The Minnesota Wind Chill are set to host their first Divisional Championship this weekend against the Indianapolis AlleyCats. A game that is sure to be a banger will kick off at 6 p.m. this Saturday at Sea foam stadium. I decided to take a look into this matchup, and look into which teams the Chill might face later in this postseason.
A Look Back at the Regular Season
Firstly, Minnesota has beaten the AlleyCats twice this year in two very different ways. Their first victory over the ‘Cats was actually their first win of the season. They started the game down by four only to come back through all four quarters and end up winning by two. Several AlleyCats’ players were extraordinarily disappointed in themselves after this loss.
This, however, was not the tone of the season for Indy who went on to beat all other divisional opponents this year and ended the regular season at 9-3. Indy has set themselves up to be a formidable opponent. However, when they came to Minnesota in week 11, Minnesota dominated an admittedly short handed Alleycats roster, winning by 5.
So what should we expect for the Divisional championship game?
Well, the ‘Cats are not the team to go down without a fight, and Minnesota knows it. Even in the blowout loss, Indy outscored Minnesota 6 to 2 in the final frame. Indy will have a full-strength roster this time around and some star players, including Keegan North, Xavier Payne, and Cam Brock (to name a few) are looking to punch their ticket to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2019.
But Minnesota will be prepared. Several veterans have come so close to Championship Weekend in the past, and they smell blood in the water. This has been one of Minnesota’s shining spots all year: Minnesota is hungry for the championship. Despite having an inconsistent identity and an inconsistent roster, Minnesota’s players have shown up all season. Dylan DeClerck has always put up monster numbers for blocks and this year was no different. With a team high 16 blocks, he is never afraid to lay out for the defense. Nor is he afraid to change pace and quickly get into the end zone for a score. Brandon Matis continues to be a beast on and off the field, forcing players to drop passes by intimidation alone.
Snider, despite playing in less than half the games this season, has 22 goals. On top of that, Minnesota’s all-time goal scoring (and best disc spiker), B-Von is continuing to lead the team with 29 goals of his own.
Some of the best pullers in the league are on the Wind Chill, two of whom, Cameron Lacy and Sam Berglund, are rookies. Speaking of rookies, one of the most underrated players on the Chill (both for his play and his cellys) Tanner Barcus, is also a rookie.
Home Field Advantage
If I were to list off all of Minnesota’s star players, I would put the whole roster on here, but the Wind Chill have a few other elements on their side.
Being able to have home field advantage in such an important game not only boosts morale for the players, but also for the fans. The game is expected to be the single highest attendance game of franchise history, and Minnesota has won every game at home this year.
Not only do they have the crowd on their side, they also have time on their side as well. In a recent interview with head coach Ben Feldman, we learned that this is by far the most time Minnesota has had to prepare for a game, not only in watching film, but also in number of practices. He was excited to have his team be fully healthy for what feels like the first time since week one. Minnesota has had to flex its depth throughout the season, and while that led to some bitter losses, it also allowed them to have the luxury of wanting to roster more than 20 players for their first home divisional championship game.
Feldman also mentioned how he and the team were focusing on just this weekend, just this game, and winning this one first. But the truth is, if they win this one, we have more Minnesota ultimate to look forward to. And while I won’t go too in depth into all other matchups, there are a few very interesting scenarios that are possible.
A Peek to Championship Weekend
Minnesota has the chance to be the one seed heading into the final four. If every other division faces an upset, Minnesota will be the only team to have finished the regular season with ten wins. This means that they would face off against the Los Angeles Aviators in round one.
In the case of the East or the West being the only upset, Minnesota will have round one against the Atlanta Hustle (the only other team to beat the Alleycats this year). If the south is the only division with an upset, then Minnesota looks to face the Salt Lake Shred.
In the likely case that there are no upsets, Minnesota will have the honor of playing the reigning champs, and the only undefeated team in the league, the New York Empire, in round one. Despite the fact that the Empire is the best team in the league, I can’t help but hope that we do eventually get to see a Minnesota-Empire showdown. Mostly because the only team to have beaten the Empire since their lossless streak began is Minnesota. Now that might sound counterintuitive.
How can you beat someone and they still have no losses? That’s because it was an exhibition match at the half-time of a Minnesota Vikings game. Was it a serious game? No. Were the Empire massively short handed? Yes. Are we counting it? 100%.
Of course, all of this is secondary to Minnesota beating the aLLeycats, so show up, cheer loud, and Stay Chilly this Saturday.
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