Photo by Josiah Phifer
Written By: Ryan Baker, Journalist
The Minnesota Wind Chill beat the Salt Lake Shred for the first time in franchise history, 20-16, and clinched a playoff berth on Friday night.
At first, it seemed the game might be delayed, with gusts of wind picking up tents on the sideline, fans taking cover under the bleachers, and rain coming in full force. However, the game started just behind schedule, and the inclement weather didn’t deter fans from showing out at Sea Foam Stadium for Youth Appreciation Night.
The Wind Chill took advantage of an early lead, held on to it, and avoided a comeback by the Shred just a night after Salt Lake played Madison. The rain petered out in the second quarter, but it left the field slick for most of the game.
“Getting this game in was a stressful operation,” Head Coach Ben Feldman said. “That's the start we needed. Tactically, I feel really good about our ability to hold a lead.”
The offensive group went out to start the game and seemed to be playing in perfect conditions, punching in a Will Brandt-to-Nate De Morgan goal in just five throws. De Morgan continued his 2026 success against his former team, posting two assists, three goals, and a block, and finishing with over 400 total yards.
Photo by Josiah Phifer
The rain picked up, but both teams were so high caliber that there were few moments when it was too much for either side. A same-third huck from Gordon Larson to Bryan Vohnoutka was answered by Salt Lake’s second huck of the night, knotting the game at two.
In the first quarter, Minnesota prevailed, earning the first break of the night on a goal by Noah Coolman to Paul Krenik. On the next point, Justin Burnett went full extension for a massive block, allowing Cameron Lacy to huck it to Blake Krapfl and put the team up by three.
In the final two minutes of the first quarter, the Wind Chill applied more damage. A monstrous Krapfl sky from Lacy erupted the crowd, leading to a score, and when Salt Lake tried to return the favor, they were denied, giving Minnesota a five-point lead heading into the second quarter.
The rain started to dissipate, and the sun began to peek through the clouds, but the second quarter remained low-scoring. The Wind Chill added two more breaks, but the story was Vohnoutka coming off gingerly after reaching for the disc and tweaking his hamstring at the end of the half. Vohnoutka is in good spirits and doesn’t foresee missing any time, but that was his last point of the night.
Minnesota had a comfortable seven-point lead over the Shred coming out of halftime, but the Shred closed the gap slightly by the end of the third quarter to five after taking advantage of throwaways from Coolman and De Morgan right away.
The Wind Chill answered by trading the next few points, highlighted by a Micah Davis huck to Leo Sovell-Fernandez that dropped in the bucket. Davis, in his second game this year, balled out with three assists, one goal, 331 total yards, and pinpoint throws left and right.
Photo by Meghan White
“Micah [Davis] showed out tonight,” Feldman stated. “We got a bunch of other dudes in the hopper who could probably ball out on the field if they had an opportunity. We got 40 dudes at practice that are all extremely talented. I’m happy for Micah; he played great tonight, and happy we got the win.”
“I've been practicing with them for a few years, went through some injuries, so I haven't been able to get in on a game, but it's been super fun,” Davis reflected. “The Vegas game was fun, but there’s nothing like Sea Foam. It's just all about practice. I was just trying to play within myself. I know my game, so I feel confident in what I'm comfortable with.”
Entering the fourth quarter, Minnesota led 16-11, and the team's cornerstones delivered. Larson caught a 40-yard huck from Davis for a score, De Morgan and Coolman connected on a 46-yarder, and Josh Klane set up Greg Cousins for two goals to close out the game.
The final stat lines for some of those players were: Cousins with three goals; Klane with two assists and a block; and Coolman with three assists and three goals, giving him his most effective game of the season.
Photo by Josiah Phifer
“I feel like over the last couple of games I've been a little more of a filler, just keeping the ball moving,” Coolman said. “I definitely wanted to step it up a little this game and try to open up my cutting more.”
The expectation heading into Friday night was an offensive duel between two teams that don’t turn over the disc, but as the weather rolled in, there were thoughts it would be a sloppy bout between the two powerhouses.
“We're playing good ultimate, but there are still a lot of things to work on,” Feldman said. “Salt Lake came here, they had a long road trip, they played last night, and they still gave us a good fight. It's a little sour with how we ended. We thought we could have really put on the burners, but kudos to them, they're a good team.”
The final result landed right in between. The two squads combined for 39 turnovers and 16 total blocks, and shot well from deep. The Wind Chill threw hucks on the same third and found success, giving them a 63 percent clip on them for the night.
“I feel like we were honestly trying to hit those inside lanes,” Coolman said. “I don't think we necessarily wanted to play as much on the same third, but we did talk a little bit about their marking beforehand. That made some of the hacks a little bit easier to figure out towards the beginning.”
It was a tale of two halves: Minnesota outscored Salt Lake 13-6 in the first half, and Salt Lake outscored Minnesota 10-7 in the second half.
“They converted on their two chances, and it just felt like we were a little behind the eight ball in the second half,” Feldman said. “There's a lot of good tape and footage to review. It's nice when things aren't always perfect, because you can get better from that.”
The win kept the Wind Chill’s undefeated season intact at 8-0, while the Shred dropped to 5-4 on the year. Now, the Wind Chill will rest for the next week and gear up for the final stretch against Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Madison.
