Photo by Matt Messina
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
It’s time to reignite the border battle. On June 22, the Minnesota Wind Chill will host the Madison Radicals in the newly flexed UFA Game of the Week at Sea Foam Stadium.
For the final matchup between the two, there could be a lot riding on this game. As Minnesota sits atop the Central Division at 5-1, the Radicals are gaining momentum as they are right below them at 5-2. A win for the Wind Chill would give them a ton more comfortability in taking home the division for the second year in a row.
“A win would certainly position us well as we enter the second half of the regular season. No shortage of motivation for our group, and we are excited to get back to Sea Foam with our home crowd. Hopefully this time in more favorable spectator conditions for our amazing fans,” said head coach Ben Feldman.
Both of these teams sent the Colorado Summit home with a loss last weekend, and are both sitting on small win streaks. Minnesota hasn’t loss since their home opener four weeks ago against the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, Madison has a three-game win streak as well, last losing against the Chicago Union.
“I think we will need to find new levels of offensive patience to be the most successful this game. Madison is clearly trending upwards after their big win last week, and if we can’t take care of the disc, they will punish us like they did Colorado. Our defense will certainly make it difficult for them, so I think the focus is on the offense this week to execute,” said Gordon Larson.
The last time these two teams played each other was in Breese Stevens Field in a game that got delayed for a couple hours in the middle due to weather. The Wind Chill walked out with a 21-17 win, where we saw Madison come out flat from the weather delay and gave up those runs that they’ve been trying so hard all year to prevent.
Both cities travel incredibly well to each other, meaning those Wind Chill stands will have plenty of Madison reps. The atmosphere will be rowdy and electric for a game that looks to be clear of any rain in St. Paul.
“I don’t think it [Madison fanbase] brings any issues. I do think there is a bit more tension in the stands, but on the field, once we start playing, I don’t really notice the crowd,” said Bryan Vohnoutka.
A big difference in this game will be the players taking the field for the Wind Chill. They will be without playmakers in Matthew Rehder, Quinn Snider, and Brandon Matis. The latter of three snatched his 100th career goal last weekend. However, the combination of Rehder and Snider on offense proved to be a problem last matchup for Madison’s smaller lineup as they brought in six goals together.
“It’s never easy to be missing key players out to the lineup, but we’ve managed well also season and have a ton of confidence in the depth of our group. We are excited to have Gordon Larson and Bret Bergmeier back after missing them this past weekend against Colorado,” said Feldman.
Not only will Bergmeier and Larson be cleating up, but Minnesota also didn’t have their highly-touted college players when they took on the Radicals the first time. Paul Krenik, Will Brandt, and Anthony Jirele are all players the Madison will have to gameplan for.
“I can’t wait for the home game. Our crowd and atmosphere is so fun, and it always gives us an additional advantage. It will be my first home game of the season as well, so I’m excited to play in front of a lot of friends and familiar faces. The last time we played the Rads it was a super series game, and we showed up in the big moment, so I think we are all excited to be the game of the week now,” said Larson.
Both teams sport stingy defenses that can turn around and score in quick fashion. Minnesota sits at the third in the league in scores against per game and seventh in break rate percentage. While, Madison sits at seventh in scores against per game, and first in break rate percentage. The Wind Chill are not only going to have to take care of the disc on offense, but keep in mind that the Radicals will want to push the pace if those mistakes happen.
“Their defense seems to have adopted a slightly different identity than past years, and it caught me off guard in our first matchup. They have a ton of young athletes that will lay out and make a great play when you aren’t expecting it. And once they get a D, they are super dangerous and will push the pace super hard the other way. We worked on stopping the fast break in practice, so we should be ready for it” said Larson.
Long-time successors against the Radicals in Vohnoutka and Dylan DeClerk will surely need to stay at their high-level play in order to beat their division rival. In their previous matchup, DeClerk has two blocks in crunch time and added on four goals to the mix. For Vohnoutka, he exploded in that game by making some huge momentum plays that resulted in four assists, three goals, and one block.
“I’d say we are more focused on continually improving on our own execution and style of play, and less focused on whatever momentum our opponent has coming into the game. We do know that Madison has been very efficient converting their break chances thus far this season, so it’s critical for us to quickly transition into our defensive sets after turning over the frisbee,” said Feldman.
Knowing that there is still plenty of frisbee to played over the second half of the season, we still may be looking at the Central Division champion in whichever team comes out victorious this weekend.
To watch the UFA Game of Week at 6 p.m. CDT this Saturday, click here!
To buy tickets to Sea Foam Stadium, click here!
