During the first game that Minnesota played in 2023, Jeph sent a picture of an offensive line, consisting of a mashup of players we had never seen before. We didn’t know it then, but that would become a trend that eventually propelled the Wind Chill to their first championship weekend appearance.
Last season, Minnesota had a revolving door of a starting line-up. Players rotated in and out of the first seven week by week, game by game. Down the stretch of the season, it seemed like Minnesota played their entire roster as their starting line-up. And it worked. Players stepped up in big ways. Rotating through players allowed Minnesota to get a handle on who could do what in what situations and how well. And this season should be much of the same.
Who’s Up?
By giving players who usually have less play time more on-field experience, it refined the way the team practiced and the things that they practiced. It gave Minnesota an edge over most of their opponents; while most teams had a strong starting line, Minnesota had a well-conditioned, well-practiced, well-put-together team.
This is in part due to injuries and lack of availability of players. U24 gold medalist Paul Krenik (PK) was gone for the majority of the season, both due to the collegiate season and U24 play. Abe Coffin sustained an injury early on in the season which left him out for a large part of the season as well. Other players were gone for various reasons during various games. When these gaps appeared in the line-up, Minnesota filled them with players who might not have had the most experience.
Minnesota was forced to play most of their players last season, and that gave them a competitive edge. Seeing the way players play at practice and play in game can often be two completely different play styles, and not every style matches every other style. Head coach Ben Feldman, along with other team leadership, including captains on the team, were able to make decisions on who worked well with who and why. This made Minnesota a force to be reckoned with.
Finding Strength in Versatility
Last season, Jeph wrote an article about Minnesota having an identity crisis. And he was right. They were. But instead of coming out of that crisis with one identity, they came out with many; and this gave them an advantage many other teams were not expecting.
Certain lines had different play styles and identities than other lines. It made it hard to learn how to defend Minnesota, and more importantly, it made it harder to read Minnesota’s defense. No two lines were the same, and some players had different styles depending on who else was on the field with them. This level of connection can only be obtained through rotating through several lines, playing with multiple different people, and a few rocky moments along the way.
Can Minnesota replicate this success? Should they try? Short answer is yes. Very emphatically, yes. Because Minnesota’s identity may differ from line to line, their personality has shown through.
When asked to describe the team, Minnesota players usually use one word: Hungry. This personality is what drives all of their players. After last season they feel they have unfinished business. They have a drive to make it to Championship Weekend, and win it all. Not just one player. Not just the starting 7s. Every. Single. One.
Chemistry is Key
Minnesota is returning multiple players who have experience with each other, and players who we haven’t seen in a while. And while some player pairings have become iconic, such as the IceBergs, many other players are just figuring out which line they belong on, and who they work well with. This means Minnesota is going to have to do what they did last season and really mix up their lines.
It would be easy to say they can just do that in the middle of the game, that they don’t need to be the starting seven on the field, but being the first seven is different from any other line. For starters, you are cold starting the game. There is no game state, no player exhaustion, no outside variables (save for the wind) that are going to affect how you play. A line that truly fits together can lead off a game like that and do well.
Not only that, but the first point of a game can be momentum deciding, maybe not for the whole game, but probably for the half and definitely for the quarter. Having players make a mistake off of the first pull can sometimes be demoralizing, and if you aren’t used to playing on that starting line up and having it go wrong, players may not be able to bounce back mentally until the end of that quarter.
Finally, being a starter, or knowing that you could be one, builds trust. Not only between players, but also between coaches and players. Being put on the starting line means that you decide the tone of the game right out of the gate, your teammates and coaches have to trust you to set a good pace.
A Promising Season Ahead
While I do expect to see some mainstays on the starting sevens—players like B-Von, Matis, Berglund, and Klane—I hope that Feldman, as well as the other coaches and team leadership, build this team like they did last year. And while that may lead to some misplays, bad games, and a few losses, it will give Minnesota that competitive edge that they had last year, and who knows. Maybe they can even take home the trophy.
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