Photo by Rich Moll
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
The border battle is back! For the first time in 2025, the Minnesota Wind Chill and Madison Radicals will face off in week eight of “Friday Night Frisbee.”
Both teams host two of the most iconic home stadiums in the entire league, but this one will take place in the “Ultimate Capitol of the World,” Breese Stevens Field. The home of the Madison Radicals has been dominated by the Wind Chill in recent years, as Minnesota has won five of the last six games in Madison's home stadium.
“Breese is a great venue. The crowd is always loud and close to the field. Madison feeds off of the crowd energy, but I think we lock in for the road games, and we’re excited for another challenge on the road. My first ever game was at Breese, so I always love playing there,” said Will Brandt.
Photo by Rich Moll
The Wind Chill are coming off a controlling win against the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds but did struggle in the final quarter of the game. Despite the struggles, Minnesota stands at 4-1 on the year, marking their midway point in the season.
“It’s true that we had several execution errors in the second half of the Pittsburgh game. We have reviewed the film and made adjustments. It will be on us to implement those pieces at practice in preparation,” said Bryan Vohnoutka. “We know this is a pivotal game, and we can’t afford to come out flat. Once we load up for Madison Friday morning, I know everyone will be ready as soon as we get to Breese Stevens!”
The squad that will be traveling across state lines looks a bit different than the team that hosted Pittsburgh last week. Matt Rehder and James Pollard return to the lineup, along with Thomas Shope making his 2025 debut after his college season concluded.
Photo by Meghan White
“Offensively, I think it’s just more time and reps together. Having Rehder back will be helpful. He’s a very helpful piece in our general discipline and structure in our offensive units. We’re making some adjustments and revisions to improve our flow and cadence this week in practice and hoping that will play to our benefit in Madison,” said head coach Ben Feldman.
On the flip side, Quinn Snider and Max Hanscom are two huge names who will not be playing against the Radicals this Friday night. That does hurt on both sides of the disc, given Snider’s athleticism to go get jump balls, and Hanscom’s nose for blocks so far this year.
“Our defense has carried us to wins so far this year, but our offense has got to play cleaner and more confidently. I would love for us to be able to find a rhythm and feel comfortable in the environment. We know we’re capable of that,” said Brandt.
One thing to look out for in this game will be if Minnesota stays consistent with the game plan that Chicago threw at Madison last week. Chicago was able to limit downfield throws, forcing the Radicals to work through their handlers, something they struggle with. Conversely, Minnesota looked phenomenal defending the hucks against the T-birds last week, so expect to see something similar.
“We feel confident in our defensive structure defending hucks. We got a lot of size and length in our group, big marks, and explosive guys. We’ve set a standard that we are not going to give a team anything super free underneath, so if they come out shooting, we have to be ready to make some plays,” said Feldman.
Another thing to look out for will be the impact of Vohnoutka. He is someone who always seems to have Madison’s number. Through the three wins against Madison last year, Vohnoutka put together seven assists, seven goals, and three blocks.
Photo by Meghan White
“I don’t think there is anything special. I try to bring the same mentality every time I take the field. I’ve been fortunate to find some soft spaces and try to make the right play against a normally stingy defense,” said Vohnoutka.
The Friday night matchup consists of two teams that rely on their defenses to produce blocks, create comfortability, and produce offense. We will see if that will track, and if Minnesota can continue their success over the Radicals.
Tune in this Friday at 7 p.m. CT to watch the border battle!
Join other Wind Chill fans at the team’s official watch party at New Bohemia in Golden Valley! Attendees who predict the exact score of the game in the Wind Chill FanZone app will win a $450 Wind Chill team store gift card.
