Edmonton Drillers (NPSL) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For other teams named 'Edmonton Drillers' see Edmonton Drillers
Edmonton Drillers
The Edmonton Drillers were a North American Soccer League team that played both outdoors and indoors from 1979 to 1982, at the peak of the league's success. The team was brought to Edmonton by local entrepreneur and Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, after witnessing the strong support for...

.

Resurrection

On August 23, 1996, at a hastily arranged press conference at Telus Field

TELUS Field

Telus Field is a baseball stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is home to the Edmonton Capitals of the independent North American League, and was home to the former Edmonton Trappers, an AAA baseball team of the Pacific Coast League. The Trappers moved to Round Rock, Texas, and became the...

it was announced that Peter Pocklington

Peter Pocklington

Peter Hugh Pocklington is a Canadian entrepreneur.He made his initial fortune as the owner of one of the largest auto dealerships in Canada, and later took over a meat packing company involved in a high-profile labour strike....

has purchased the Chicago Power

Chicago Power

The Chicago Power were an indoor soccer club based in Chicago, Illinois that competed in the American Indoor Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League.After the 1995/96 season, the team became the Edmonton Drillers.-Year-by-year:...

of the National Professional Soccer League and was moving them to Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

for the rapidly approaching 96/97 season. The team was to play out of the Edmonton Coliseum and play under the name "Drillers" which had been used by the NASL

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

entry in Edmonton many years earlier, that was also owned by Pocklington.

The acquisition was to produce further synergies between Pocklington's other sports holdings in Edmonton. Pocklington has recently negotiated control of the Coliseum, and was looking to fill dates in the building whose main tenant was his NHL team, the Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

. The Drillers shared office space with the Oilers, and as the NPSL season nicely juxtaposed with the baseball season it allowed for significant crossover of office staff between the Drillers and Pocklington’s Pacific Coast League

Pacific Coast League

The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...

team the Edmonton Trappers

Edmonton Trappers

The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada....

.

Another more vindictive motivation for bringing in the indoor soccer side was to make life more difficult for the expansion Western Hockey League

Western Hockey League

The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...

team, the Edmonton Ice

Edmonton Ice

The Edmonton Ice were a junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta that played two seasons in the Western Hockey League.Despite the long held belief that Major-Junior hockey could not compete against the NHL, the WHL expanded to Calgary in 1995, and to Edmonton in 1996...

. Pocklington had wanted a WHL franchise in Edmonton for himself, but was never granted one. So when Ed Chynoweth

Ed Chynoweth

Ed Chynoweth was the long time president of the Western Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League, a director of the CHL, team owner, pioneer, and one of the most influential men in junior ice hockey in Canada.Chynoweth became the WHL's first full-time president in 1972, a job he held until 1995,...

stepped down as WHL commissioner and was promptly granted a franchise in Edmonton, needless to say it rubbed Pocklington the wrong way. As a result, the Ice were not allowed to play at the Pocklington controlled Coliseum, and were instead left to play their games at the somewhat less fan friendly Northlands Agricom

Northlands Agricom

The Edmonton Exposition and Conference Centre, or Edmonton EXPO Centre for short, is a multi-purpose arena/conference centre variously used as a sports and music venue, and for hosting trade shows and conferences. It is located in Northlands in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, adjacent to Rexall Place....

. On top of that it was standard practice to schedule Driller games head-to-head with Ice games, and distribute large quantities of complimentary tickets.

Coaching and Management

Ross Ongaro

Ross Ongaro is a retired Canadian soccer player who earned one cap each with the Canada U-20 men's national soccer team and Canadian Olympic soccer team. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, Western Soccer Alliance and American Indoor Soccer...

was tapped to coach the side. He had previously been a player and coach for the MISL's

Major Soccer League

The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...

Cleveland Force

The Cleveland Force has been the name of two indoor soccer teams based in the Richfield, Ohio area:*Cleveland Force , of the original MISL*Cleveland Force , known as the Crunch from 1989 to 2002...

, as well as coaching the CSL's Edmonton Brickmen

Edmonton Brickmen

The Edmonton Brickmen were an Edmonton, Alberta-based soccer club that competed in two now-defunct leagues: the Western Soccer Alliance and the Canadian Soccer League.-History:...

. His assistants were Pasquale de Luca

Pasquale De Luca

Pasquale de Luca is a former professional soccer player from Alberta, Canada. He is the head coach of the Edmonton Drillers.-Career:...

and Sean Fleming. Joe Petrone was chosen to be the Director of Coaching and Player Personnel. Oddly enough, Ongaro, De Luca, and Petrone had been involved with the original NASL Drillers, Ongaro and De Luca as players, and Petrone in management. De Luca left the club after the 97–98 season, but the rest remained with the club through their folding.

