Photo by Ron Sellers
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
The Minnesota Wind Chill traveled to the West Coast as the league's second-ranked team and left as the number one-ranked team. A one-point win against the Oakland Spiders in a game that did not disappoint was followed by a 22-point trouncing of the Vegas Bighorns.
On Friday night, Oakland and Minnesota had to grind through swirling winds, which led to long points and a sloppier start. It showed on the opening point, where both teams turned it over twice, and Oakland still punched in the game's first goal.
The Wind Chill bounced back right away, scoring in under a minute on a Noah Coolman huck to Will Brandt, finished by a Brandt-to-Nathan De Morgan score. The quarter featured nine total turnovers, underscoring the difficult conditions. Lukas Ambrose had two blocks; the second led to another Coolman-to-Brandt huck, and Brandt skied over three Oakland defenders for the score. That goal cut the deficit to one at the end of the first quarter.
Photo by Ron Sellers
It wasn’t until about halfway through the second quarter that both teams found consistent grooves. The first five points took nearly 10 minutes off the clock, but four more goals followed in the final two minutes of the half. The game turned physical as both De Morgan and Coolman got fouled hard on separate occasions, and it just fired up Minnesota.
An impressive 34-yard righty hammer from De Morgan, who is a lefty, dotted up Bryan Vohnoutka in the end zone, and both players went on to have amazing performances. They each finished with two assists and four goals, while Vohnoutka added over 300 total yards in his best game of the season.
The key moment came right before the end of the half, when Gordon Larson tossed a huck to Brandt, who caught it just outside the red zone, then got it to Josh Klane, who floated it back to Brandt to tie the game with 1.7 seconds left. Brandt’s end-of-quarter catches became some of the most important of the game.
Photo by Ron Sellers
“It was a huge end-of-quarter game for us,” Brandt said. “We almost went 4/4, and that’s how we won the game. I think we’ll continue to practice those situations quite a bit. But it was great to have the opportunity to be involved in three of them, and things went our way when it mattered.”
Oakland almost got one of their own when they caught the Hail Mary attempt, but ended up just one yard shy of the end zone. Heading into halftime, the score was tied at 9. Each team struggled to punch in on D-line breaks and combined for 21 turnovers. The rest of the game saw only 12 turnovers between the two teams (MN: 5, Oak: 7).
The third quarter was less hectic as the teams went shot-for-shot through the first eight points. Greg Cousins had a big third quarter, including a layout block that led to a dirty hold and a break score late in the quarter, helping take the lead and end the shot trading.
“It was great to get a real challenge in a back-and-forth battle! We’ve been in those spots before, and those experiences are the best way to figure out who you really are and what you need to truly improve at,” Noah Hanson said.
With 12 minutes to play, the score was tied at 14, and Minnesota came out firing on the first point. A 60-second, 13-throw point ended with an unbelievable layout score from Cousins on a De Morgan cross-field blade.
Photo by Ron Sellers
After that, it was smooth sailing for the next five points, with no single point lasting more than 54 seconds. The final stretch was the story. With Minnesota starting on the D-line, Oakland patient, a Wind Chill timeout, and multiple turnovers, the third-to-last point lasted more than five minutes and ended with an Oakland dirty hold.
The score was tied at 18, and Minnesota sent out its O-line, a group that came in on the back half of that last point, with just 26 seconds left to take the lead. Then, a timeout by Oakland’s head coach right before the potential last point may have been the difference in the Wind Chill's ability to march down the field and score on a Brandt-to-Paul Krenik pass in 22 seconds.
“It was a confusing timeout call,” Brandt recalled. “Very fortunate for us to be able to get our offense back out on the field after catching our breath. I could understand it in the moment, but it seems like a worse choice now that I look back at it.”
A turnover by the Spiders on the last point wiped away any chance they had at a prayer shot, ending the game 19-18 and keeping Minnesota as one of the two undefeated teams left in the league.
Despite going down by three in the first quarter, the Wind Chill stayed composed, fought back, and let their play take over. The offense stayed smooth as they completed 11 of their 15 hucks while holding at 80 percent.
“I feel like our offense has been flowing in some big moments this season,” Brandt stated. “The second half in Oakland was one of those moments. It’s a combination of smart playmaking and everyone playing their role well.”
Photo by Ron Sellers
Brandt led that charge with four assists, four goals, and nearly 500 total yards, most of them coming on the receiving end. His downfield presence and increased use as a cutter have been a big reason this offense is clicking. Larson was another major factor, continuing his career season with four assists and 438 passing yards.
“It was refreshing to play a new team, new defense, new venue, etc. We were looking forward to that challenge,” said Brandt. “I was glad to be able to continue catching some deep shots, and also getting into the backfield at times.”
After the hardest challenge they’d faced all season, Minnesota had to recalibrate and get ready for Vegas the next day in 105-degree heat. The heat didn’t impact the outcome or execution as Minnesota rolled by the Bighorns, putting up 23 breaks, 20 blocks, and missing just two of their hold chances.
The D-line got scored on the first point of the game, but then the Wind Chill kicked into gear and rattled off six straight scores. More runs like that followed in the second quarter, with a five-point run that stretched the lead even further, and by halftime, they were up 19-5.
Photo by Ron Sellers
In the second half, a four-point run and another five-point run gave Minnesota 34 points on the night, their sixth 30-plus-point game since 2020.
Everyone was getting in on the action in this one. Six players had two blocks, with Dylan DeClerck leading the pack with three, while adding three goals and an assist. Five players scored three times, featuring De Morgan, Brandt, Vohnoutka, and Zach Morton. Finally, four players had hat-trick assist games: Hanson with five, De Morgan with four, and Kristian Johnson and Brandt with three apiece. Three callahans were also caught by the Wind Chill, two by Klane and one by Hanson.
“It is a unique challenge to play a team you know you are going to beat after a tight game the night before, but it’s still an opportunity to get better as a team,” said Hanson. “With some experience playing teams like Detroit, I give a lot of credit to Dylan DeClerk for firing us up in the first quarter with energy. He knows how to handle those moments professionally.”
Photo by Ron Sellers
The weekend went as well as many could imagine. Brandt and Larson showed they are going to be a duo not to be messed with for the rest of the way. De Morgan, Klane, and Vohnoutka also made huge impacts on both games.
“Oakland played really well, they are disciplined and play the game the right way,” Hanson remarked. “They are definitely a strong offensive group, and if we meet again, I expect that we will need to find ways to apply more pressure to them.”
At 7-0, the team certainly looks like the team to beat across the entire UFA, but the back half of the season remains. Matchups with Salt Lake and Boston are on the horizon, and the Wind Chill must keep the momentum rolling to maintain their unblemished record.
