August 12, 2024
By Evan Lepler
Anthony Jirele, Minnesota Wind Chill
Nine different players across the league scored at least four goals this past weekend, but the only member of that group who found the end zone that often as a member of the D-line was Minnesota’s Anthony Jirele. The 24-year-old Grey Duck product played 19 of his 20 points on D in his first career playoff game, but still delivered four goals and a block in the Wind Chill’s 23-14 rout over the Radicals. Beyond the statistical production, Minnesota Coach Ben Feldman was also thrilled with Jirele’s defensive effort slowing down Madison big man Max Sample, as the Wind Chill held the Rads offense to just 10 scores in 30 possessions.
Anders Juengst, Carolina Flyers (Pictured)
He may be small dude, listed at 5’6”, but Anders Juengst has historically been a virtually unstoppable cutter in the UFA playoffs. His big-game reliability is well-established, and his nine-score, 37-completion, 400-plus yards performance was critical in the Flyers stealing the South from Atlanta on Friday night. Even with the Hustle defense giving absolutely everything they had, Juengst and the Flyers’ O-line went through the final three quarters unbroken and conceded only four turnovers for the entire game. Since joining the team in 2021, Juengst is averaging 5.5 scores per game across eight postseason contests, and in a related story, the 26-year-old is 6-2 in the playoffs and on his way to Championship Weekend for the third time in four years.
Spencer Lofink, Seattle Cascades
In the 2024 regular season, Spencer Lofink consistently orchestrated the Cascades offense, but he never tossed more than four assists in a game. On Saturday in Salt Lake, he surpassed that number by the end of the opening quarter. It’s hard to overstate how important it was for Seattle to get off to a smooth start offensively in the West Division finals, and Lofink’s presence, stability, and playmaking were all massive for the ‘Scades throughout the game. He finished the night with a career-high seven assists, along with two goals, 33 completions, and a game-best 475 total yards, helping Seattle pull off the biggest stunner of the weekend.
Elijah Long, Carolina Flyers
The most completions without a turnover award for divisional playoff weekend goes to Carolina’s Elijah Long, who masterfully tossed 56 passes without a single miscue in the Flyers’ dramatic road victory in Atlanta. And believe it or not, exactly 25 percent of those 56 completions came on the final point of the game, amidst a sequence where Carolina diabolically drained the clock and slowly devastated the Hustle by working 53 consecutive throws over the final four minutes to ruthlessly extinguish Atlanta’s championship dreams. With additional responsibilities as the only true handler on the Flyers O-line, Long anchored every single possession with poise and purpose, piloting Carolina to the thrilling road win.
Jonny Malks, DC Breeze
It often feels unfair to isolate a single star from the historically dominant and balanced DC O-line, but Jonny Malks continues to regularly rise above. The 25-year-old handler led the way for the Breeze in the East Division Championship game, tossing four assists, catching three goals, and accumulating a team-high 399 total yards, as DC secured it’s first semifinal appearance in franchise history. Furthermore, his only turn came on an end-of-quarter shot, and he launched three of DC’s five successful hucks on the night. Overall, the Breeze finished with just 11 turns in the game, the 10th time in 13 games this season DC has been at 12 turns or fewer.
Garrett Martin, Seattle Cascades
Whenever the Cascades’ offense was in a jam on Saturday night, it felt like Garrett Martin was the guy who helped wiggle Seattle out of trouble. The Cascades Captain totaled four goals, three assists, and 276 total yards without a turn, steadily churning out pressure-packed holds in front of a hostile crowd. His most important score was obviously the final one, as he caught Aaron Wolf’s short throw that surged Seattle to a 21-20 lead with just 31 seconds left, which ultimately became the game-winning goal. After the dramatic goal-line stand and cathartic on-field celebration, Martin delivered an emotional speech inside the Cascades’ huddle, saluting his teammates’ effort, commitment, and execution, while marveling at the team’s transformation from 4-8 in 2023 to Championship Weekend in 2024.
Jasper Tom, DC Breeze
When you look at the final quarter-by-quarter line score from DC’s East Final, you’ll notice that the final three periods were all dead even; it was the two-goal difference in the first, where the Breeze outscored the Glory 5-3, that led to the final margin. And in those huge opening minutes, the man most responsible for DC’s pair of first-quarter breaks was Jasper Tom, whose fierce and relentless handler defense created a pair of blocks and one assist in the game’s early moments. He earned the first turn on the third point with a brilliant poach layout, leading to the opening break that put the Breeze up 2-1. A short while later, he tallied his second block and threw the score that made it 5-3 with 54 seconds remaining in the first, giving DC a lead they would refuse to relinquish throughout the rest of the game.
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