Humble Beginnings

Not much was expected of the Drillers, nowhere more evident than in the pre-season coaches poll that had them pegged to finish 4–36. Such opinions were hardly unexpected though, as the Power were a dismal 6–34 the year prior. Even then most of the players inherited were good for little more than trade bait as the NPSL required that teams could field no more than four imports. Experienced players were very hard to come by, as not only hadn’t their been any Canadian teams prior to provide a talent base, but there was another Canadian team entering the league that year, the Toronto Shooting Stars

Toronto Shooting Stars

Toronto Shooting Stars were an indoor soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario that competed in the defunct NPSL. The team began play in the 1996-1997 season, with home games taking place at Maple Leaf Gardens. However, the ownership of the franchise collapsed just 3 games into its first season,...

, and they had a head start

Head start (positioning)

In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...

on finding players.

When the Drillers kicked off their inaugural season they only had three players with NPSL experience. Bill Sedgewick

Bill Sedgewick

William "Bill" Sedgewick is an retired American professional soccer player who played both indoors and outdoors.-College:...

(who was also Captain) and Nick DeSantis came with the franchise from Chicago, and Todd Rattee whom was acquired from the Milwaukee Wave

Milwaukee Wave

The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Founded in 1984 they are the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in North Americaand a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League....

for Mark Manganello. The only other player with any tangible indoor experience was backup ‘keeper Scott Hileman, who had played in the rival Continental Indoor Soccer League

Continental Indoor Soccer League

The Continental Indoor Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997.-History:When the Major Soccer League folded in the summer of 1992, two of its former teams joined a group of hockey and basketball arena owners led by Ron Weinstein who wanted to create a league to...

the summer prior. It should further be noted that none of these players had more than one year of pro experience under their belt.

Heading into their first game, Pat Onstad

Pat Onstad

Patrick Stewart "Pat" Onstad is a Canadian soccer retired goalkeeper, who is currently an assistant coach for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...

had earned the starting goalkeeping spot, but while traveling to suit up for the Canadian National team he was involved in a car accident and suffered a wrist injury which knocked him out of action for six weeks. In his stead Scott Hileman assumed the number one spot, and never relinquished it.

The Drillers played their first game November 1, at Maple Leaf Gardens

Maple Leaf Gardens

Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...

in Toronto. Sipho Sibiya

Sipho Sibiya

Sipho Sibiya Riopel is a retired South African-Canadian soccer player who is an assistant coach with the Vancouver Whitecaps women’s team.-Youth:...

scoring the first goal in franchise history, and the club posting their first win, 11–7 over the Shooting Stars.

Other significant happenings that season;

November 2, 1996: Drillers suffered their first loss at the hands of the Detroit Rockers

Detroit Rockers

The Detroit Rockers were an indoor soccer team in the National Professional Soccer League from 1990 to 2001. They played in Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan as well as The Palace of Auburn Hills and Compuware Sports Arena in the suburbs...

, 16–9 at Joe Louis Arena

Joe Louis Arena

Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...

.

November 17, 1996: Drillers play their home opener, dropping the contest 19–9 to the Kansas City Attack

Kansas City Attack

The Kansas City Attack, previously the Atlanta Attack and later known as the Kansas City Comets, were an indoor soccer team based for most of its existence in Kansas City, Missouri. In its various incarnations the franchise played in the National Professional Soccer League from 1989–2001 and the...

in front of a crowd of 8,974.

February 24, 1997: Acquired Domenic Mobilio

Domenic Mobilio

Domenic Mobilio was a Canadian professional soccer player.-Club career:Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mobilio was a long-time member of the Vancouver 86ers turned Vancouver Whitecaps...

from the Harrisburg Heat

Harrisburg Heat

The Harrisburg Heat was a professional indoor soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team was part of the National Professional Soccer League, which later became the Major Indoor Soccer League, and has been defunct since 2003. The Harrisburg Heat was first formed during the 1991-92...

for cash.

The Stretch Run

As the season progressed, the Drillers experienced the steep learning curve, but managed to easily surpass the rather low expectations thrust on them to only win four games all season. With eight games to play the Drillers were still in the hunt for a playoff with a respectable 14–18 record, but were a long shot as seven of those games were on the road included a dreaded three games, in three nights, in three different cities stretch. Rather improbably the Drillers suddenly caught fire, and rattled off six wins in the seven road games and found themselves with one game to play against their division rival Detroit with a playoff spot going to the victor.

