.com or call (636) 724-SHOT (7468).
