Not much grass growing when it’s -20 out but you might have too many leaves so they don’t decompose fast enough during your winter
Yeah that’s definitely the issue here. There’s still a layer of wet leaves by the time the grass wants to start growing in the spring.
Let those leaves kill the grass and replace it with moss, clover, walkable thyme, native grasses, or any number of more interesting ground covers. I’m working towards a no-mow lawn. It’s fun finding creative ways to thwart a pesky city ordinance: “A minimum of fifty percent (50%) of all yard areas shall be comprised of turf grass”.