The improbable run of the Drillers had made the rounds in the media, and coinciding with the poor season the Oilers were having, suddenly the Drillers were the flavour of the month in Edmonton. This was evident in the stands as the largest regular season crowd in Drillers history took in the regular season finale March 29, where they defeated the Rockers 7–4 in front of a boisterous 9,136 patrons. The win gave the Drillers a 21–19 record for the year, and a first round playoff date with the Milwaukee Wave.

Post Season

Riding the momentum of their late season run, on April 4 the Drillers went into Milwaukee and hammered the Wave in the first game of their best-of-three series 20–6. This game is also notable as the first game ever on the radio, as the locale station CKER agree to broadcast the playoff away games, with PR man Bruce Rakoczy and assistant coach Sean Fleming doing the play-by-play and commentary. Things did not go without a hitch though, and as a result of technical difficulties, the listening public was left listening to polka music for more than three quarters of the game before things finally got sorted out.

In the return match April 6, 9,189 fans took in probably the most memorable game in club history, seeing the Drillers rookie scoring sensation, Carmen D’Onofrio head home his own rebound past indoor legend Victor Nogueira

Victor Nogueira

Victor Nogueira is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Nogueira spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, but gained his greatest recognition in over twenty seasons in three indoor leagues, the Major Indoor Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and the second Major...

in the final minute of play for a two-point goal, and a 10–9 victory for the home side.

After having swept the Wave, the Drillers were headed for St. Louis to face the Ambush

St. Louis Ambush

The St. Louis Ambush was a professional indoor soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. Originally located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the team played one season at the Tulsas Pavilion Expo Square. Vernon Riggs was the General Manager. Keith Dial was the Managing General Partner. Former Tulsa Roughneck...

in the second round for another best-of-three series. In game one, April 12, 1997, the Drillers had the heavily favoured Ambush on the ropes, but with 1:51 remaining in the game, Joe Reiniger

Joe Reiniger

Joe Reiniger grew up in Caseyville. He currently plays for arena soccer for the St. Louis Illusion....

hammered home a three-point goal and handing a heartbreaking 19–18 loss to the Drillers.

After sharing a quick flight back to Edmonton, the teams squared off again the next day, April 13 at the Edmonton Coliseum. This game was witnessed by a record 9,879 people, and the young Drillers were not to be denied, posting a convincing 19–9 victory. This set up a winner take all showdown back in St. Louis three days later.

Game three was played on April 16, at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, and again the Drillers gave a valiant effort, and were within a goal of tying the match until midnight finally struck, and Steve Kuntz sealed their fate with an empty net goal with just seven seconds to play, final score St. Louis 16, Edmonton 11.

Aftermath

While the club was eliminated in the second round, their unexpected success was noticed, and coach Ross Ongaro was awarded the NPSL’s Coach of the Year award, and the teams scoring leader, Carmen D’Onofrio, finished runner up for the leagues Rookie of the Year award. D’Onofrio, as well as Shayne Campbell and Martin Dugas

Martin Dugas

Martin Dugas is a Canadian soccer player who spent a total of 12 years as a professional. He last coaches the Edmonton Drillers.-Club career:...

were also honoured with selections of the NPSL’s All-Rookie Teams.

Up until their elimination, this was the acme of the franchise, with them garnering unprecedented media coverage and drawing by far their largest crowds during their run. When earlier in the season one would be hard pressed to find more than a brief mention of the previous nights results, suddenly they were getting major linage in the major daily papers, nightly features on the TV news, and players making the rounds on local radio shows.

The late season run also was very beneficial to the teams bottom line, the team started the year with only 123 season-ticket holders were on track to lose $500,000 that season, they managed to lessen that to $300,000. Their average attendance was 7,200, but that number was largely made up of complementary tickets. Their late season run though included three consecutive 9,000+ crowds of which all were paid tickets, and thus ownership was highly optimistic heading into their second season. As it turns out, this was actually the clubs most successful season financially, that is to say it's the least money they lost in one season.

Sophomore Jinx

After the terrific stretch run the first year on the field and in the stands, expectations were very high heading into the second campaign. Confidence was running high, so much so that management and players alike talked publicly about record crowds and that anything less than a championship would be a failure. Fate had other plans.

Off the field momentum was quickly stymied when owner Peter Pocklington put his sports holdings up for sale early in the offseason. With uncertainty about the clubs future, ticket inquiries quickly dried up. Despite later reassurances from Pocklington that the team was "here to stay" the public remained wary. Player wise, the team remained largely intact, but did lose Nick DeSantis, Lloyd Barker

Lloyd Barker (soccer)

Lloyd Barker is a former professional soccer player who played 18 times for the Jamaica national football team.-Playing career:After beginning his pro career in 1988 with the Ottawa Intrepid of the Canadian Soccer League...

and Rick Titus to the Montreal Impact

Montreal Impact

Montreal Impact was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1992, the team played in the North American Soccer League , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid until the 2011 season. The owner Joey Saputo now operates the MLS team Montreal ImpactThe...

when they joined the league. To fill those holes, the Drillers acquired the rights to O'Neil Brown and CISL

CISL

CISL may mean:* Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori, the Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions* Continental Indoor Soccer League. An Indoor Soccer League 1993-1997* CISL , a radio station in Richmond, British Columbia....

second leading scorer, Ziad Allan.

