Photo by Matt Messina
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
While the Minnesota Wind Chill have a playoff spot locked up, they still have plenty of things to play for this weekend when they host the Madison Radicals on Saturday night.
For starters, this will be a preview of the first round of the playoffs, considering the Chicago Union clinched the first seed last weekend. It will just be a matter of location. With a win, the Wind Chill guarantee themselves the second seed and will host the Radicals in a few weeks. With a loss, they put that home playoff game in jeopardy.
Minnesota is also playing for themselves. They surely want to get that sour taste out of their mouths after losing to the Union by ten points. They need to establish some consistency when it comes to their offensive performance and gain some momentum heading into their last two games of the year.
Finally, they are protecting Sea Foam Stadium. This is mentioned because, in recorded UFA history, dating back to 2018, the Radicals have yet to defeat the Wind Chill in the St. Paul location. The last time these two faced off in Sea Foam was in the Central Division Championship when Minnesota handily beat Madison 19-15.
Photo by Matt Messina
“Previous success isn’t going to impact the outcome of our game on Saturday. We know these guys are a well-coached team. They’re going to play loose, and we have to take care of business at home. There is a lot on the line. The opportunity to host a home playoff game isn’t taken lightly,” said head coach Ben Feldman.
One of the concerns we have seen play out for the Wind Chill is their overall consistency, and some of that could be attributed to the fact that they rarely carry the same roster week-to-week. This week, Matthew Rehder, Quinn Snider, Kyle Suelflow, Bret Bergmeier, and Colin Berry will not be suiting up. In turn, we will see Ryan duSaire make his UFA debut, and Feldman noted that he is very excited to see how he plays on Saturday night.
“We have a lot of confidence in the depth of our group. We've got a lot of guys we wish we could get more opportunities to. When we have a few absences, it’s an opportunity for those individuals who’ve been working their tail off to get on the field,” said Feldman.
Due to that inconsistency on the field, we’ve seen Feldman switch up the personnel on the lines. One of the more notable switch-ups is the swap between Tristan Van de Moortele to O-line and Leo Sovell-Fernandez to D-line. That isn’t a guaranteed move that we will see this weekend, but it is something to keep an eye out for, considering the success that Van de Moortele has had with the offensive group when he does get slotted in.
Photo by Matt Messina
“We'll see what the coaches have planned for us, but wherever I get slotted, I know we'll find a way to have success! The roster has been a bit inconsistent, but I think our play is what has been more inconsistent. Finding ourselves and getting into a groove is a big focus for us as we close our regular season,” said Van de Moortele.
In the last matchup between these two, Minnesota didn’t have the greatest first half of play, yet they still found themselves up two at the break. Madison just played worse and continually shot themselves in the foot. After getting some grounding, the Wind Chill took the game away and ended up winning by eight. As we are further into the season and things are more fine-tuned on both sides, Minnesota can’t afford to come out with low energy.
“We have found success against them recently, and I think it speaks more to the talent and growth our team has had the last five years than anything else. We go into every game expecting that if we play our game, if we execute on our systems, we will come out with a win. There's no different formula this weekend. It’s about applying defensive pressure all game, moving the disc quickly and smartly on offense, and trusting that we have the athleticism and fitness to win the fourth quarter,” said Van de Moortele.
Photo by Matt Messina
With the infamous wind at Sea Foam combined with the fact that these two teams host two of the best and most productive defenses in the league, expect this one to be a rather low-scoring game. The Radicals have the third-most blocks in the league, along with the third-best break percentage, but Minnesota has the title of the best break percentage in the league as of now.
The determining factor in this one will be which offense can be more consistent. It won’t be about the breaks, the blocks, or the defensive pressure. Those will happen for both squads. Rather, it will be about which team can go out there, build confidence on offense, hold the most, and have the most consistency.
To buy tickets to the Border Battle at Sea Foam Stadium for Saturday night, click here!
To tune in at 6 p.m. CT to watch the game between the Wind Chill and Radicals, click here!
