As the Minnesota Wind Chill (5-1) have reached the halfway point of their season, it can only go up from here. They currently hold the #1 seed in the Central Division, and roughly the fourth best record in the league. Their most recent win against the Colorado Summit (2-5) was a major momentum-shifting game for this Wind Chill team, as last year when they met in Colorado, the Summit had an overwhelming win against Minnesota in the Mile High City.
Big Games Ahead
With the Chill having four more home games and two away, we can look forward to some good ultimate being played right here in Minnesota, especially with the ever-looming Empire game coming up on July 12th. However, I believe that the face-off at TCO will turn out differently than what most think. It’s true that at the beginning of the season it seemed like an impossible win for the Chill, but now, it has become quite the opposite; with New York currently holding a 5-3 record, they are still a superb team, but not exactly the same superpower that they once were. A tight, maybe overtime win, is a very real possibility for Minnesota. We also need to take the two upcoming Chicago games into consideration; while the Chill have bested them once already this season, two more matchups with some of our consistently tough competition within the Central Division is definitely something to be preparing for.
Mapping the Path to Victory
With there now being a non-stop flow of games from weekend to weekend, we need to figure out how to tackle the second half of our season. We have a “light” game this Saturday against the Madison Radicals, and I say light because they can hold us to a small lead, but never quite land the final blow to overcome us, so I expect that game to walk away with either tight win, or a blowout from Minnesota.
After the Radicals, the Wind Chill have a double header on the road, first to Chicago then to Detroit. This is actually a very good double header to have, as we are able to expend more of our energy into the Union game, and hopefully ending the weekend on a high note against the Mechanix. This will be a fun weekend to watch some good ultimate played on the road, and I am seeing two wins from Minnesota to further cement their first-place standing in the Division.
After the double header weekend, the Chicago Union travel to Sea Foam Stadium to try their luck at another chance to pull a win against the Wind Chill this season, but against the team they will have lost to twice already and a roaring home crowd, I hope it’s safe to say that Minnesota can pull out a strong W here.
Now, if I am right in my predictions and we come away with wins from the next four games leading up to the Empire vs. Wind Chill matchup at TCO, the team will have a massive amount of momentum going into this Super Series game, and if we play good, strong, Minnesota Ultimate, I see us coming out of this one on top by maybe a point or two. It will by all means be the pinnacle of the season for the Chill, helping prepare them for a playoff push and another hopeful Championship Weekend appearance.
Wind Chill Preview and Hopes
The Minnesota Wind Chill have had a great first half of the season, and if the loss to the Thunderbirds at our home opener would have been a win, we would be catching eyes and starting chatter, but alas, we have to wait until after the win against New York before there is any sort of buzz about us. With spirits high, and the momentum they have gained (and hopefully keep), I believe there is no doubt about us getting to Championship Weekend in Salt Lake, and maybe even making it to the Championship Game.
The halfway point of the season allows us to start looking forward to the end of August, preparing for the UFA’s final four. In order to clinch the playoffs and vie for a spot, the Chill need just three more wins - with at least one being over Chicago - to clinch a playoff berth. Of course, taking down every opponent in their path with wins over the Radicals and Empire will help Minnesota clinch the Division’s #1 seed and host the Division Championship game, which will prove to be an electric matchup. The Central Division feels wide open yet this season, but it will start to close in soon, and the Wind Chill are locking in.
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