Photo by Meghan White
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
The road back to championship weekend begins this Saturday night for the Minnesota Wind Chill as they host the Madison Radicals in the first round of the playoffs.
The reigning champs are in a slightly different spot as opposed to last year, considering they are playing in the first round after winning the division in 2024. Despite that, the term “reigning champs” doesn’t matter anymore. It's win or your season is over.
It’s the third matchup this year between the two squads, and it’s been known that Minnesota has Madison’s number. Not only this year, but in the last few years. Madison has yet to come away with a win in Sea Foam Stadium, but again, history doesn’t matter in this one, and the team knows that. The Radicals have been playing well of late and will push Minnesota to their limits.
“We stop that trajectory by playing our game and sticking to the game plan. Yes, we've won twice over Madison this year, but that doesn't matter anymore. History doesn't matter anymore. Season records don't matter anymore. It's one game to decide who moves on to play Chicago, so we have to go out and execute. I think the biggest factor will be the crowd. Playing at home at Sea Foam is huge because anytime we do something great, the fans will let us know they liked that. If we can get that crowd going early by making some big plays, it will set us up nicely for the rest of the game,” said James Pollard.
Photo by Meghan White
The key for Minnesota in this one will be starting out hot. In both matchups this year in the first half, Minnesota has outscored Madison by just one point. That isn’t normal for this Wind Chill squad. Their second-best defense in the league has kept them in games all year long, and that can’t stop now.
Minnesota finished with marks of getting scored on the second-least in the league this year, along with the second-most blocks, second-best break percentage, and third-best D-line conversion rate. The thing is, the Radicals don’t fall too far behind them in all of those categories.
“We’re working on things a little bit with respect to Madison’s zone defense. I think we got a good plan of attack for that. We've got to get our defense going early. Once our defense starts asserting pressure, it makes it really tough on other teams and relieves a lot of pressure off our offense when that happens. Winning that first quarter is all we’re focused on,” said head coach Ben Feldman.
While the defensive pressure is huge for Minnesota, if they can get their offense going early, this one could get out of hand quickly. One thing to look out for is to see if Feldman and his coaching staff can draw things up to get Will Brandt going early. Brandt is always a huge focus for the other team’s defense, and he has been great quarterbacking the offense this year, but he can have a game-changing impact. Keep in mind, this is a guy who won Championship Weekend MVP last year.
Photo by Meghan White
“I think the emotions will definitely be showing on Saturday. All of our games are competitive and intense. I’m excited for the battle. It’s a playoff game. We all know the implications of this game. We’re coming into the game confident,” said Brandt.
This is an incredibly similar squad to last year’s playoff team, but we won’t be seeing Quinn Snider suit up in this matchup. Conversely, the offseason additions of Pollard, Kyle Suelflow, and Justin Burnett are the three changes to this roster. For Pollard, this is just his second career playoff game, dating back to 2022 with Philly. In that one game, Pollard has a -2 +/- with six turns, and he’s looking to get some redemption.
“It is only my second time ever making the playoffs. It feels great, but will be better after we take care of business Saturday night. Last time I played a playoff game, I stuffed the stat sheet. Unfortunately, it wasn't only the good stats that were high, as I had my worst +\- in that game. Even though it's with a different team, I'm making sure I don't let my teammates down this time,” said Pollard.
One impact that will be huge that isn’t on the field is the fan support. The Wind Chill has had their attendance record broken in each of their last three home games. This one shouldn’t be any different. Madison fans travel well, and Wind Chill fans keep coming out in frenzies.
“It’s been pretty amazing this year, the amount of support we’ve had from our fans this year. The growth and attendance are validating. We invest a lot of time, effort, and money into creating a really fun game day experience. I really appreciate fans coming out, then bringing friends out the next time, sharing that experience with them,” said Feldman.
Photo by Rich Moll
With the stands at Sea Foam so compact, along with the Beer Garden right on the field, it provides Minnesota with incomparable support and energy. If they can get the crowd going early, it will give the Radicals fits and rattle them.
All season, teams have been working for this moment. Saturday night is the only thing that matters at this point. A win brings on a date with Chicago in a few weeks. A loss brings on the offseason. Neither team wants the latter to happen, and the Wind Chill have a chip on their shoulder to prove they are still at the top of the UFA.
To purchase tickets to the last game at Sea Foam Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT, click here!
To watch the playoff matchup between the Radicals and Wind Chill, click here!
