by Larry Snyder
Indianapolis, IN – After all the points were tallied in back-to-back contests last weekend, the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (5-5-0) and the Chicago Union (6-4-0) split their showdown. It left the Boys from the Windy City in third place in the American Ultimate Disc League Central Division, but there is still a path for the Black and Gold to join the postseason.
Looking back at Friday, July 7, Pittsburgh claimed a 4-1 record at Highmark Stadium this season with Chicago’s 21-18 defeat. The T-birds picked up their first Callahan goal, posted 16 blocks, and a seven-for-seven red zone completion rate (100%). The Thunderbirds connected on the long bomb, making eight of 15 hucks to keep the Union defense off-balance. The victory also allowed the Black and Gold to jettison the criticism, “well, they have not beaten anyone with a winning record.”
Chicago proved ready for the rematch Saturday, July 8, at Parente Field, part of the De La Salle Institute. The Thunderbirds held a slight edge with a 5-4 run in the first quarter, but the Union defense clamped down and allowed the Men of the Steel City just three goals per quarter the rest of the way. Pittsburgh’s 20-14 loss means the Union possesses a three-point advantage over the Thunderbirds in the tiebreaker between the two squads.
Pittsburgh general manager Andrew Gardner commented this week, “With the Indianapolis AlleyCats (7-3-0) losing Sunday, July 9, to the Minnesota Wind Chill (8-2-0), the playoff door is still open to us. If we win our remaining two games, it will clinch a postseason spot for us in the Central Division. We regain control of our postseason destiny.” The T-birds travel to Indy to face the AlleyCats Saturday, July 15, at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School. The opening pull is 7:00 p.m. EDT.
I spoke with the Thunderbirds’ head coach Max Barowski about the win over Chicago. The T-birds picked up a Callahan goal at 1:58 in the first quarter. It came off a 99-yard pull by Sam VanDusen as the Black and Gold’s Steve Mogielski stepped in front of a pass by first-year player Ian Falck from the back line of the Union end zone. How much did it impact the team on the sideline and the game’s flow?
Coach Barowski replied, “That Callahan was definitely huge for us! We actually almost got one a couple of points before that in the exact same spot in the endzone, so it felt good to actually cash in on another opportunity there. Our defensive intensity at home is always something that carries our team and it was nice to see them get a goal in that way after all the hard work they’ve put in this season.”
My following observation was the Black and Gold’s newest offensive threat in Jonathan Mast, as he put up five goals in the back-to-back matchups with the Union. He has gone from throwing the disc downfield to open receivers to hauling in scores.
Barowski said, “One thing that you have to be willing to do at this point in the season is make on-field adjustments when your opponents have so much film and scouting on you. Jon Mast has taken that to heart and has been putting in the work on becoming more versatile and dynamic all over the field, and not just pushing our offense down the field with his throws.”
Moving toward this Saturday, I asked Coach Barowski about three keys to take down the AlleyCats on the road. He told me, “The first thing we need to do is make sure that we bring that Highmark intensity on the road with us this weekend. Energy has to be high and then we need to make sure that energy is being focused properly on the field. Second thing we are going to need to do is keep it simple, when we hit the open person and don’t try to win the game with one play, that’s when we are most effective. And the final key to winning this game, we’d like to have more points than them at the end of the game.”
Carl Johnson (35 goals, 11 assists, eight blocks), Max Sheppard (33 goals, 44 assists, 17 hockey assists), Jimmy Towle (17 goals, 11 assists, 18 hockey assists), Mast (23 assists, 18 hockey assists), and Mogielski (13 blocks) are on the T-birds active roster for Saturday. The trio of Anson Reppermund, Jacob Anthuvan, and Sam VanDusen are questionable. Pittsburgh is seventh in the AUDL in blocks with 104.
From The AUDL YouTube Channel – Chicago Union At Pittsburgh Thunderbirds – Full Game Highlights For July 7, 2023…
Indianapolis won seven consecutive contests before losing last week to the Wind Chill. They are ninth in the AUDL in red zone completion percentage (80.11). Cameron Brock (26 goals, 13 assists) and Levi Jacobs (21 goals, 19 assists) keep the offense purring. Rick Gross (21 goals, 19 assists) lists as dressed but is not active for the matchup.
Working to keep the opposing team off the scoreboard is William Wettengel (17 blocks), Nick Hutton (12 blocks), and Seth Gudeman (11 blocks). Like the T-birds, Indy has one Callahan goal this season.
GAMEDAY INFO
Broadcast: The T-birds bring their exciting play to the subscription streaming service AUDL.tv.
Updates: Thunderbirds Twitter at @PGHThunderbirds – Facebook at pghthunderbirds – Instagram at pghthunderbirds
NEXT UP: The AlleyCats come East to close out the regular season against the Black and Gold Saturday, July 22, at Highmark Stadium. This battle gets underway at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
