THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Canada – The Des Moines Menace rebounded to earn a 1-1 draw against arch-rival Thunder Bay, one night after the Chill scorched the Menace 7-2 at Chapples Park.

Just 24 hours after trailing 4-0 at halftime, Des Moines went into the locker room tonight with a 1-0 lead, thanks to captain Clark Bradford’s team-leading fourth goal, from a penalty kick in the 45th minute. Nolan Intermoia evened the match in the 72nd minute, scoring the only goal allowed by Menace goalkeeper Jake Wright, who held off the high-octane Chill in his second start.

“It was a great result, a very gutsy performance. I gotta give our guys a lot of credit,” said Menace head coach Laurie Calloway. “We’re not happy we didn’t get three points (awarded for a win), but we bounced back tremendously, given our performance last night.”

How did Calloway explain the dramatic turnaround?

“Togetherness. We had shape, we had balance, we had tenacity, we had possession. We played as a team.”

Following its fifth tie in six outings, the Menace shares first place in the Premier Development League’s Heartland Division. Des Moines (4-2-5, 17 points) and Rochester (5-2-2) could be joined atop the standings if tonight’s late-starting match between the St. Louis (4-2-2) and Real Colorado (3-2-5) does not end in a tie. The Chill (5-1-1) is just a point from first place, only seven matches into its season.

UPDATE (June 21): Real Colorado swept St. Louis on Saturday and Sunday, improving to 5-2-5 (20 points) and taking first place.

The Menace closes its road schedule by visiting Rochester (Minn.) on Thursday, hoping to start another streak. Last night’s loss – the franchise’s most lopsided setback since 1999 – ended the Menace’s road unbeaten streak at 19, dating back to May 2008.

Down to its final five regular-season matches, Des Moines needs to get back on the winning track in order to contend for one of the division’s two spots in the PDL playoffs. The defending division champs have not won since ending last month with three straight victories.

The team’s five draws tie the club’s single-season record, set by the 2008 Menace team that finished 7-4-5 and narrowly missed the postseason.

Des Moines has returned from Canada with at least one point each of the last three seasons. The Menace is 2-1-3 at Thunder Bay during this stretch.

UPCOMING HOME ACTION:  Des Moines is back at home on June 26, hosting the Springfield Demize. The match caps off a triple-header that opens with the Iowa High School All-Star Games, at 3 p.m. (boys) and 5 p.m. (girls). All three matches are presented by Kum & Go.