June 3, 2025
By Evan Lepler
1. A wild weekend in Canada
Three games in three days involving four teams north of the border all carried intrigue, consequence, and revelatory results.
Starting with Friday night in Toronto, the Breeze escaped the Rush’s last-second shot, which narrowly floated over Arvids Karklins’ outstretched arms in the front of the end zone as time expired, as DC prevailed 21-20 for another one-goal victory over Toronto. The Breeze also edged the Rush 19-18 back on May 3.
“Their defense has certainly leveled up since we saw them in DC last month,” said Breeze Captain Jacques Nissen. “I thought we played pretty well throughout the game, but end of quarter mistakes kept it close throughout. Miles Grovic played incredibly well for us, finishing with five blocks, and he has evolved from an athlete into a well-rounded player who can make an impact on offense or defense.”
The fact that the Rush had a chance at the last-second equalizer came courtesy of a vintage layout block from Mark Lloyd, playing in his first UFA game in almost seven years.
“The game is so much faster than it was seven years ago when I last played in the league,” said the now 35-year-old Lloyd. “Not just that, but the throwing ability of every player on the field is improved. I think in the East Division right now, you are seeing that anyone can beat anyone and that is making it a really exciting prospect for fans. When we were 0-4 with a point differential of minus-eight, it just shows that we are right there, but need to close out our opportunities a bit better.”
As the rest of the weekend unfolded, it became a one-up, one-down weekend for both DC and Toronto. On Saturday, the Breeze were broken on three straight O-points at the outset, as Montreal’s D-line built a 3-0 lead before the Royal O-line even took the field.
“We wanted to enter the game with big intensity on defense and control on offense,” said Montreal’s Quentin Bonnaud, who led the squad with six goals and three blocks. “The fact that we started the game 3-0 gave us a lot of confidence. The key for us is mostly mental. When we play with confidence and trust in each other, we can beat any team. We never felt that DC was going to come back.”
While the Breeze briefly tied the game at 7-all, that turned out to be the only tie of the entire game, as Montreal led 10-8 at half, 16-13 through three, and pulled away for the 22-17 victory in the fourth.
“We looked like the more athletic team,” said Montreal’s Jeremy Hill. “They were coming off a back-to-back, and we took advantage of fresh legs [...] The East has always been the toughest division, so any win means a lot. Winning against the reigning East Division champs was even sweeter.”
While it looked rainy and windy, the Breeze didn’t feel like the conditions were responsible for the disappointing result.
“The conditions were not that bad,” said Nissen. “In fact, the wind in Toronto proved to be a bigger factor than the light rain we had in Montreal. They really executed well on difficult looks, including a couple perfectly placed hucks and some big layout blocks on defense. We certainly did not have a clean game on offense, and the Royal did a good job of keeping us on the sideline and throwing extra defenders in the lane from there.”
Since starting the season 0-3, the Royal have won two straight, earning home wins against the teams that’ve combined to win the last five East Division titles.
“The first against New York shows that we can win a game with a lot of pressure,” said Bonnaud. “And this one shows we can control a game from start to end.”
The Rush also responded on Sunday against New York, breaking the Empire twice in the fourth quarter to get their first win of the year, 22-20.
“Tom Blasman and Arvids were so strong in this one,” said Lloyd, “and I think showed once again that what we are building is going to be dangerous in this league [...] We handled their pushback really well and had enough in the tank to close the fourth quarter really strong again. We only have two players on this year’s roster who had beat New York—myself and Mike Mackenzie—so this win meant a lot to the group.”
As time expired and the entire team stormed the field, it really was a collective catharsis for the entire Rush organization.
“The feeling when I received the final pass with seven seconds left on the clock was something I have never experienced,” said Blasman, who led the Rush with 57 completions and 628 total yards. “I remember catching it and looking back at the clock and it saying six seconds and my teammates screaming at me to hold the disc. I was so happy and could just see our whole team running towards us on the pitch and it was a moment where it clicked. I really believe that we are still so in this, and we are coming.”
Karklins paced the Rush with seven assists, while Ty Barbieri scored six goals in Toronto’s two-score win. New York’s John Randolph tallied four goals, four assists, one block, and 500 total yards, but the Empire still saw their record slip to 3-4 with another slim setback.
