August 26, 2024
By Evan Lepler
Will Brandt, Minnesota Wind Chill
The final Honor Roll of the season appropriately begins with the Championship Weekend MVP, capping an incredible spring and summer for this 22-year-old who’s seemingly still just scratching the surface of his otherworldly potential. Will Brandt was not perfect, but he was dynamic and relentless, willing to work through mistakes and rising to the occasion in the biggest moments. In Saturday night’s one-goal win over the Flyers, Brandt had more touches and yards than anyone else, completing 46 passes and accumulating 651 total yards, 164 more than the next highest total amongst all other players in the game. That’s also the most yards for any player in a title game since the pandemic. He knew his teammates were counting on him, and far more often than not, Brandt met the moment, making numerous difficult throws to help the Wind Chill win their first championship.
Henry Fisher, Carolina Flyers
Henry Fisher’s phenomenal Friday reminded anyone who might have forgotten just how dominant the Flyers’ big man can be. He patrolled the skies at both ends of the field and occasionally showcased his underrated throwing skills too, helping Carolina produce eight breaks in their four-goal victory over Seattle. He finished his masterful semifinal performance with four assists, three goals, three blocks, and just one of his team’s 22 turns, yet these numbers still probably fail to capture just how huge—both literally and figuratively—the 6’6” tower was against the Cascades. Although the Flyers could not connect with Fisher as frequently in the finals, he still produced one goal, one assist, and four more blocks in Saturday’s battle with the Wind Chill.
Josh Klane, Minnesota Wind Chill
Perhaps no one fully embraced the weekend’s blustery conditions quite like Josh Klane, the 32-year-old hucking handler who played more D-points in the semis and finals than in the past two full seasons combined. He completed three hucks and recorded four assists in each of the games, slicing his booming throws through the wicked wind as well as anyone. His role has evolved since he averaged 60 assists per year between 2017 and 2019, but his threatening cannon has never stopped being an important asset for Minnesota’s offense, and that big throwing ability was obviously a critical part of the Wind Chill’s success this past weekend.
Cameron Lacy, Minnesota Wind Chill
When Wind Chill Coach Ben Feldman was asked about what he was most pleased with from the team’s first half on Saturday night, the first thing he mentioned was the consistent quality of Cameron Lacy’s pulls. “The kid’s incredible,” stated Feldman, succinctly and emphatically. The 21-year-old launched 30 pulls in Minnesota’s two wins, often pinning the opposing O-line deep in its own end zone. Lacy also recorded three blocks in the Wind Chill’s narrow victory over the Flyers, disrupting Carolina’s rhythm in various ways all throughout the game. We are still largely ignorant to the value of excellent pulling in the UFA, though perhaps Lacy’s obvious impact at Championship Weekend 2024 will begin to alter how we think about the opening toss to every point. Especially when game conditions are ugly, perfect pulls can be a game-changing phenomenon.
Gordon Larson, Minnesota Wind Chill
It’s pretty wild that two of the top players at Championship Weekend were the dynamic duo that led tiny St. Olaf College to a D-III national championship back in May. Along with Brandt’s MVP performance, Gordon Larson’s steady excellence as a cutter, receiver, and thrower gave the Wind Chill a constant downfield option to keep the disc moving. He led all players with 316 receiving yards in Saturday’s final while also completing 30-of-31 throws against the Flyers. If not for a few points where it really felt like Brandt took over the game against Carolina, Larson very easily could have received Champ Weekend MVP honors himself. At 24 years old and about to enter his prime, it’s easy to imagine Larson becoming an All-UFA contender in the years ahead.
Tristan Van de Moortele, Minnesota Wind Chill
He played three of the first four points in Saturday’s title game and was directly involved in three immediate breaks, dishing two assists and hauling in Bryan Vohnoutka’s 43-yard huck that stunningly gave Minnesota a 4-0 lead just over three minutes into the contest. That was Tristan Van de Moortele’s most thrilling sequence, but truthfully he was a force all weekend long, a pivotal disc-mover who got open at will for the Chill. “The kid, looking at me on the line, he’s on offense, and he looks at me and it just looks like he’s in fury mode, like he’s possessed, looking at me in the eyes like, ‘I’m ready’” said Feldman, about Van de Moortele, during Saturday’s halftime interview. “It’s hard to get him off the field. He’s playing great for us. Great energy, just anywhere we want him. Downwind, he’s been really effective and consistent for us, and thankful to have him as part of this team, that’s for damn sure.”
Bryan Vohnoutka, Minnesota Wind Chill
Another guy who probably could’ve been named Championship Weekend MVP, Bryan Vohnoutka produced four scores and a block in each game this past weekend, going 3-for-3 on his hucks in Saturday’s final. His leadership, versatility, skill, and determination were all instrumental aspects of the Wind Chill’s collective team identity, and his clutch presence late in the title game was a big reason why Minnesota fought off the Flyers’ late run and ultimately prevailed. It certainly felt appropriate that Vohnoutka caught the game’s final pass with about two seconds left, igniting the euphoric victory celebration that he and his teammates had been working to earn for so many years. After nine years with the Wind Chill, the 34-year-old Vohnoutka is now a UFA champion, and that can never ever be taken away.
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