Optimism was still abound about the on the field product heading into the season, but an 0–5 start quickly brought the team back down to Earth. Struggling particularly in the offensive end of the pitch, the Drillers shipped Allan to Montreal in a deal that eventually led to Lloyd Barker finding his way back into Driller silks. The Drillers did eventually pull out of their funk, but their season on the field and in the stands remained largely unspectacular.

Scoring goals wasn't all that irked the Drillers in their second season. After a relatively healthy inaugural season, 97/98 was filled with serious injuries to several key players. At various times the captain Bill Sedgewick

Bill Sedgewick

William "Bill" Sedgewick is an retired American professional soccer player who played both indoors and outdoors.-College:...

, all-star defender Todd Rattee, as well as leading scorers Carmen D'Onofrio and Domenic Mobilio

Domenic Mobilio

Domenic Mobilio was a Canadian professional soccer player.-Club career:Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mobilio was a long-time member of the Vancouver 86ers turned Vancouver Whitecaps...

were out for extended periods.

Lloyd Barker Incident

On March 16, 1998, it was exposed that the Drillers management had forgone getting medical insurance for their players, leading to a substantial controversy as the players had not been made aware of the situation and it was against league regulations. The situation only came to ahead after the Vancouver Whitecaps inquired over the insurance situation for a player they had loaned to the Drillers, and it turned out he was uninsured. The club quickly put together an insurance package before the next night's game in Cincinnati.

It proved to be tremendously fortunate that these events had taken place, as during the 4th quarter of that game in Cincinnati Lloyd Barker

Lloyd Barker (soccer)

attempted a bicycle kick and landed awkwardly, breaking his neck. The story of the insurance gaffe and Barkers injury became national news overnight. After surgery and several days in traction, Barker did recover from his injuries, and with the aid of a neck brace he made a tearful appearance at a game later in the season. After significant rehab Barker did eventually make a comeback, and suited up for the Detroit Rockers

Detroit Rockers

, though he never recaptured his earlier form.

Stretch Drive and Aftermath

The Drillers did manage to squeak into the playoffs with an 18–22 record, but were quickly swept out of contention by the Kansas City Attack

Kansas City Attack

in the first round. Awards wise, O'Neil Brown, Paul Shepherd and Kurt Bosch were selected to the NPSL All-Rookie teams, Scott Hileman was selected as the clubs MVP for the second time, Todd Rattee was Defender of the Year, and Chris Clarke

Chris Clarke

Chris Clarke may refer to:*Chris Clarke , Canadian boxer*Chris Clarke , English croquet player*Chris Clarke , English footballer*Chris Clarke , Kentucky missionary to the equestrian community...

was the Most Improved Player.

By time the season ended rumours concerning the Drillers future were well into circulation, and the office staff of the club was downsized as soon as the team was eliminated. There was great uncertainty about the future of the club. All that was for sure was that no ownership would have to be found for the team to continue.

In the stands, like on the pitch, results were decent but well below expectations. Average announced attendance for the season was 5,228.

Eventful Offseason

With the ‘97/98 season ending with a great deal of turmoil off the pitch, there were many questions about the future of the club. All that was known was that if they were going to return, it would not be under the ownership of Peter Pocklington.

Fortunately for the team, there was an ownership prospect waiting in the wings, and after spending much of the summer hammering out the deal, on August 11 Wojtek Wojcicki was officially introduced as the new owner of the indoor side.

On the field the club remained largely intact, retaining the players, coaches, and Director of Soccer Operations, Joe Petrone.

Off the field Wojcicki had a much different vision for the product, and introduced an entirely new look for the team, as well as aiming to make game days a far more family oriented outing. He himself was just a recent convert to the game, having only attended a handful of games during the prior season at the urging of his young sons.

Heading into the team made several key acquisitions on the player front, including Nikola Vignjevic

Nikola Vignjevic

Nikola Vignjević is a former Serbian soccer player, who currently works as Technical coach by Alberta Golden Bears and the Greater St.Albert Sports Acadamey...