“Definitely close and competitive,” said Randolph, describing Sunday’s battle. “I’ve been talking it over a lot with my teammates the past 24 hours, but basically the meat of the sandwich is that they were better than us. Our top issues right now are creating easy offensive possessions on our O-line, preventing quick possessions from opponent’s O-lines, and having a stronger D-line offensive structure. I actually feel good with where the team is at development-wise; we are close enough to the top that if we make the right adjustments, we can beat any team. But at the same time, it’s scary that we are one or two losses away from elimination.”
To Randolph’s point, six of New York’s seven games have been within one or two goals in the last two minutes, but Sunday against the Rush was the fourth time where the Empire ultimately fell short.
“Process-wise, we are in the right spot,” said Randolph. Results-wise, we are not. We are in danger. We are definitely a cornered animal, but a cornered animal is the most dangerous. At least that’s what I’m hoping.”
In just a few days, the East Division drama resumes with a bunch of huge games. On Friday, DC hosts New York, while Philadelphia travels to Montreal. One day later, the Royal head to Toronto, while the Phoenix visit Boston. Every game feels absolutely critical in the Uber-competitive race.
When the Breeze and Empire square off on Friday Night Frisbee, the game should carry a different intensity than other past regular-season matchups. Not to mention that eight days later, the two teams will meet again up in New York.
“We’ve been playing big games against them for five years now,” said Nissen. “But in the past that has mostly been in the context of playoff seeding. With the rest of the East leveling up this year, the stakes for these two games will be the highest they’ve ever been in the regular season, and I can’t wait for the playoff-like atmosphere that awaits us Friday night in DC.”
2. Colorado's youth movement shines versus Oakland
For one night, at least, it seemed like 21-year-old Tobias Brooks solved so many of the Summit’s issues.
Colorado trailed by three goals for much of the first half, but the tide turned in the third as the Summit opened the period with a 7-1 blitz to seize control in their 24-21 triumph over the previously unbeaten Oakland Spiders. Brooks, along with his fellow University of Colorado teammates Elliot Hawkins, Nanda Min-Fink, and Zeke Thoreson, all were gigantic additions for the Summit in their 2025 UFA debuts.
“All of the college guys were a huge help,” said Quinn Finer, who totaled four goals, four assists, 448 yards, and no turns in the victory. “Elliot, Nanda, Zeke, and Tobi all played integral roles that we were missing previously. Beyond their skillsets, it was like a shot of adrenaline for us.”
Brooks finished the night with 946 total yards, the most of any UFA player in a single-game so far this season, while completing 74-of-76 throws and tallying six assists, two goals, and a block.
“We knew [Brooks] was going to be our center handler and take a big load,” said Finer. “With the Spiders’ weakened roster, they weren’t able to dedicate an experience shut-down defender to him, so we let him cook. Not to say the defenders guarding him weren’t good players, Tobi can cook against anyone, honestly. I will say, I didn’t believe the yardage total at first for him. Playing with Tobi is amazing. He lightens my load significantly and allows me to be more selective with my cutting and throwing patterns. This is true for all the college guys we suited up.”
Evan Magsig tossed seven assists for the Spiders, while Adam Rees scored six goals and threw two more, but Oakland’s O-line was broken seven times. In the Spiders’ previous four games, they had only been broken eight times.
“After the first quarter, our level of execution started to slip,” said Oakland Captain Walker Frankenberg. “They did a great job winning end of quarter situations in the first half—which meant losing out on two hard-earned breaks—and making adjustments at halftime to try to push our offense into positions we hadn’t been in. I think we adjusted well, but not quickly enough, and couldn’t mount our comeback with enough time. This was the first time we’d been challenged as a team this season, and we’re excited to take what we learned into this Friday [against Salt Lake].”
As for the key adjustments that changed the game, the Summit made some defensive positional shifts, upped the physicality, and leveraged their overall size and athleticism. Not to mention the fact that Colorado’s playmakers came up with some huge individual efforts, none better than Connor Olson’s electric shoulder-high layout score in the fourth quarter.
“What a memorable game,” said Olson. “We knew the Bird guys were going to go off after such a great run at College Nationals, and obviously coming just short of their goal was going to stoke a massive fire for them [...] As for the layout, it’s gotta be the number two layout of my UFA career, after the 2018 Championship Weekend one. When it went up, I was just hopeful it would have the tiniest amount of O/I, but it was pretty much board straight and I knew I’d have to launch it and that it was going to hurt. I don’t usually show too much emotion after a big play, but that one got me pretty lit. My teammates were right there instantly to hype me up and the crowd was wild too. Checking my phone after the game to see a bunch of ‘holy shit!’ texts was very validating. Definitely gonna remember that one.”
