Halfway through the fourth Major League Ultimate season and we only have one team's postseason fate decided. Not much has changed from last year, the Boston Whitecaps and Philadelphia Spinners look to be on their way back to the Eastern Conference Finals, while Portland dominates the West. None of the player awards have yet to be decided yet, but the mid-season awards have. However cross divisional games have made these awards difficult and will soon change these awards, and only have it throughout the entire league instead of each conference. It will be a good problem to have but for now here are the 2016 MLU Insider Mid-Season Awards:
Best Game:
East:
Week 6: Boston d. Philadelphia 20-19 OT
Week 6: Boston d. Philadelphia 20-19 OT
This game had a little bit of everything you would want in an instant classic. A back-and-forth opening quarter, sheer dominance that allows a team to pull away, the miraculous comeback, overtime, and even a callahan. The Boston Whitecaps have had some crazy comebacks in their history and even some good ones this season. In this game, the Whitecaps were down by five points near the end of the third quarter with the Philadelphia Spinners dominating. It was not just one player doing all the work either, the entire roster was putting on a show in Boston. However, some unfamiliar faces were stealing the show for Philadelphia, David Brandolph (1 goal, 3 assists, 1 block), Isaiah Bryant (3 assists), and Michael Panna (3 assists) help build a 16-11 advantage and scored all of their points in the first three quarters. The Whitecaps though were not done yet and had a miraculous fourth quarter comeback thanks to Sean Doherty (4 goals, 1 block) with all of his goals resulting in breaks. He would go on to score the final break to seal the deal in overtime and had a callahan in the opening quarter.
West:
Week 2: Portland d. Seattle 25-22
Week 2: Portland d. Seattle 25-22
The Seattle Rainmakers probably had the best chance to knock off the Portland Stags out of any team in the regular season. At home, the Rainmakers built a five point advantage without their two superstars: Khalif El-Salaam and Henry Phan. They had Portland on their heels and you could feel the excitement on the field. That was negated by four straight breaks by the Stags in the third quarter. Two of those goals being assisted by the player who is up for league MVP and Breakthrough Player of the Year, Raphael Hayes (1 goal, 7 assists, 3 blocks). The comeback would set the tone for the team, not only for the remainder of the game but for the rest of the Western Conference as well. His performance well out shined the rest of the top guys on the Stags who rolled Seattle in the final quarter by scoring more breaks (five) than the Rainmakers did points (three).
Best Single Game Performance:
East:
Billy Sickles (Philadelphia Spinners) Week 5
The 2015 Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year dominated the field against the New York Rumble. In a single game he scored or assisted on eight of the teams 13 offensive scores (4 goals, 4 assists) and went a perfect 20/20 on throws. Unfortunately this was in a blowout (25-15) otherwise there would have been a larger emphasis on how large of a game Sickles had on the field.
The opening weekend of the year and El-Salaam looks like he never had an offseason, which he didn't because he played at the University of Washington. This performance was in a loss for the Rainmakers and El-Salaam but it does not take away how he was everywhere on the field. His final stat line: 2 goals, 7 assists, 2 blocks, 29/36 throws. It is unfortunate that El-Salaam has missed a large portion of the season, otherwise he would be a clear favorite for Western Conference MVP.
MVP:
East:
Lloyd Blake (Washington D.C. Current)
26 points, 6 goals, 20 assists, 193/209 throws, 5 blocks
The Current are struggling through their roughest season in team history. Through it all Lloyd Blake is having a stellar performance in the Eastern Conference. He is tied with Sean Mott for the most points in the East, second in the league in assists, has the most completions in the league and is second in the East in TPOP (1.49). This all being with D.C playing one less game than Philadelphia and two less than New York. In the East not many of the typical stars has played week-in and week-out allowing Blake to shine even more. The team is battling to come back in the Eastern Conference playoff race and if they are going to do so Blake is going to need to keep it up.
