A Beginner’s Guide to the UFA Championship Weekend

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Know that the Championship Weekend of the UFA starts tonight in Salt Lake but don't know what to look for? I got you. Here's a quick primer of everything you'll need to know.

This is a very exciting Championship Weekend for the UFA. While the last two weekends have been "Come watch the Empire crush everyone", this year's Championship is fairly wide open. Whether you're planning on watching on TV or in person this weekend, here's a little background on each team.

1. DC Breeze. This is a team that has been on the cusp of greatness for years…there's an argument to be made that the three previous years they were second best team in the league, but couldn't make Championship Weekend because the Empire stopped them every time. Well thanks indirectly to Boston (who beat NY in the opening round of the playoffs, and who DC subsequently beat), DC is finally here. They are also the definite favorites. The East is the toughest division in the league, and DC went 10-1 in division play, playoffs included.

STARS: The strength of the Breeze is that they're so deep, with not many stars or stat-stuffers. Jonny Malks leads the team in scoring, with 32 assists and 24 goals. Tyler Monroe and Cole Jurek both also put up 50+ scores. Rowan McDonnell is the face of the franchise, though he has a lesser role than he has in years past (a testament to their depth as much as anything). In his 8th season, Rowan is the teams all-time leader in both goals and assists. On defense, AJ Merriman is a lockdown defender who is really fun to watch.

BONUS CONTENT: Breeze defender AJ Merriman was featured in a great Washington Post piece last year.

1. Carolina Flyers. The only team in the Final Four to already have some hardware in their trophy case, the Flyers shocked the Empire in the 2021 Finals. This is their third championship weekend in the past four years. One of the true elite franchises in the UFA, Carolina has the best winning percentage in league history and has made the playoffs every year of their existence.

STARS: Wily veteran Allan Laviolette returned to the Flyers this year after two years away, and has had a massive impact. He finished 5th in the league in both scores and assists. This is a veteran team, with Jacob Fairfax, Anders Juengst, Terence Mitchell all being major contributors and having championship experience. Nobody will be shocked if they win it all.

BONUS CONTENT: Here's a short youtube interview of Flyers coach Mike Denardis talking about why he loves coaching.

1. Minnesota Wind Chill. The only team left that also made last year's Championship Weekend, the Wind Chill are looking for their first ever appearance in a championship game after falling in an instant classic last year to Salt Lake in the semis. The Wind Chill have established themselves as the class of the Central, going 29-7 thus far this decade in the regular season. That said, make no mistake: Minnesota will be a major underdog against DC.

STARS: Want to talk about a well-balanced team, Minnesota's leading scorer is 39th in the league in scoring! So no real stars here, but an excellently balanced team led by Gordon Lawson, Brian Vohnoutka, and Josh Klane.

BONUS CONTENT: There was a great piece on coach Ben Feldman and the Wind Chill in the New York Times 6 years ago.

1. Seattle Cascades. Unquestionably the Cinderella of this year's Championship Weekend (or, as I prefer to call it, the Frisbee Four) the Seattle Cascades shocked the ultimate world two weeks ago when they knocked off Salt Lake in Salt Lake and punched their ticket. This is a franchise that hadn't had a winning season since 2016, and in the preseason rankings was ranked 16th out of 24 teams. But their young core gelled this season, and the team showed a propensity for winning close games: they went 5-1 in games decided by one goal, including their 21-20 win over Salt Lake in the West Division finals. They'll have their work cut out for them in the semis, as the Carolina Flyers will be huge favorites.

STARS: Garret Martin was the 4th leading scorer in the league this season, divvying out dimes and scoring. Martin was one of the two players this year to have both 30+ goals and 30+ assists. (The other was Empire legend Jack Williams). The delightfully named Zeppelin Raunig is their big goal scorer: his 50 are 3rd in the league. Khalif el-Salaam isn't a huge scorer, but when he does score, GET EXCITED. Dude has some absolute highlight reel catches. Honestly, this isn't jumping, it's flying. On defense, Lukas Ambrose was last year's Rookie of the Year and has a nose for the flatball.

BONUS CONTENT: A local news story on the Cascades from earlier this year.

X-FACTOR: The wind. There's no sport where it can create more havoc than in ultimate frisbee, and it's expected to be howling tonight…wind gusts of us up 40 MPH.

PREDICTIONS:

Semis: Breeze 18-Wind Chill 15

Flyers 19-Cascades 13

Finals: Flyers 21-Breeze 20