3. Salt Lake's 2-0 road trip through the Pacific Northwest
Joining the Spiders and Summit atop the West Division race, the Salt Lake Shred swept their Week 6 doubleheader road trip by winning at Seattle and Oregon to improve to 4-1. The pair of triumphs inched the Shred to within a half-game of the first-place Spiders, heading into this Friday’s showdown in Oakland.
Meanwhile, the Shred earned their second straight Friday night victory over the Cascades, though the more recent 25-20 outcome felt considerably different compared to the previous week’s wild come-from-behind one-goal win.
“Friday’s game was a fun one,” said Jordan Kerr, who produced four assists and three goals in the five-score win. “Definitely the most complete game our team has put together this season. We’ve either gotten off to slow starts or less than ideal finishes, so being able to put together four quarters of good ultimate was a good feeling.”
Will Selfridge, the 21-year-old phenom participating in just his second UFA game of the season, looked like the best player on Friday night, erupting for a career-best seven assists, along with three goals and 599 total yards. Connor Belfield had a big night for the ‘Scades with five goals, five assists, and no turns, but Seattle was broken seven times and Salt Lake held the lead wire-to-wire.
“Salt Lake just put together a really good game against us this week,” said Cascades Captain Garrett Martin. “They came down with a couple end of quarter goals that really gave them a lot of momentum.”
Saturday’s contest in Oregon wasn’t nearly as straightforward for the Shred. The Steel actually won three of the four quarters, outscoring Salt Lake by one goal apiece in the first, third, and fourth periods. But the Shred absolutely dominated the second quarter, using an 8-1 run to seize control of the game in their eventual 21-17 victory.
“Saturday was an ugly one,” said Kerr. “With the wind and it being the second day of a back-to-back, it led to some weird drops, throwaways, and unconventional mistakes. Our O-line struggled, but once again shout-out to our D-line for winning this one. Their 8-1 run in the second is what won us the game.”
The Shred defense finished with 11 breaks in 19 chances, whereas the Steel only registered seven breaks in their 14 opportunities.
“At the end of the game, [Salt Lake Coach] Bryce [Merrill] made an interesting comparison to our loss to Atlanta just a few weeks ago,” explained Kerr. “After the Atlanta game, our team was feeling really good about how clean and tight of a game we played against a championship level team like Atlanta. He compared that to an ugly win on Saturday that frankly a lot of players, including myself, were frustrated by. Bryce talked about how unique it is that we can feel better about a good loss than a bad win, but that in this league sometimes, you just gotta learn how to win ugly. We’d love to win every game by executing perfectly and having single-digit turnovers, but especially in a season like this, every win counts. Doesn’t matter if it’s pretty or ugly.”
4. Carolina finally takes flight with first two wins of the season
If Week 6 was do-or-die for the 0-4 Flyers, Carolina clearly found new life on the road at Philly and Pittsburgh, securing a pair of road wins to re-enter the South Division playoff chase.
“Obviously, starting the season with four losses was not what we wanted, but knew there was potential with the turnover and change in coach we would experience some growing pains,” said Allan Laviolette, who tossed 14 assists in the two-win weekend. “Between [Coach Michael] Avila, Grayson [Sanner], and especially Trevor [Lynch], I credit this weekend’s outcome to them doubling down on the message of playing with confidence and belief in one another. And it really clicked. Just looking back, the difference this weekend came from our defense.”
On Saturday in Philadelphia, the Flyers were in danger of falling behind by two when the Phoenix had a late break chance, but then the game flipped completely. Laviolette, after enduring one of his two throwaways on the weekend, got the block to earn the disc back and delivered a strike to Jacob Fairfax for the tying score with 25 seconds left. Then, a weird Philly miscue in the closing seconds enabled Suraj Madiraju to score again at the buzzer, giving Carolina a 6-5 lead at the end of the first.
But for the Phoenix, the rough finish to the first snowballed into more second quarter struggles.
“The way we ended that first quarter played into our second quarter,” said Philadelphia Captain Sean Mott. “I believe that people had their heads down and were a little upset with how we were playing. The weather was at its worst in the second quarter too, which played into it a little bit. I don’t know if there’s a specific reason for that run, but we can’t allow that to happen anymore if we want to be in the playoff picture.”
