Photo by Trent Erickson
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
If you look at the 2024 season for the Minnesota Wind Chill, technically, this year was a down year. However, it was by just a couple of points. The Wind Chill went from champions in 2024 to returning to the title game in 2025, losing by just two points.
“I’m excited about the trajectory of our program and organization. We have consistently demonstrated that we have what it takes to compete during Championship Weekend year after year. Also, we understand that the margins in this league are so thin that if any given point or two goes differently in any game, it could’ve changed our whole season,” said head coach Ben Feldman.
Going into the 2025 season, Minnesota seemed like a powerhouse. They were coming off of a championship in Salt Lake that a lot of people were saying was a fluke because of the inclement weather. Well, they proved everyone wrong this year by nearly doing the exact same thing. Feldman also added two big names in Justin Burnett and James Pollard to an already top D-line.
Photo by Chris Hurd
“The fit with the team was great on and off the field. It’s really a great group of people and just super fun to hang out with and play with. They were very welcoming and adaptable to fit my game into their system,” said Burnett.
"I feel we meshed well, especially at the end of the season. There was a learning curve, as I have basically played in the same systems since 2017. Meshing off the field was easy; it was only a struggle on the field,” said Pollard.
If it weren’t for the Chicago Union adding as much as they did, the Wind Chill would’ve been the favorites heading into the first game of the season. As we’re talking about the preseason, let’s recap what happened at the start of 2025.
The Wind Chill traveled to Indy and walloped the Indianapolis AlleyCats 32-17 behind the six-assist performance by Gordon Larson. Following that up was a match with what ended up being the Central Division Championship later in the season against the Union. Minnesota struggled to get any offense in this one, losing by five.
That loss was their home opener and lit a fire underneath the guys as they rattled off five straight wins. That win streak included two 31-point performances to start and end the streak against the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds and AlleyCats, respectively. The middle three games included another win against Pittsburgh, one against the Madison Radicals, and a fourth-quarter comeback against the Atlanta Hustle in TCO Stadium.
Photo by Rich Moll
Sitting at 5-1 at the midpoint of the season, the Wind Chill were faced with another game against Chicago. This one was even worse than the first. On the Fourth of July, Minnesota was sent home with their holiday weekend spoiled by a ten-point loss.
This is where the questions started to arise about Minnesota’s offense. They were showing major inconsistencies and were struggling to get going early in games. Those questions are still not answered, as we saw through the end of the season, it was the Wind Chill’s biggest issue.
“It was frustrating. The team relied on our defense this year to get back into games or win games. We knew we were capable of playing well. The fourth quarter of the Chicago game was some of our best offense. We had a series of high-pressure holds when it mattered the most. It’ll be about finding that confidence and consistency earlier and more often,” said Will Brandt.
Photo by Trent Erickson
Minnesota got back on track with an easy win against the Detroit Mechanix, then played a hard-fought game against the Radicals, winning 16-13. The last two games of the regular season brought on a road trip to Salt Lake to play the Shred, where they lost by four.
Coming back to Sea Foam Stadium to close out the regular season, the Wind Chill gave fans a 35-11 blowout versus the Mechanix. A 9-3 finish in 2025 gave Minnesota its fifth straight season of winning at least nine games and playoff appearances.
With Chicago finishing the regular season undefeated, the stage was set. The first round of the playoffs was going to be the Wind Chill against the Radicals in Minnesota. This was one where the home team was in control nearly the entire game, beating the Radicals 22-16.
Photo by Rich Moll
Now, Minnesota sat just one game out from returning to Championship Weekend, but the giants of Chicago still stood in their way. The 2025 Central Division Championships gave the UFA one of the most intense games of the year. Continual back and forth was the theme. After one point in the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 13. We saw Minnesota’s offense burst with four straight high-pressure holds to keep the game on serve.
A near-callahan and insane display of athletic ability by Noah Hanson led to a Matthew Rehder to Bryan Vohnoutka break score. The next point, a prayer sent up by Tristan Van de Moortele up the sideline found a toe-tapping Dylan DeClerck while he was falling out of bounds, securing the possession and game for the Wind Chill.
“They were one of the most talented and best teams in the league this year. We had to overcome that hurdle to get to where we got. We want to have competitive teams in the division. That’s what makes playing fun. I don’t think we have the success we do at championship weekend without Chicago pushing us,” said Feldman.
Photo by Chris Hurd
Heading into Championship Weekend, Minnesota was familiar with the location of Breese Stevens Field in Madison, WI, and had played two of the three teams remaining. First on the docket was a semifinal match with the Hustle.
They were down two heading into the fourth quarter, and blasted the Hustle for four straight points, giving them a two-point lead. That lead ended up being the difference in the 23-21 final. Finally, the Wind Chill had an opportunity to properly defend their title against the Boston Glory, the one team they hadn’t played this season.
Struggles offensively, and being able to complete the long swing passes that Boston forced them into, seemed to be the deciding factor. While they were down five with 30 seconds left in the third quarter and made a slight comeback, Boston possesses the disc better than anyone in the league. Two points lasted a combined eight minutes in the fourth quarter, and there was too much of a gap to overcome.
Photo by Daniel Cohen
“I’m happy with the season. We had some rough moments, but in the end, I think that we silenced the doubters. It was always going to be hard to repeat, and we knew this, but we still battled the entire way and showed that we are one of the best teams in the league,” said Paul Krenik.
