Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist

The Minnesota Wind Chill have the opportunity to reel in their second straight Central Division title given a good result from this upcoming weekend.

“It’s exciting that we put ourselves in a good position, but it doesn’t make the game any easier or harder,” said Feldman.

These games definitely won’t be easy, as Minnesota will go on a road trip for a two-game weekend. The first game will be on June 28 in Martin Stadium against the Chicago Union. The Wind Chill will follow that up with a game hosted by the Detroit Mechanix on June 29.

With the win earlier in the season against the Union, if Minnesota can go 2-0 this weekend, the division title will return to the Twin Cities. The Wind Chill will effectively have the tiebreakers over all the Central Division teams, not including Detroit, who they still have to play a second time this year.

“I think it’s all about focus and energy for us this week. We’ve been known to play some of our worst games in Chicago particularly. Pair that with the fact that Detroit is riding the highest of highs this week, we really need to lock in for both opponents,” said Brandon Matis.

Despite the potentiality, there are still games to be played this weekend, nonetheless, games to win. First, let’s take a look into who the Wind Chill will be missing this weekend. Big threats like Matthew Rehder and Quinn Snider will both not be joining on the road trip, along with the names of Tanner Barcus and Michael Jordan. On the flip side, Minnesota will be getting back Brandon Matis after last game’s absence, who is second on the team in blocks.

“It’s just about getting my mind and body right so I can put some of the abnormal schedule behind me and get back in game-prep rhythm. I’ll also be working through the recent Madison film to see what worked and didn’t for our D group last week—and see what kind of tendencies our guys are playing with—so I don’t throw a wrench in any of our progress. But it’s not hard, man. I’m 120-something games into this thing at this point. I stay ready,” said Matis.

Last week, Minnesota was down the big cutting duo when they took home a win against the Madison Radicals. With how deep their roster is, they saw a decline in their huck completions, but still were able to create a good lead on Madison.

“I don't see it as added pressure. Certainly, we miss having those two, but O-line's job is the same every point regardless of which seven are on the field,” said Greg Cousins. “Double headers are just as much a test of focus as they are endurance for the body. If we have fun as a team, take care of our bodies and lock it in when it's time to play, we'll do just fine this weekend.”

In their previous matchup against Chicago, Minnesota looked out of sorts in the first quarter. They got themselves down early, coming out of the first quarter down three. However, they put things together and showed that they can crawl out of holes, but that’s a place that head coach Ben Feldman doesn’t want to flirt with in this game.

“First and foremost, not going down super early like we did last time down there. I think that is important for us. Getting a quick start would be helpful for us. That starts with the first point of the game, whether it’s on offense or defense,” said Feldman.

Chicago will be without Joe White for the second bout between the two teams, along with big playmaker John Lithio being listed as questionable. The Union have had an up and down season with a huge two-win weekend down in Texas earlier in the year, but they have dropped two of their last three to the Indianapolis AlleyCats and Pittsburgh Thunderbirds.

“Not to give them bulletin board material, but I think Chicago has had one of the hardest times flowing of any offense we’ve played so far this season. And they’re last in the league in holds per game to show for it. We’re really good at disconnecting the handler layer and cutter layer of offenses—it’s become somewhat of our specialty as a defensive unit. So if we can limit immediate cutter momentum from the start of each point, I think Chicago is in for an absolute chore of a game,” said Matis.

Moving on to the second game of the weekend against a team that won their first game in 81 games last week. The Mechanix are riding high after taking down the Thunderbirds last week by eleven. Ideally, Minnesota walks into this game healthy from the night before and can take care of business.

“It's a matter of staying focused on ourselves. Every game we play has its own story, but all that matters is how we play. That said, we'll be looking to end Detroit's new streak,” said Cousins.

To follow the Wind Chill on their road trip this weekend, click here!

Game times will be at 7 p.m. CDT against Chicago this Friday, June 28, and 6 p.m. CDT against Detroit this Saturday, June 29.