, Chris Handsor, and Martin Nash. They also brought Pat Onstad

Pat Onstad

Patrick Stewart "Pat" Onstad is a Canadian soccer retired goalkeeper, who is currently an assistant coach for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...

back into the fold, as he experiencing something of a career resurgence after a championship outdoor season in Rochester

Rochester Raging Rhinos

The Rochester Rhinos are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the National Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, having self-relegated from the USSF D2 Pro League...

. The Onstad move in particular was important, as the team sold two time club MVP Scott Hileman to the upstart Florida Thundercats

Florida Thundercats

The Florida Thundercats were a basketball team based in Leesburg, Florida. They played in the new American Basketball Association from 2009–2011. They played their home games at Everett A. Kelly Convocation Center on the campus of Lake-Sumter Community College.The Thundercats were founded in 2009...

in September.

On-Field Success

When the Drillers took the field in late October, results quickly followed, a trend the continued throughout the campaign, as the Drillers were front runners for the NPSL National Conference crown all season.

There was a little bit of drama for the club when in December, Rick Titus left the team without permission to try out for a team in Hong Kong. Management later quipped that Titus (already in his second stint with the club) would never see the inside of a Drillers locker room again, and sold his rights to Philadelphia, where Titus finished out the season after returning from Asia.

Fortunately, Titus’ unceremonious departure perfectly coincided with the arrival of another midfielder, Paul Dailly, who had previously played for the Wichita Wings

Wichita Wings

This article is about the original team. For the current team, see Wichita Wings .The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979...

and had been finishing up his degree before returning to pro soccer.

The Drillers success was noted by the league, and when it came time for the annual All-Star game both Pat Onstad

Pat Onstad

Patrick Stewart "Pat" Onstad is a Canadian soccer retired goalkeeper, who is currently an assistant coach for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...

and coach Ongaro were selected to represent the club. Onstad later withdrew due to injury, and in his stead, Chris Handsor went. As the season progressed, their winning ways continued, and with only two games remaining (both home contests against the St. Louis Ambush), the Drillers needed only one win to clinch the conference title.

After dropping game one, the Drillers found themselves not only with a bit more pressure on them for the rematch… but also without a home. As the Drillers gave up Skyreach Centre so that Shania Twain

Shania Twain

Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...

could add an Edmonton date to her tour. This forced the game to be moved across the street to the much smaller Northlands Agricom

Northlands Agricom

(now Edmonton Expo Centre). After getting behind early, the change of scenery didn’t hurt the team in the long run though, as they posted 19–15 come from behind victory in front of an overflow crowd. The win gave the team a 23–17 record, and clinched the division and conference titles. This would also be the only home game during the Drillers four years and change that was not played at the Edmonton Coliseum/Skyreach Centre, as well as the clubs only conference title.

Early Exit and the Aftermath

After knocking off the Kansas City Attack

Kansas City Attack

in two games, the Drillers again found themselves in the conference final playing their old nemesis, the St. Louis Ambush

St. Louis Ambush

. The team that also put an end to their playoff run in 96/97. The more experienced Ambush again took it to the Drillers, taking game one 16–8 in St. Louis, and completing the sweep 16–10 days later in Edmonton.

Coming off a regular season conference title, the team was obviously dejected in not going further, and this served as something of a chip of their shoulder heading into the next season. In the stands, the club experienced another solid but unspectacular year averaging 5,983 (announced), but dipped well below that during the post season, seeing only 4,638 show up for the conference final game versus St. Louis.

With attendance well below Wojcicki’s target of 8,000 per game, coupled with start-up costs, reported losses for the year were in the neighborhood of $1,000,000. Despite this, Wojcicki remained positive about the prospects for the franchise heading into 99/00 and was optimistic things would improve.

When the league awards were presented, the Drillers were well represented. Martin Nash took home Rookie of the Year honours, and Ross Ongaro claiming his second Coach of the Year award in only his third season. Nash was also selected to the leagues All-Rookie team, along with Paul Shepherd.

Trade Winds Blowing

While the Drillers enjoyed their first off-season without any uncertainty over their ownership, the team side management got quite active in the player market.

First they made a major four player swap with the Wichita Wings

Wichita Wings

. The deal in principle was to see Drillers captain Bill Sedgewick and 'keeper Pat Onstad head to the Wings, in exchange for defender LeBaron Hollimon

LeBaron Hollimon

LeBaron Hollimon is a professional football player. Hollimon, who grew up in Wichita, Kansas, became the first native Wichitan to play for the Wichita Wings, and is currently their head coach.-Career:...

