by Larry Snyder
Pittsburgh, PA – Returning from their final bye week, the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (3-4-0) defend the South Side Friday, June 30, from the Detroit Mechanix (0-7-0). This American Ultimate Disc League Central Division collision at Highmark Stadium begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
Before this Friday’s contest, the Black and Gold lost 18-17 on Saturday, June 17, to the Rush (4-4-0) in Toronto. On the fourteenth play of a time-consuming drive at the end of the match, Toronto fourth-year handler Luc Comire hit rookie Griffin McKee with an 18-yard pass for the go-ahead score with one second remaining. Detroit continued their 69-game losing streak Saturday, June 24, with an 18-12 setback by the Chicago Union (5-3-0).
I spoke with Pittsburgh head coach Max Barowski about how vital it is to get a win to kickstart the drive for the AUDL’s second season. He replied, “Great question, we are always intent in having our focus be internal and on what we can control from game to game and we are really getting into the crunch time of the season where every win is important. We are focused completely on winning every game we have left this season and it starts against the Mechanix this week.”
Barowski commented on the transition of second-leading scorer Carl Johnson (19 goals, six blocks) from the Tampa Bay Cannons to the T-birds in 2023. “Carl has also been a huge addition for us this season. He adds another dimension to our team that we didn’t have in past seasons and has also done so fairly seamlessly like you said. We are grateful to have him.”
My last question for Coach Barowski was who could be a difference maker on offense and defense this week against the Men of Motown not named Max Sheppard (21 goals, 29 assists, six blocks). He said, “We will be without Anson Reppermund (12 goals, eight blocks) this week on offense so we are looking forward to some other guys stepping up in his absence. Carl, Mikey O’Brien (nine goals, nine assists), and Jimmy Towle (12 goals) will be ready to go. Defensively I’m looking forward to Joe Molder’s season debut and hoping that he gets a chance to make some plays Friday night, he may be the fastest person on our team in the open field.”
The quartet of Jonathan Mast (18 assists), Noah Celuch (eight goals, seven assists), Steve Mogielski (10 blocks), and Charlie Vukovic (seven blocks), in my opinion, will also help keep the Mechanix in the garage. Besides Reppermund, Chris Graber (five goals) and Clint McSherry (five goals, 14 assists) are out of action.
Looking at the turnover stats in 2023, Pittsburgh averages 14.3 per game in their three victories and 22.5 in the four losses. I know from watching the contests that not all turnovers lead to scores. I asked assistant coach Nick Bozich how crucial this stat is to the clipboard. He responded, “That’s a fair criticism. Turnovers and efficiency in general are incredibly important to us. Not all turnovers are created the same, but minimizing them in different ways leads to wins.”
Bozich continued, “In our last game against Toronto, looking at our red zone conversions rate, which is definitely tied to turnovers, really stings and stands out to us as a focus heading into this week’s game. Our offensive hold rate was good, not great, against Toronto so we are also looking to level up our defensive efforts on both sides of the disc as well. Especially in our second one-point loss, we are looking for learnings in the film and numbers to continue improving as we seek a spot in the central division playoffs.”
Thunderbirds’ General Manager Andrew Gardner talked to me about the air quality for Friday’s meeting. “Of course, we are closely monitoring the Air Quality Index in Pittsburgh in regards to the Canadian wildfires, but we feel confident the game will take place Friday. However, we do put a large emphasis on player, staff, and fan safety.”
“Any player or staff member with underlying pulmonary disease or other concerns will be permitted to self-restrict or opt out of Friday's game. We also encourage any fan who has concerns about the AQI Friday to watch our game comfortably on AUDL.TV.”
“We are currently being advised by the AUDL’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Christina Lee Chung, in conjunction with Dr. Marc Harwood who is the Past-President of the MLB Team Physicians Association, member of the MLB Medical Advisory and Research Councils, and current Medical Director of Umpires.”
From AUDL YouTube Channel – Pittsburgh Thunderbirds At Toronto Rush – Full Game Highlights For June 17, 2023…
Detroit came close to ending the losing streak on the road Saturday, June 17, when the Indianapolis AlleyCats won 20-19 at the Grand Park Events Center. Joseph Cubitt contributed five goals, and Jake Kenniv provided four scores. Jack Havey and Nicholas Betsch had the offense running smoothly with four assists apiece.
Each division of the AUDL has one team with no victories. In addition to the Mechanix in the Central, the Portland Nitro (0-7-0) in the West, the Dallas Legion (0-7-0) in the South, and the Montreal Royal (0-9-0) in the East are also seeking a victory.
* After publishing of this article, Kevin Nicholl was activated from Ready Reserve, and Alex Thomas was placed on the inactive list due to an underlying injury.
GAMEDAY INFO
Tickets: You can find a great seat for Thunderbird matchups online. Kyle Archer brings exciting entertainment as your in-game host at Highmark Stadium.
Broadcast: Enjoy every T-birds goal on the subscription streaming service AUDL.tv. Matt Weiss has the call behind the microphone.
Updates: Thunderbirds Twitter at @PGHThunderbirds – Facebook at pghthunderbirds – Instagram at pghthunderbirds
NEXT UP: The Chicago Union arrives in the City of Bridges Friday, July 7, for a 7:00 p.m. showdown with the Black and Gold. The T-birds board the bus for a rematch Saturday, July 8, against the Boys from the Windy City at the De La Salle Institute. They get together at 6:30 p.m. CDT.
