Photo by Josiah Phifer
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
The Minnesota Wind Chill have officially finished with their best regular season record in franchise history after beating the Madison Radicals 23-16 to advance to 11-1.
The game started much like the teams’ previous matchup, with incredibly clean offense. Nate De Morgan and Zach Morton connected on the first two goals for Minnesota, and De Morgan added his third assist of the night to Jordan Taylor just minutes into the game.
10 points were rattled off in the first eight minutes, but a Taylor turnover was about to become a break for Madison until Blake Krapfl rose up and blocked a huck attempt. Noah Coolman didn’t let that opportunity go to waste, finding former college teammate and roommate Lukas Ambrose in the end zone later that point.
That was when Minnesota ran away with the game. Owen Suelflow’s incredible layout block set up a huck to Gabe Jagt, who got his first action of 2026 on Sunday night and punched in the score to Brandon Matis. Another break ensued for the Wind Chill, putting them up by three after the first quarter.
Photo by Josiah Phifer
“I give a lot of kudos to Owen Suelflow,” Head Coach Ben Feldman said. “In the first quarter, finally getting that first block for us when it was so tough to do so. Both teams were getting open hands and moving down the field downwind. Coming out of the Boston game, he had a couple of tough turnovers where it could be easy to get flustered and sink down, but then he makes that big play to start our game. I was very happy with that.”
The second quarter was all Minnesota. They came out with six straight breaks and didn’t let Madison score until there were five seconds left in the half. Those nine straight scores earned Wind Chill fans a free box of Glazer donuts from Kwik Trip.
During the second quarter, Minnesota’s scores came from different duos, while blocks came from Noah Hanson, Krapfl, and Dylan DeClerck. At halftime, the Wind Chill were up by eight and just needed to coast for the remaining 24 minutes.
Photo by Josiah Phifer
Having only four turnovers and eight breaks at halftime are hard marks to improve upon, but Minnesota did take a step back to begin the second half, giving up three scores in four points. An uncharacteristic drop by Leo Sovell-Fernandez and throwaways from Kristian Johnson and Gordon Larson were the turning points that gave Madison two breaks.
“The start of the second half was a little ugly,” Feldman said. “The offense was looking really good in the first, but we have some things we have to clean up.”
However, that downslide didn’t last long. Hanson delivered a shot to a fully extended Ellis Newhouse in the end zone, but Newhouse hurt his elbow on the play and didn’t return to the game. Then, with less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Micah Davis outstretched near the sideline and swiped away a throw from Madison, rising by his sideline and letting out a scream of enthusiasm that his team rallied behind. That set up a score from Jagt to Paul Krenik.
Photo by Josiah Phifer
After that score, Minnesota was up 18-10, and the fourth quarter didn’t hold much weight for either team. The Wind Chill did let up a break in the frame, but Jagt also got his first goal of 2026 from a laser by Krapfl, and Will Brandt logged two goals.
“We got to try some stuff, work on a few things, and found some more issues we have to resolve,” said Feldman. “It's great, and feels good. It's nice for the crowd, and now 0-0 going to the playoffs.”
It was another all-around performance for the Central Division’s one seed. De Morgan had four assists, while Coolman and Hanson were right behind him with three each. Coolman also led the team with 411 total yards and was flawless, completing all 31 of his passes.
Photo by Josiah Phifer
“The Boston game was a big wake-up call for me,” Coolman said. “Going into that game, I was definitely a little gassed. That goes from the body into the mind and gets your throws off a little bit. I was just trying to work on keeping my cardio up coming into this game and being hungrier.”
Taylor had the best overall game, coming out with two assists, three goals, and a block. Brandt was right there with him in goals, and five other players ended with two goals. Larson finished with 333 throwing yards, cementing him as second place in the category across the entire league.
“I just try to simplify things, follow the game plan, look for opportunities, holes, and spaces to put my head down and run to,” said Taylor. “It’s encouraging, for sure. That confidence comes from my teammates. We have such a deep roster that it’s seamless when we have anyone in the rotation.”
Photo by Josiah Phifer
Now, the team will have three weeks to rest before playing for the Central Division title on August 8. They will host either Indianapolis or Madison, so they have to stay focused during the break.
“I'm going to try to keep hitting the track and keeping the cardio up,” Coolman said. “I want to keep being able to run as hard as I can for the rest of the season. At the end of the day, it's going to come down to who's really working in those last few quarters, the last few minutes.”