, and midfielder Sterling Westcott. In actuality, there was a fair bit of underhanded dealing on both sides, as the Drillers knew that Onstad had no intention of returning to play indoor, and Wichita knew Westcott had no intention of reporting as he had agreed to a deal with a WISL

World Indoor Soccer League

The World Indoor Soccer League was a United States based indoor soccer league that existed from 1998 to 2001 and consisted of nine teams.-History:...

club. Beyond that, Sedgewick made it clear he didn't want to play for anyone but Edmonton, and then decided to also sign with a WISL club in Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

, where he also had business interests. So, at the end of the ordeal the only player that ended up reporting was LeBaron Hollimon.

Just before the training camp commenced, the Drillers pulled the trigger on another deal that came as a shock to many. The deal saw Domenic Mobilio

Domenic Mobilio

Domenic Mobilio was a Canadian professional soccer player.-Club career:Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mobilio was a long-time member of the Vancouver 86ers turned Vancouver Whitecaps...

shipped to Philadelphia for Rick Titus, a player that only months earlier had walked out on the Drillers, and whom management had stated would never again be welcomed back. While on the surface, dealing a fan favourite and leading scorer for a guy that was considered persona non grata doesn't quite add up, the underlying issue was that Mobilio had a falling out with management which led to the deal being brokered. This would also mark the third time Titus had been acquired by Edmonton.

Other movement included signing 'keeper Carmine Isacco

Carmine Isacco

Carmine Isacco is a Canadian soccer coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of SC Toronto of the Canadian Soccer League.-Playing career:...

, and Nebojsa Vignjevic

Nebojša Vignjević

Nebojša Vignjević is a former footballer and current coach, currently head coach of FK Rad.He also played for the Toronto Lynx in the early 2000s along with his brother Nikola....

(brother of Nikola) as free agents. On the other end of the spectrum, Martin Nash was lost as he was on trial with a European side, and long-time veteran Chris Clarke was cut in training camp.

Quick Start

The Drillers came out of the gate smoking, rattling off five straight wins right out of the gate. As a team that had always prided itself on playing defense first, now had also developed a potent offense rolling three full lines. Particularly of notice in this newfound offensive stroke was the play of Nikola Vignjevic. A phenomenally gifted player, his performance in the first season (with the Drillers) was often hit and miss, but come his second season his play was inspired and gave the Drillers the playmaker they long needed up front. Another player that drastically stepped up his game for the 99/00 season was Vignjevic's line mate Rick Titus, always a tenacious defender, he too became a force in the offensive end to the surprise of many.

When December rolled around the league announced that Edmonton would host that season's All-Star game come November, a first for the franchise. The game itself was considered a fair success, with 7,853 people attending (9,123 announced), which would make it the highest actual attendance at a game since the 96/97 season. The Drillers were well represented in the game itself, with Ongaro coaching, Vignjevic, Handsor and Rattee selected to the team, and eventually Titus, Dugas, Isacco, Brown and D'Onofrio being added as replacements. On the field it was a tough night for the locals, beyond the "Team Canada" side losing the game, the Drillers also lost Martin Dugas for the remainder of the season when he went down with an ACL injury in the fourth quarter.

Off Field Issues

That the Drillers inflated their announced attendance came as no surprise, as it is a common practice in pro sports, but part way through the season the degree to which the Drillers did became public and the numbers did not paint a rosy picture. It was exposed that while the club was announcing attendance in the 5,800 range, when the actual was only ~4,200. Coupled with even the announced figures falling far short of the previously stated 8,000 break even point, there were questions abound about how long Wojcicki could continue bankrolling the team.

There was also some hostility between players and management, not the least of which came to a head when Carmine Isacco was sent home by the team for no apparent reason. Speculation was that management was unhappy with how much they were paying him, and were trying to run him out of town. While not public, there was a series of disturbing occurrences behind the scenes that reinforce that speculation.

Momentum Slows

According to several players, this uncertainty weighed heavily on the mind of the team and in no small way contributed to a rather pedestrian finish to the season. After starting the season strong and being ~5 games above .500 for much of the first half, the team only managed to finish the regular season 22–22.

Despite the slow finish, there were still a few bright spots in the second half. Nikola Vignjevic continued shouldering the offensive load and smashed the club record for scoring with 166 points during the campaign. The emergence of Jim Larkin after the unceremonious dumping of Isacco was also a pleasant surprise. Having no indoor-experience before suiting up, Larkin had several excellent outings and laid the groundwork for a long and successful NPSL/MISL career.

The Drillers again qualified for the playoffs, and even posted a first round upset sweep of the favoured Kansas City Attack, earning themselves a ticket to their second straight conference final. Once there though the Milwaukee Wave made short work of the Drillers, winning the best-of-three in two straight, 13–7 and 14–4.

