DET @ MIN 7/20 Recap

Photo by Rich Moll

Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist

This past Saturday, the Minnesota Wind Chill tied a pretty bow on their regular season as they handedly beat the Detroit Mechanix, 30-16, in the confines of their own home, Sea Foam Stadium.

This was the second time around that these two teams have faced off this season, and both games looked incredibly similar. Minnesota got out to a hot start in both them. In the first matchup, they were up 8-2 after the opening quarter, and in this one, were up 9-4.

A closer second quarter in terms of scoring followed suit after the dominating first. The major difference was the third and fourth quarter in the two matchups. In their first game, Minnesota dominated both quarters, outscoring Detroit 8-3 and 6-2, in the respective quarters. Last Saturday, the third quarter was one-point difference, but the fourth quarter saw the Wind Chill outscore the Mechanix 8-1.

“As other team got tired, we started to capitalize, which we need to be doing. It was an alright game. I thought some guys brought a lot of energy. Others had a rough time. We had some really bad unforced turnovers on offense in the first half, and cleaned it up a little bit in the second half,” said head coach Ben Feldman.

The usual workhorses, given a lot of big names were out for this one, did their thing. Tristan Van de Moortele and Josh Klane led the team in assists with six and five apiece, respectively. On the scoring end, Bret Bergmeier, Jordan Taylor, Gordon Larson, and Colin Berry all had at least three goals, Bergmeier leading the charge with five.

“Those guys run hard. They play hard. Felton’s, obviously, got huge throws, so we made some adjustments on him, and I think that helped our downfield defense lock in better,” said Bergmeier.

Minnesota, definitely, would have liked to come out of this game with a bit sharper of a performance. This was their last chance to refine some skills prior to their home playoff game that they will be hosting on August 10. The win gives them a 9-3 record on the year, and they will have a three week break until they get a chance to return to championship weekend.

“It's a lot about conditioning and having our guys physically ready to play in the biggest moment when everyone's here. Film prep, game prep, everything. Now, the regular season is in the past and we're prepping for this one game that we have in three weeks,” said Feldman. They're going to stay focused. We want another shot at championship weekend, and I have a lot of confidence we’re going to come out with fire.”

Currently, the Wind Chill will be taking on the Chicago Union or Madison Radicals for their chance to continue their season. However, they won’t find out who it will be until the two teams play on July 28. There’s a lot of waiting that Minnesota will be doing in anticipation of their biggest game of the year.

“I think it's switching the mentality. Obviously, we have a little break here. But its back to the grind as far as getting our bodies ready and healthy and preparing for whoever's next,” said Bergmeier. “There’s no preference on who we want to play. It's going to be a grind no matter what. It's going to be a good game no matter what.”

Minnesota has seen Chicago a ton in recent years in the playoffs, but Madison is riding high after a three-game win streak at home. They will host the Union and look to travel to Minnesota afterwards. A third border battle with a playoff atmosphere would surely bring in a huge crowd.

“I know that matchup which has never happened in a division championship game, so that would be pretty incredible. It's hard not to root for that one as a GM/Owner. As a coach, I don't know. I think we're comfortable with either opponent,” said Feldman.

With all that being said, it has come down to a waiting game for Minnesota. Until then, they need to get fully healthy, lock in on their systems, and be prepared for whoever that winner may be.