July 8, 2024
By Evan Lepler
Alex Atkins, Colorado Summit
Does Alex Atkins make the Honor Roll without Atkin Arnstein’s incredible layout grab in the fourth quarter on Saturday night? Probably not. But that’s the quirky beauty of ultimate, a reminder that individual success is almost always a byproduct of terrific teamwork, clutch execution, and a little bit of luck. Atkins finished his Week 11 victory over Indianapolis with 60 completions, no turns, four assists, one goal, two blocks, and 534 total yards, 89 of which came on his stunning standstill backhand bomb, which Arnstein collected in spectacular sprawling fashion to give Colorado a three-goal lead, its biggest lead of the game, with just 3:31 left. From there, Atkins went 10-for-10 passing on the final point of the game, enabling the Summit to patiently run out the clock and cap off their 18-16 win against the AlleyCats.
Jeff Babbitt, Boston Glory (Pictured)
Similarly, Jeff Babbitt likely is not featured in this space if Montreal’s Tobe Decraene tosses the game-winning goal when the Royal had an obvious chance to put the game away in the closing seconds of regulation on Saturday afternoon, but it’s also hard to ignore the striking juxtaposition of the Royal’s numerous late-game miscues alongside Babbitt’s multiple MVP-caliber moments. Two of his three official blocks came in the late stages of the fourth, both times when Montreal had the disc and the lead and Boston’s outlook felt bleak. He also was a sizable presence on the mark when Decraene had the disc and the game in his hands as time was ticking down. Furthermore, three of Babbitt’s four scores also came in the fourth quarter or overtime. To put it simply, Babbitt clearly elevated his game and took over when it mattered most, while also becoming just the seventh player in UFA history to reach 300 career goals. Overall, Babbitt finished the day with 22 completions and zero turns while playing a season-high 31 points, the most he’s played in any UFA game since 2017, as Boston narrowly avoided a disappointing road loss and improved to 8-2 on the season.
Pawel Janas, Los Angeles Aviators
Overall, it’s been a disappointing season for LA, but at least Pawel Janas and the Aviators can say they eliminated their closest rival from playoff contention. Los Angeles actually bounced the Growlers and the Summit from the West Division race after rallying for a 25-24 comeback victory over San Diego on Sunday, with Janas leading the way with seven assists, two goals, five hockey assists, and 91 completions, the most throws any player in the league has made in a game all season. Already the league’s all-time goal-throwing leader, his final scoring toss of the day, a 33-yard connection with James Franklin that tied the game at 21-all in the fourth, was his landmark 500th career assist. Hopefully Pawel’s comfortable chilling by himself because It might be 2027 or 2028 before someone joins Janas in the 500-assist club.
Sam Kaminsky, Chicago Union
The most impressive overall team performance in Week 11 belonged to the Chicago Union, and amongst several splendid individual efforts, Sam Kaminsky’s four-assist, three-goal, one-block evening certainly stands out. The Minnesota-native completed 64-of-65 passes for 410 yards against the Wind Chill, adding a career-best seven hockey assists to his magnificent night. Prior to Saturday, Kaminsky had completed just 3-of-6 hucks in nine games, but he went 3-for-3 on his biggest throws at Minnesota, all coming in the first half, to help the Union build an early lead that they refused to relinquish in their 25-20 victory. In his last three games, Kaminsky has completed 156-of-157 throws, brilliantly anchoring the Union’s O-line backfield.
Allan Laviolette, Carolina Flyers
It’s one thing to accumulate hundreds of yards over 50 or 60 touches, but it’s very different to create 783 total yards on just 28 touches. That’s nearly 28 yards per touch, and that’s what Allan Laviolette meant to the Carolina Flyers on Saturday in their five-goal win over Philly. He also finished with seven assists and four goals, completing five of his six hucks and catching two others. For the season, Laviolette is now tied for sixth in the UFA in assists and tied for eighth in total scores. He’s also now completed 22 hucks this year, tied for the seventh-most in the league, and no one else in the top 16 in hucks has a higher huck completion rate than Laviolette’s 78.6 percent.
Elliott Moore, Austin Sol
Through the first six games Elliott Moore played this season, he had a total plus/minus of plus-seven. But on Saturday against the Havoc, Moore produced six assists, two goals, two blocks, and no turns, a phenomenal plus-10 as the Sol officially secured their spot in the 2024 playoffs. It was the first double-digit plus/minus in Moore’s seven year UFA career, in which he’s now played 67 games, all wearing an Austin jersey. It was also just the seventh double digit plus/minus performance for all players across the league this season, and the first for a player who saw the majority of his time working on the D-line. Moore also went 19-for-19 passing in Saturday’s turnover-free performance, in which he helped lead the Sol D to 13 breaks in 18 chances.
Jason Vallee, Oakland Spiders
One of the few players on Oakland’s roster who’s already experienced playoff ultimate, Jason Vallee is officially back in the tournament for his fifth consecutive UFA season. The 27-year-old has already competed in seven playoff games over the past four seasons, whereas the other 13 Spiders who’ve played at least eight games this season have a combined three postseason appearances combined, all courtesy of Sawyer Thompson, who was a member of the San Francisco FlameThrowers 2017 championship run. On Saturday, Vallee enjoyed his best game as a Spider and the biggest offensive output of his now 50-game career, collecting four goals, four assists, and one block in Oakland’s 26-17 rout over Portland. That victory, combined with San Diego’s Sunday loss in LA, officially locked the Spiders into their first UFA postseason since 2017.
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