Aftermath

Attendance did not improve as the season progressed, in fact, it got much worse, averaging an announced 5,703. The two playoff games drew 2,836 and 3,340 respectively, even after the team launched their SOS (Save Our Soccer) campaign late in the season. Losses for the season were pegged in the $500,000 range. This led too many wondering if there would be a next season, or if the owner would just pull the plug.

Tumultuous Off-season

With uncertainty abound after a disappointing playoffs on the field, and even more so in the stands, there were a great deal of questions surrounding the club and their future. Whether they would even field a team for the upcoming season was subject to much speculation.

That question was answered June 19, when the owner did insure a new line of credit with the league for the upcoming season. The optimism of this news was somewhat mitigated though by other news that same day. That being that the club had failed to pay bonuses to six key players, and was in danger of them all becoming free agents as a result. Eventually that situation too was settled, and the players all remained with the team.

The next major happening that summer was in July with the announcement that GM Ron Knol was leaving the team to pursue other interests. This was a major blow to the internal workings of the club, as he was instrumental in what few bright spots the team had off the field, including negotiating a favourable lease for the Skyreach Centre.

As fall neared, there was some optimism around the team though. On the player front, the Drillers resigned several key players to new, lucrative deals. Beyond that, it was also announced that 98/99 NPSL Rookie of the Year, Martin Nash, would be returning to the team, and he would be joined by Canadian National team teammate, Jeff Clarke. On the pitch, the team looked stronger than ever.

DIG

Off the field, things also looked to be improving when in September it became public that there was a movement afoot to erect a consortium of investors to take over ownership of the team. This group was modeled after the Edmonton Investors Group which took ownership of the Edmonton Oilers two years earlier, was to be called the Drillers Investors Group, and was headed by well-known local entrepreneur, Lyle Best.

The structure of the group was to see the clubs ownership to be broken into 60 units. Wojcicki would retain 20 for himself, and the other 40 were to be purchased by other parties, including Best, as well as some of the local soccer associations. At one time it was rumoured that there were as many as 18 different parties involved in DIG. This was incorrect as only ten bona fide members of the group existed.

Come late October, and with the season rapidly approaching, DIG chose not to go forward with the offer to buy the team. Differences between Wojcicki and the others about control over operations of the team were part of the problem. DIG at one time even offered to buy the team outright from Wojcicki, but an agreed upon price could not be achieved. This due in large part to the group being unable to verify the finances of the club. The newly appointed commissioner of the league flew to Edmonton and met with Best in a last ditch attempt to have the group move forward with the purchase however no positive resolution could be made.Thus, Wojcicki would go into the season financing the club alone.

Attendance Woes

On the field, the team started very well, rattling off three straight wins to start the season. Off the field, things were another story, with attendance continuing to spiral. The first two games of the season drew 3,527 and 3,020 respectively.

Signs of trouble were present even before the disappointing crowds filtered into their seats, as it was very apparent the team was cutting costs left and right. Not only was the pre-game video presentation done away with, but the board itself was not even turned on for the game. Advertising on the boards and field were for the most part bare, and the uniforms themselves clearly looked to be done on the cheap.

After five games the team found itself at a respectable 3–2, but just two weeks into the season, their worlds were about to unravel.

League Takes Over

On November 15, 2000, Wojcicki failed to make payroll for the first pay period of the season, and as such defaulted ownership of the club to the league. This news was greeted bitterly by the players, who just days early had been repeatedly ensured by the owner himself that everything would be fine.

The NPSL stepped up and said they would float the team for two weeks in an effort to find new owners to take over. The players voted to continue playing for the period under the condition that the rest of the Drillers staff also get paid what was owing to them.

Despite, and perhaps in response to, the off field turmoil, the team returned to the field just days later and played inspired, rattling off consecutive victories over the defending NPSL champion, Milwaukee Wave

Milwaukee Wave

. The crowds were far better for these two games, 6,800 and 9,329, but these were heavily papered by tickets given away just before the 15th.

The Drillers then took to the road for two games, knowing not if they would return. After dropping the first game of the trip in Kansas City, the Drillers headed into Wichita

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...

to play what would turn out to be their final game on November 25. The obviously emotional team was down early, but come back in a very big way and with a resounding fourth quarter posted a 23–14 win over the Wings.

With the win, the team ran their record to 6–3, good enough for first overall in the NPSL.

Denouement

On the afternoon of November 30, 2000, the NPSL officially pulled the plug on the Drillers franchise. After two weeks of trying to find suitable local ownership, it became very apparent that there were no takers willing to absorb the substantial losses that would be encountered as a result of taking over the club at this point.

A firestorm of media coverage ensued, including nationwide coverage on television and in print, as well as front-page stories in local major dailies. The story continued to be followed at this level for a number of days following. It was almost poetic how the team finally achieved a level of notoriety in death that it could never in life.

