Photo by Rich Moll
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
The second half of the season kicks off for the Minnesota Wind Chill this weekend against the Indianapolis AlleyCats.
This Saturday night, Sea Foam Stadium will fill up with Wind Chill fans to see them take on Indy for the second time this year. However, this matchup will look quite different from the last one. Minnesota skated by the AlleyCats 32-17 earlier in the season, getting whatever they wanted all across the field.
This time around, the reigning champs will be missing a slew of players including Will Brandt, Justin Burnett, Paul Krenik, Quinn Snider, and Kyle Suelflow. Snider and Suelflow did not play in the first matchup, but the other three combined for four blocks, seven assists, seven goals, and over 1,300 total yards.
“Any time we get to step on our home field, our guys are fired up and ready to roll. With a few of our regulars missing, I’m excited to have others step up into those roles,” said head coach Ben Feldman.
Despite missing some of their top players, Minnesota should handle the young Indy team similar to their first matchup. It most likely will be a closer game than the previous 15-point rout, but the Wind Chill have one of the deepest teams in the league.
“We start off the second half of the season by bringing energy to every point no matter the opponent or score,” said Leo Sovell-Fernandez.
Some of the potential subs who will be decided upon closer to game time, depending on whether they suit up, could be Peter Mans, Ryan duSaire, Tanner Barcus, Mickey Walsh, and a few others. Feldman is going to need some of these guys to step up into the role and play well to take home their sixth win of the year.
“The focus is and always will be on competing and trying to win, but really we need to find our identity as an offensive unit. Defensively, we’ve shown that we can get the job done. We need to first prove as an O-unit that we can score efficiently,” said Matthew Rehder.
Look for Minnesota to really hone in on their offensive unit, due to the struggles they have had getting going early this year. Statistically, this is a team that is right in the middle of the pack, besides their red zone conversion. The offense did look crisp in these two’s first matchup with an 84% hold rate and a 76% offensive conversion rate.
“The key to fighting for another championship this year is scoring when we have possession. Our job this weekend is to find a unified strength in scoring, regardless of who will be suited for the game on Saturday,” said Rehder.
Rehder corralled in five goals in the first game against Indy, so look for him to have a similar impact. Gordon Larson and Tristan Van de Moortele also had stand-out games in the early season matchup, combining for 10 assists, three goals, and over 750 total yards.
“On offense, I expect a balanced attack with touches spread between a lot of players. We’ll probably look to mix up initiating momentum from downfield or backfield movement from point to point,” said Sovell-Fernandez.
This game will be a building block for the rest of the season. Regardless, Minnesota needs to stay focused and take this one home. With a win, they will stand at 6-1 heading into their bye week, before a doubleheader weekend.
“We continue to identify areas of opportunity to be addressed as a total team, and look forward to working through those this weekend against Indianapolis,” said Feldman.
Tune in this Saturday at 6 p.m. CT to watch the second game between Minnesota and Indianapolis!
Click here to purchase tickets to Sea Foam Stadium!
