The Minnesota Wind Chill rode a gutsy defensive effort in windy conditions to win an unlikely, but well-deserved championship
August 26, 2024 by Alex Rubin in Recap with 1 comments
“Let’s be real,” Minnesota coach and co-owner Ben Feldman said on stage after winning the 2024 UFA championship. “We shocked the world tonight.” And they had, as the Minnesota Wind Chill won this year’s title with a 17-16 win over the Carolina Flyers in the final.
Since their inception in 2013, the Wind Chill steadily built to this moment. Though some past stars left the team (Ryan Osgar, Charles Weinberg, and Ben Jagt are a few alumni who ended up winning titles with other franchises), foundational players like Bryan Vohnoutka, Brandon Matis, Josh Klane, and Dylan DeClerck have been playing since the early years of the team.
Minnesota announced themselves as a true contender in 2021, but collapsed in the Central Division title game despite holding a three goal lead midway through the fourth quarter. In 2023, the Wind Chill made it to Championship Weekend in their home city but fell to an ascending Salt Lake team in one of the most iconic finishes in the league’s tenure. This year, they traveled to Salt Lake and came away with the biggest win and the boldest statement in team history.
“That’s been at the back of our minds all year,” Championship Weekend MVP Will Brandt said after the game, referring to last season’s heartbreak. “To get the win yesterday [in semifinals], and then to come ball out today, I mean it’s priceless.”
The Wind Chill led wire to wire, and it was evident from the very first moments of the game that they were the more prepared team. The start of the game was delayed about half an hour when the stadium PA system went down. Minnesota spent the delay on the field throwing and staying focused. The Flyers took a more casual approach with some players active and moving and others just waiting out the time before the game started.
“We’re always ready for this,” Wind Chill captain Brandon Matis said. “I don’t think there was a doubt, even with the delay, that we were going to come out firing.” Minnesota scored three breaks in the first two minutes of the game and built a four goal lead. A series of drops downed the Flyers, the first two on their own goal line.
Minnesota rolled into the title game on a break train 🚂
Championship Game
📺 Free on YouTube pic.twitter.com/fzsRnCFk94— UFA (@watchUFAtv) August 25, 2024
Minnesota’s experience and comfort in the wind clearly helped them succeed. No matter the conditions, the Wind Chill looked poised. Whether fielding a pull on the back line of their own end zone, staring down an 80 yard upwind march for a break, or picking up a Flyers turnover and looking to fast break, the Wind Chill moved with the pace and energy of a team looking to create its own luck. Carolina, on the other hand, looked spooked after their series of startling mistakes, and the O-line started launching hucks to avoid short field turnovers. Tobias Brooks, Allan Laviolette, Anders Juengst, and Ben Snell each had multiple throwing turnovers just in the first half as the Flyers just let discs fly regardless of the position of their receivers. The Flyers also had five drops by the time they went into the locker room for halftime.
Minnesota made good use of their technically skilled players. Cameron Lacy’s deadly pulls kept Carolina starting possessions in the back of their own end zone on nearly every point. Klane’s ability to push discs upwind bolstered the D-line attack when facing that direction. After playing just a single defensive point all season, Klane played six in the final and finished with four assists to lead the game. Matis and DeClerck effectively contained Carolina’s big receivers like Jacob Fairfax and Henry Fisher when tasked with those matchups. Fairfax, Fisher, and Terrance Mitchell were important receivers in Carolina’s semifinal win over Seattle because of their large catch radius in the wind, but Minnesota defenders minimized their impact over the course of the game.
“We’re a deep team,” Vohnoutka said. “It’s very evident that we can roll out multiple D-lines at you. We can flip flop O personnel depending on conditions like this. That was huge for us in these last two games.” At different points, lesser known players like Colin Berry, Quinn Snider, Lacy, and Anthony Jirele each had stand out moments.
Quinn Snider poster time 📸
Championship Game
📺 Free on YouTube pic.twitter.com/9oeOBsMWnP— UFA (@watchUFAtv) August 25, 2024
“We may not be the best talented team,” Feldman said after the game, “but these guys know how to fight and they adapt and adjust.” Feldman, along with assistant coaches Max Longchamp and Carlos Lopez, put the players on their roster into positions to succeed, not just with a strong game plan, but with a strong approach to development that paid off after years of work.
Minnesota’s growth within this season served as a microcosm of their franchise trajectory. An early season home loss to the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds – yes, the same team who lost to the hapless Detroit Mechanix – asked a lot of questions of a team that at the time just had championship hopes. A blowout home loss to New York had all but the staunchest believers giving up on this Wind Chill team.
Yet, when it mattered most the Wind Chill handily dispatched Madison–until now the only other Central Division team to win a title–to make Championship Weekend, and out-performed favored teams in DC and Carolina to take home the new league trophy.
The Wind Chill relied heavily on their young players in addition to the seasoned veterans mentioned above. Thomas Shope, Gordon Larson, Noah Hanson, Paul Krenik, Leo Sovell-Fernandez, and of course the MVP Brandt all had standout moments. While this season will forever be a special one for the Wind Chill, the team is set up well to continue as a championship tier team for years to come.