On December 4, a dispersal draft took place to allot the players to new teams. The draft went as follows;

Detroit Rockers
Detroit Rockers
The Detroit Rockers were an indoor soccer team in the National Professional Soccer League from 1990 to 2001. They played in Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan as well as The Palace of Auburn Hills and Compuware Sports Arena in the suburbs...

selected – Martin Nash, Paul Dailly and Carmen D'Onofrio
Harrisburg Heat
Harrisburg Heat
The Harrisburg Heat was a professional indoor soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team was part of the National Professional Soccer League, which later became the Major Indoor Soccer League, and has been defunct since 2003. The Harrisburg Heat was first formed during the 1991-92...

selected – Kurt Bosch and Nikola Vignjevic
Buffalo Blizzard
Buffalo Blizzard
The Buffalo Blizzard was an indoor soccer team based in Buffalo, New York. The team was a member of the now defunct NPSL from 1992 to 2001. From 1992-1996, the team played at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, and they moved to HSBC Arena in 1996 where they played until 2001.The team was originally...

selected – Alfredo Valente
Alfredo Valente
Alfredo Valente is a former Canadian soccer midfielder who formerly played for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL First Division . Valente played 11 seasons with the 86ers/Whitecaps organization, winning USL championships with the club in 2006 and 2008...

and Rick Titus
Wichita Wings
Wichita Wings
This article is about the original team. For the current team, see Wichita Wings .The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979...

selected – Jim Larkin and Damir Jesic
Kansas City Attack
Kansas City Attack
The Kansas City Attack, previously the Atlanta Attack and later known as the Kansas City Comets, were an indoor soccer team based for most of its existence in Kansas City, Missouri. In its various incarnations the franchise played in the National Professional Soccer League from 1989–2001 and the...

selected – Chris Handsor and LeBaron Hollimon
Philadelphia Kixx
Philadelphia KiXX
The Philadelphia KiXX were a professional indoor soccer team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Founded in 1995 as an NPSL expansion franchise, they played in the Major Indoor Soccer League.The team colors were red, black, white, and blue...

selected – Kevin Holness
Kevin Holness
Kevin Holness is a former Canadian international soccer player.Born in Jamaica, Holness is a native of Regina, Saskatchewan.-Club career:...

and Geordie Lyall
Geordie Lyall
Geordie Lyall is a former Canadian professional soccer player.He spent virtually his entire career playing for Canadian club Vancouver Whitecaps, with the exception of a brief period in England with lower-league club Walsall.-Professional:Lyall began his professional career with the Vancouver...
Cleveland Crunch
Cleveland Crunch
The Cleveland Crunch was formed in 1989 as an expansion team in the Major Soccer League to replace the Cleveland Force, which had folded on July 22, 1988. Akron businessmen George S. Hoffman and Stuart Lichter formed an ownership group, named Al Miller general manager and former Force star Kai...

selected – Todd Rattee
Milwaukee Wave
Milwaukee Wave
The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Founded in 1984 they are the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in North Americaand a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League....

selected – Sipho Sibiya
Baltimore Blast
Baltimore Blast (current)
Baltimore Blast is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Founded in 1992, the team plays in the Major Indoor Soccer League....

selected – Jeff Clarke

Martin Dugas, Tiarnan King, Eric Munoz and Paul Shepherd
Paul Shepherd
Paul Shepherd is a retired English football forward.He was a part of the English squad at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.-Clubs:*1996-1999 : Leeds United*2000-2000 : Keflavík...

were not drafted.

There were several issues concerning the handling of the drafts and player contracts;

Dailly and Nash said they would not report to Detroit. Both did end up going after Detroit offered them contracts more to their liking. Detroit also signed Dugas as a free agent.
Hollimon was drafted under the premise of as expired contract that was for less money than he was supposed to make. A compromise was reached, and he did report.
Nine other players elected not to report to their new clubs at all.
Larkin, Handsor, Vignjevic (who Harrisburg immediately traded to Cleveland) and Sibiya all reported without incident.

Year-by-year

Season	GP	W	L	Pct	PF	PA	Finish	Playoffs
1996–97	40	21	19	.525	538	475	2nd in Div.	Lost in Conf. Semifinal
1997–98	40	18	22	.450	428	418	2nd in Div.	Lost in Conf. Quarterfinal
1998–99	40	23	17	.575	497	439	1st in Conf.	Lost in Conf. Final
1999-00	44	22	22	.500	546	550	2nd in Div	Lost in Conf. Final
2000–01	9	6	3	.667	120	135	Folded mid-season
Grand Totals	173	90	83	554	2129	2017

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