When the Phoenix finally found their only goal of the second quarter with 42 seconds left, they’d gone 14 minutes between scores and were down 10-6 at the break. Carolina led by as many as six before prevailing 18-15, as the Hotbirds produced their only two breaks of the game over the last three minutes.
“John McDonnell and Rutledge Smith are the unsung heroes of our O-line,” said Avila, who earned his first win as a UFA Head Coach on Saturday night. “J-Mac consistently helps us get the disc in advantageous positions with his throws, and Rut’s ability to get open anywhere has proven to be a great release valve for us. Defensively, Cooper Williams and Suhas Madiraju were huge. They both took on tough matchups and did a great job of pressuring them as the right sports and moments. All four of these guys might not light up the stat sheet in the same way Allan and Fax do, but they are invaluable parts of our offensive and defensive game plan.”
To Coach’s point, McDonnell and Smith only totaled one goal and one assist between them on Sunday at Pittsburgh, but the young handling duo combined for 111 completions in Carolina’s 24-12 rout over the Thunderbirds. The Flyers dominated the first three quarters, leading 7-1 after one, 13-3 at the half, and 19-6 through three in their second road win in as many days.
“Personally, it’s nice to finally get a few wins under our belt,” said Avila. “I’ve been really happy with our process so far, so it’s great to see that get rewarded. We just had to be a little more patient.”
Avila added that despite the Hustle suffering a pair of close losses in Week 6, he still views them as the best team in the league heading into Atlanta’s Week 7 matchup at Carolina.
“It’s fun getting to play and get challenged by good teams,” said Avila. “I’m excited to see how our squad stacks up against them at our home field.”
5. Double overtime in LA
For the first time in the Aviators’ decade-long franchise history, they won a game in double overtime. Friday’s back-and-forth thriller with the visiting Houston Havoc featured plenty of exciting moments, culminating with UFA veteran Michael Kiyoi snagging the game-winner on universe point to cap the wild 20-19 win.
“The game-winning goal felt amazing,” said Kiyoi, who’s pro frisbee career began as a member of the championship-winning Spiders squad 11 years ago. “I’ve never caught a game-winner before, but it felt so good because I knew it was a season-saver for us. With so many new players, a new coach, new system, and new division, we needed the win badly. I think this is the turning point for us. Not that we will win a ton of games and make the playoffs, but that we will continue to be very competitive and built towards the future. This could be a moment we look back on next year and reflect how important it was for us.”
It nearly didn’t happen.
Not only were the Aviators down by three heading into the fourth quarter, but they also survived some wild momentum swings on universe point. Sean McDougall skied for a sensational block on Havoc star Ben Lewis, and James Franklin delivered a ridiculous leaping grab to set up the game-clinching score.
McDougall, Franklin, and Aviators rookie Jonathan Lyle all had huge games, combining for 11 goals and 14 assists. LA veteran Mitchell Steiner also had a thrilling and clutch game-tying Callahan with less than seven minutes left in the fourth.
Overall, the 1-4 Aviators are hopeful that they can build on this result.
“We have a very difficult game against Austin this week and then travel to Portland and Seattle,” said Kiyoi. “If we didn’t win Friday, there’s a realistic chance we would lose the next three and who knows from there. Hope and belief are powerful, and now we have an immense amount of both. We know all the hard work is paying off. All the meetings, workouts, and practices are moving us forward and that’s what it takes to win in this league. Especially with a young team. LA still has a big place in the league, and we are going to prove it over the next two years.”
6. San Diego moves to 5-2
One day later, the Havoc were again neck-and-neck at halftime against their SoCal opponent, but the Growlers seized control in the third, outscoring Houston 7-2 in the period and 15-7 in the second half of their 25-17 victory.
“We expected to play a team with high variance and a lot of fight, and we got exactly that,” said Growlers cutter Marcel Osborne, who led the San Diego offense with seven scores and no turns. “Taking a game off of Colorado but losing a heartbreaker to LA made us wonder which team was going to show up against us. In the first half defensively, we challenged their strengths, and though we rattled off a couple breaks, their offense got in a groove [...] In the second half, we switched tactics to force more throws and tire them out and you could see the results immediately. I think we broke three times in their first four offensive points out of half as the mental mistakes started to pile up.”
