June 22, 2023
By Sam Weiger
Indianapolis AlleyCats at Madison Radicals
Friday, June 23 - 8:00 PM/ET - Watch link
The Radicals must win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. They will have to beat an experienced AlleyCats team that is on a five-game winning streak and is vying for the top spot in the Central Division.
Despite a disappointing first half of 2023, Madison has some positives to take into this game. Anthony Gutowsky has been a reliable offensive weapon, scoring 3.5 goals per game, the most among rookies who have played in half of their team’s games this season. Several key Radicals players are returning to the lineup to help Gutowsky in this crucial matchup with Indianapolis, including Pat Shriwise and Avery Johnson.
The AlleyCats have only committed the second-fewest turnovers per game in the AUDL this year, thanks in part to the accuracy of throwers Travis Carpenter, Xavier Payne, and Rick Gross. The ‘Cats are flying under the radar despite a 5-2 record, which is their best start to a season since 2018. A road victory against a tough opponent who desperately needs a win would certainly change that.
Madison has been turning the disc over a lot lately, with 46 turnovers in their last two games. However, those games were against Minnesota’s top-tier defense. The ‘Cats force an average of five fewer turnovers per game than the Wind Chill. If the Radicals can cut down their turnovers, this game will be a tough one for Indianapolis to win.
One Big Number:
15.71 - The ‘Cats force their opponents to commit an average of 15.71 turnovers per game, the third-fewest in the AUDL.
195 - Shriwise has 195 career assists with the Radicals, the second-most in franchise history.
San Diego Growlers at LA Aviators
Saturday, June 24 - 3:00 PM/ET - Watch link
The Growlers’ playoff hopes took a major hit after their stunning defeat to Seattle last week. San Diego must win this game to remain a viable contender in the West Division playoff race, which is one of the most intriguing in the league right now.
The Growlers have lost three straight winnable games, and they were simply outplayed in the fourth quarter all three times. Injuries have contributed to this downturn, as seven of San Diego’s 11 double-digit scorers in 2023 were absent in at least one of their last three games. Paul Lally, Casey Wu, and Steven Milardovich missed Week 8, but they will return for this do-or-die game. However, perennial All-AUDL selection Travis Dunn will be out against LA.
The Aviators are flying high on a four-game winning streak. Their “Big Three” of Sean McDougall, Pawel Janas, and Lukas Ambrose have been putting up ridiculous numbers. During this win streak, McDougall erupted for six assists, two goals, and three blocks against the Growlers. Even if he doesn’t have another game that big, he should still put up strong numbers against his former team this week.
Dunn’s absence will be a major factor in this game. He leads San Diego in assists, plus/minus, receiving yards, completions, and hucks. Props to the Growlers if they pull this one off.
One Big Number:
3.33 - The Growlers have averaged just 3.33 goals in the fourth quarter of their last three games.
115 - McDougall, Janas, and Ambrose have the highest combined plus/minus (115) of any team trio in the AUDL.
DC Breeze at Boston Glory
Saturday, June 24 - 5:00 PM/ET - Watch link
Boston’s early-season success is starting to unravel. The Glory look to buck the trend this week against the Breeze, who have defeated Boston in all three career meetings.
Boston has lost three of their last four games, and their O-line has been shut down in all three losses. They’ll need a miracle to avoid that happening again against DC. Orion Cable, Benjamin Sadok, and Ray Tetreault, three of Boston’s top seven scorers in 2023, will miss this game. With a depleted defense and disappointing recent offensive output, the Glory could really use a scoring showcase from someone. Tanner Halkyard had a couple of outstanding performances in 2021, and he’s due for one here.
The Breeze have a number of players who are skilled at blocking the disc. D-line standouts AJ Merriman and Moussa Dia are worth watching in this game against the Glory, who allow a below-average 10 blocks per game to opponents.
DC is entering the second half of the season, and Breeze fans should be worried. Rowan McDonnell is having his quietest season ever. His plus/minus is zero in 2023, despite averaging 54.66 over his six career seasons. If McDonnell remains unnoticeable on the stat sheet heading into the playoffs, DC’s chances of winning the championship this year seem out of reach.
The Glory have been thoroughly outmatched in each meeting against first-class AUDL teams this year. However, this is DC’s first doubleheader of the season, and the Glory tend to play better at home. Regardless, DC will triumph in this important divisional matchup.
One Big Number:
17 - The Glory are scoring the fourth-fewest goals per game (17) in the AUDL this season.
16.67 - The Breeze are giving up just 16.67 goals per game, which is the fourth-fewest in the league this year.
Minnesota Wind Chill at Colorado Summit | Game of the Week
Saturday, June 24 - 8:00 PM/ET - Watch link
The Wind Chill and Summit are set to face off in their first-ever matchup. This will be Minnesota’s first game of the season against a top-10 team in the AUDL’s Week 8 Power Rankings, but Colorado has lost its luster over the past couple of weeks.
Colorado, a title contender, has unexpectedly lost three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. Defending sky grabs and blocking have become issues for Colorado. They gave up three game-changing sky grabs in their last game against Oakland, and they have failed to hit double-digit blocks in their last four games. Summit leading blocker Saeed Semrin is once again out this week, so it’s up to Cody Spicer, Noah Coolman, Alex Tatum, and Seth Faris to deny sky attempts and get blocks in big moments against the Wind Chill.
Colorado’s offense has also been struggling, but more due to adjustments than execution. The Summit have been experimenting with the roles of their top scorers, Quinn Finer and Jonathan Nethercutt. Nethercutt was moved to a hybrid role in his last game, and Finer’s throwing role has been decreasing since the losing streak began. No matter how Finer and Nethercutt are used in this game, at least one of them will need to have a solid offensive performance if the Summit want to win.
Colorado’s O-line will be up against an aggressive Minnesota D-line. The Wind Chill are the only team ranked in the top five in the AUDL in blocks per game, break percentage, and D-line conversion percentage. It will be interesting to see how Dylan DeClerck, Brett Bergmeier, and the rest of the Wind Chill’s D-line performs against the highest-scoring offense they’ve seen all year.
This mouthwatering matchup means a lot to both teams. A win in Colorado this week would be Minnesota’s biggest achievement of the year by a significant margin, while a win for the Summit would be their first interdivisional win in franchise history.
One Big Number:
6.25 - The Summit are averaging just 6.25 blocks per game in their last four games.
17 - Minnesota has faced a relatively weak schedule this season, with an average opponent ranking of 17 (based on the Week 8 "Power Rankings")