“We were hungry this year to repeat. There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone coming back wants to prove to the league that we will have a long championship window. I think the team has the mindset that every season is new. It wouldn’t have mattered if people believed in us or not, because every year our team will be slightly different, and so will the league. We all want to prove that the Chill aren’t a one-hit wonder but a product of the incredible farm-like system in Minnesota and the community that surrounds us,” said Blake Krapfl.
Looking at overall team stats from the year is a bit difficult, considering the Wind Chill played 16 games this season, more than any other team. However, they hosted a top-three defense in terms of breaks, blocks, D-line conversion rate, and break percentage. Meanwhile, they did have one of the most potent offenses in terms of scoring, but a lot of those scores came against teams that managed to get just a couple of wins this year.
Photo by Trent Erickson
Individually, there weren’t a lot of high numbers. Minnesota did have two guys crack the top ten in blocks by Burnett with 21 and Hanson with 19, but other than that, there wasn’t anyone who stood out amongst the rest of the league. This was a team where everyone got love on both sides of the disc. That’s what makes Minnesota so good is their unselfishness and depth.
They had five guys corral at least 20 goals this season. Those being Vohnoutka leading with 31, Krenik with 27, DeClerck with 23, Greg Cousins with 21, and Thomas Shope with 21 in just ten games played. Assist-wise, it was nearly the same thing. They had five guys with at least 27 assists, with Brandt leading the team with 39, Larson with 35, Tristan Van de Moortele with 33, Josh Klane at 28, and Vohnoutka with 27.
As for the defensive side of things, there are four names amongst the top five on the team compared to last year. Burnett led the team with his 21 blocks, followed by the lone repeater in Hanson. Other new additions, Pollard had 16, then newcomers Krapfl and Max Hanscom round out the top five with 15 apiece.
Photo by Rich Moll
“I definitely bet on myself going into the year, but there are also 30+ guys on our roster that are good enough to be starters on most teams in the league. I trusted myself to make the most of my minutes and try and do whatever I could to help the team. I’m effort-focused in my game. I try to make the right plays and work my butt off and see what happens,” said Krapfl.
“I feel like I improved in several aspects of my game this year, so I’m happy with that. I had way more turnovers than I would have liked, some drops, so that’s something completely fixable that I can continue to improve next season. I was very happy with this season, especially considering it was my first season back after my hamstring pull took me out of all but the last game of last year. A 20-10-10 season was my goal at the beginning, and I accomplished that,” said Burnett.
Photo by Rich Moll
The last thing that I want to mention while looking back at the 2025 season, and before we look into the future, is the play of Shope and Krenik towards the end of the season. Shope was switched to the offensive side in hopes of a different sparkplug, and it was a phenomenal decision. The confidence that he played with at Championship Weekend was unparalleled for a teenager.
“The young guys are exciting. It’s awesome to see them stepping into bigger roles and leading this team. I’m pumped to see what the future holds for them and for us,” said Vohnoutka.
As far as Krenik, he went on a masterful run in the playoffs. He started off with blanketing the leading-goal scorer to zero goals in the first round of the playoffs, then turned to keeping Nate Goff from impacting much of the Central Division Championship, followed by limiting Brett Hulsmeyer in the semifinal and grabbing five blocks in that game, and continued to help mitigate the Boston offense in the championship.
“It feels good to play like that in the playoffs, and it was something that I knew needed to be done. I think our defense has always had one or two players in each game who step up, and in the playoffs, we showed it could be anybody. I think that the recognition part is fun, but it’s only the icing on the cake because the real stuff that I like the most is getting to play with this group,” said Krenik.
Photo by Rich Moll
Despite going into detail about the 2025 season, that year is over. It is in the past, and the Wind Chill are a team that continually looks forward to facing what’s in front of them. What is currently in front of them is addressing the offensive consistency issues, potential turnover with their roster, and maintaining the hard work throughout the long offseason.
“I think understanding what the right combination of personnel will be going into 2026. We may have some changes. We have a lot of talent there. While our offense struggled in the finals for a stretch of points, it is no different than our opponents having the same challenges against us. When you’re playing against the best teams, some of those inconsistencies will come out. We just have to continue to improve.”
“It’s still too early to tell. We’ll do a lot of thinking this offseason. There might be some personnel changes. There has to be a bigger focus on maintaining possession of the disc,” said Brandt.
With the turnover, they will most likely be losing Pollard after a one-off year in Minnesota. Burnett’s return could be up in the air, but he has no comment about his plans for next season. On the receiving end, look for Feldman to potentially ink some more big names with that Wind Chill logo next to their signatures.
Photo by Meghan White
“When I signed on, the plan was always for one year. I was frustrated with how things had been going in Philly, so it was an opportunity to learn and grow as a player. In doing so, it also allowed Philly to figure out what it wanted to do with the men's club and pro scenes without my input,” said Pollard.
The offseason is a long one in the UFA, but the work doesn’t stop. Nine-year veteran Vohnoutka knows that better than anyone.
“It’s all about routine. We have a group that regularly works out during the off-season. I take about two weeks off after club nationals, then it’s back to the gym. It’s become so ingrained that it would probably be tough to transition to something else at this point,” said Vohnoutka. “I’m enjoying the time. It’s special to make it to the final two years in a row. I’m looking forward to spending time with the guys and cherishing the ride we took. Especially, gearing up to run it back next year.”
Photo by Matt Messina
This team isn’t done, they aren’t a fluke, and they have a red dot on the 2026 championship trophy.
“The goal will continue to be making it to championship weekend. It felt great to be back there this season. We proved to ourselves we can compete with anyone,” said Brandt.