Matt Miller went 32-for-33 for 417 throwing yards, with four assists, two blocks, and one goal to anchor the Growlers’ O-line, while Casey Shugarman produced three blocks and two assists for the San Diego D-line. Combined, the two teams went 22-for-25 on hucks for the night, but the Growlers finished with just 11 turnovers compared to the Havoc’s 20.
With a huge Saturday showdown coming up in Week 7 against undefeated Austin, the Growlers are excited to once again show off all of their hard work, which has enabled them to win five of their first seven games on the season.
“I’m really proud of the dedication and accountability of this team to work on themselves in preparation for every practice and every game,” said Osborne. “I think we have started to build a base of trust that every guy is bringing their A-game to practices, gym, sprint workouts, whatever it is either with the team or alone in order to succeed come game time. It’s very inspiring.”
7. Madison doubles up Indy
Two weeks after roaring to an early 11-3 lead against Pittsburgh, the Radicals immediately pounced again on their overmatched Central Division foe, bolting to a 13-4 lead in their 22-11 Friday night victory over Indianapolis. Madison’s offense was far from pristine, turning the disc over 22 times, but that was still far superior to the AlleyCats, who converted just 21 percent of their O-line possessions and endured 34 turnovers on the night.
“The energy on the sideline was electric,” Madison’s Mitchell McCarthy told Ryan Baker. “The crowd was getting into it, and we fed off that to keep the break train rolling. We were playing with a ton of confidence, and that helped us start to run away with the game.”
Luke Marks led the Radicals with six blocks, the most for any UFA player so far this season.
“I feel that a lot of my blocks were the result of our communication as a team on the field,” said Marks, via Baker. “We helped each other in preparing for long alley cuts and had well-timed switches that allowed me to anticipate the next throw with a bit more ease. It helps to go all out on an under when you know you have help if they turn the page deep.”
As for the AlleyCats, the early-season results have been ugly, Indy leadership feels they are still capable of putting some wins together, starting with their Week 7 trip to Detroit against a Mechanix team that they’ve beaten 31 consecutive times.
“Defensively, we’re pleased,” said AlleyCats Coach Drew Shepherd. “We have an identity. We took 11 possessions on 13 D-points against Madison, most of those earned [...] Offensively, we are getting our ass kicked. I see that. Our motto as of late is the adage, ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.’”
While the AlleyCats continue to slowly grind toward progress, the Radicals now sit at 3-1, tied with the Wind Chill for second place in the Central. But Madison will learn a whole lot more about itself over the next two weeks, as the Rads travel to Chicago this Sunday before hosting Minnesota on Friday Night Frisbee on June 13.
The Hammer
With four more interdivisional contests this past weekend, we’ve now had a dozen different interdivisional duels through the first six weeks of the season. Here’s what the results look like from a standings standpoint:
South: 6-4 (.600)
Central: 3-2 (.600)
East: 2-2 (.500)
West: 1-4 (.200)
And as a reminder, here were the standings by division for interdivisional results in the 2023 & 2024 seasons, including the playoffs:
East: 15-6 (.714)
South: 10-9 (.526)
Central: 7-12 (.368)
West: 5-10 (.333)
I’ll try not to draw any firm conclusions from the relatively small sample size, but it does seem noteworthy that since Oakland’s opening night win over New York, the West is winless in interdivisional action. Also, the Central Division has now won five of its last seven interdivisional contests, dating back to Minnesota’s run at Championship Weekend last August; before that, the Central had only won five times in its previous 17 interdivisional opportunities.
Here are the remaining interdivisional games still to be played (prior to Championship Weekend, of course):
June 14 — San Diego @ Vegas
June 14 — Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh
June 20 — Los Angeles @ Oregon
June 21 — Los Angeles @ Seattle
June 28 — Oakland @ San Diego
June 28 — Pittsburgh @ Toronto
July 18 — Minnesota @ Salt Lake
July 19 — San Diego @ Oakland
July 20 — Vegas @ Los Angeles
This coming weekend, as we cross over the midway point of the regular season, we’ve got 13 more games, all of which are divisional matchups. With five games on Friday, seven on Saturday, and one more on Sunday, it certainly should be another gripping weekend.
Thank you for reading, and here’s to the second half of the season matching—or perhaps even exceeding—the excitement we’ve already experienced so far.
