Photo by Meghan White
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
On June 15, the Minnesota Wind Chill returned to their home at Sea Foam Stadium for the first time since their home opener loss, but this time walked out with a win against the Colorado Summit.
A 20-17 win for Minnesota happened in conditions that were not friendly to the fans or the players. Consistent rain and wind, with the rain picking up at certain points during the night. Field conditions were wet, and the disc was slippery. However, the Wind Chill’s own Josh Klane didn’t think that the conditions were as bad as people thought.
“I think the wind held enough to make it a throwers’ wind. We had a downwind that really played to my throwing strength. I was able to hit inside throws to space, and our cutters just stayed shallow. They let our throwers throw to space. So, I think it the weather held enough to make it not too bad,” said Klane.
It was back and forth up until a couple minutes into the second quarter, when the Wind Chill went on four point run that left Colorado stunned going into half. The Summit didn’t just lay down as shots kept on being traded at top speed in the third quarter. 13 combined scores, with Colorado getting a three point run of their own closed the deficit to one.
Then, with 24 seconds left on the clock at the start of the point, Bryan Vohnoutka saw the disc in his hands with a few seconds left in the quarter, and sent it flying for 66 yards. Matthew Rehder drew a crowd while going up for the catch, but Dylan DeClerk sat behind it all waiting to clean up. In fact, that’s exactly what happened as the disc flew over the crowd, and DeClerk tracked it down to give Minnesota a two-point lead.
“The one at the end of the third quarter was huge for us. Rehder drew three guys to up with him and that's how we set that. That's how it's supposed to be with someone sitting back there. We know, we've lost in that scenario and in bad moments before. You learn from those moments and it was great execution,” said Feldman.
Klane held the offense steady all night, leading to a 78 hold percentage. He also managed to throw three assists and three hockey assists, along with grabbing one goal. He also led the team in total yards with 636, 453 being throwing yards. The only player he sat behind in total yards was Colorado’s Alex Atkins, who had 888 total yards.
Head coach Ben Feldman gave the task of covering the Summit’s top player to Paul Krenik in his first game back at home this year. Atkins is a great player, he knows it, and he likes to show that with emotion on the field. With Krenik on him for most the game, Atkins designed a celebration of flapping his arms like a duck that he led upon a Colorado score. It was in reference to Krenik’s college team, the University of Minnesota-Grey Ducks.
“Atkins is a great player. Great throws and a huge backhand. I think that was one of my big focuses tonight, was just slowing him down as a thrower, and trying to limit him downfield. I came in with a great scouting report from Max, Ben, and the coaches. Being able to have all that information going into this game was super huge,” said Krenik.
At the end of the game, with the Wind Chill up three, they took the field with their O-line to start, and eventually, subbed in their D-line due to a longer winded point. Vohnoutka tossed up a 45-yard score to Krenik to give him his first and only goal of the game. Afterwards, Krenik gave Atkins a taste of his own medicine by replicating the “quack” chant.
“Good players talk trash, it’s part of the game. That quack chant that he was going with, I thought that was good. It got me hyped up to play better defense. I feel like there’s a lot of mutual respect there. Then, finally when I scored, leading that quack cheer was just electric,” said Krenik.
Now, Minnesota knew the importance of their second Super Series game on the year. How they needed to get their first win at home before entering the thick of their schedule. That led them to sitting at 5-1 on top of the Central Division after sending the Summit home 0-2 in their doubleheader weekend.
“It was almost a must win game. I think, because we lost to Pittsburgh, which is a game we should have won, we feel like. Now, I'm sure they were gassed. We knew it was not their full roster. We cannot let them come in and beat us on our home turf. In that way, it was a must win, and I think we played our best all-around game of the year at the right time,” said Klane.
The Wind Chill are looking smoother as they hit the halfway point in their season. Feldman feels it, the players feel it, and the fans feel it. They’ll need to continue that feeling for this upcoming weekend when the Madison Radicals come to town. A game that will surely mean a ton come the end of the year.
“We feel like we're getting better and better every game. We want to be in a position at the end of the year to compete in the playoffs and make championship weekend,” said Feldman.