West:
Raphael Hayes (Portland Stags)
28 points, 11 goals, 17 assists, 56/62 throws, 11 blocks
Raphael Hayes is one of the best stories in the league in 2016. Hayes is now seeing time on the Stags top O-line after playing on defense and the secondary O-line throughout his career. He has had numerous breakthrough games, that without them would probably have resulted in losses for Portland. It will be difficult for him to keep up the pace for the remainder of the season and he may see teammate Cody Bjorklund claim the title at the end of the season. At the mid-point of the season though, this honor belongs to Hayes.
Rookie of the Year:
East:
Sean Mott (New York Rumble)
The first time the Mid-season Rookie of the Year has gone to a New York Rumble player. In fact, this is the first time that the Rumble has been recognized in the MLU Insider/ MLU Fan Blog Mid Season Awards. No player though is more deserving in Sean Mott. He was introduced to us by an electrifying SportsCenter Top Plays grab, and since he has taken over this young Rumble squad with 13 goals, 13 assists and a block. He may not lead them into the playoffs this season, but he may be a cornerstone in building the franchise back up.
West:
Sascha Lo (Vancouver Nighthawks)
When a team has no victories on the season it is hard to give the Rookie of the Year to one of their players, but in an experienced Western Conference Sascha Lo is an exception. In a rebuilding year for Vancouver, Lo has stepped in and become a leader for this team. He stepped onto the O-line as the #1 handler and embraced the role quite well. On the season he only has two goals, six assists, and three blocks, but has thrown 177 completions out of 187 attempts, the second most completions in the league.
Coach of the Year:
East:
Sam Rosenthal (Boston Whitecaps)
You lose two of the best players in MLU history and your team still is on track to, not only making the playoffs, but becoming the top team in the East. At 4-1, Sam Rosenthal has managed another year of roster changes but kept his team at the top. They are competing against the veteran Philadelphia Spinners, while the Current and Rumble have yet to figure out their new roster. Boston may win their third championship this season and if they do, their team MVP will definitely be Rosenthal.
West:
Danny Quarrell (Portland Stags)
Coach of the Year is normally given to a coach that led a big turnaround season or dealt with roster changes. This season the Portland Stags have dominated the West, again (6-0), and have already clinched a playoff spot. Danny Quarrell took a great team from 2015 and made them even better this season to ensure that they finally win the West and make it to the MLU Championship.
Honorable Mentions:
Best Game:
East:
Week 1: Boston d. D.C. 17-16
Best Single Game Performance:
East:
Matt Glazer (Philadelphia Spinners): Week 2: 6 goals, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Sean Doherty (Boston Whitecaps): Week 6: 4 goals, 1 block, 1 callahan
West:
Raphael Hayes (Portland Stags): Week 2: 1 goal, 7 assists, 3 blocks
Peter Woodside (Portland Stags): Week 4: 5 goals, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Khalif El-Salaam (Seattle Rainmakers): Week 5: 2 goals, 6 assists, 30/30 throws
MVP:
East:
Billy Sickles (Philadelphia Spinners): 24 points, 11 goals, 13 assists, 98/105 throws, 3 blocks
West:
Cody Bjorklund (Portland Stags): 33 points, 11 goals, 22 assists, 72/83 throws, 6 blocks
Erik Hunter (Vancouver Nighthawks): 27 points, 15 goals, 12 assists, 131/149 throws, 3 blocks
Peter Woodside (Portland Stags): 23 points, 18 goals, 5 assists, 21/24 throws, 12 blocks
Rookie of the Year:
East:
Kyle Khalifa (Washington D.C. Current): 15 points, 14 goals, 1 assist, 31/37 throws, 5 blocks
Ethan Peck (Philadelphia Spinners): 18 points, 5 goals, 13 assists, 55/66 throws, 4 blocks
Coach of the Year:
East:
Darryl Stanley (Philadelphia Spinners)
East:
Week 1: Boston d. D.C. 17-16
Best Single Game Performance:
East:
Matt Glazer (Philadelphia Spinners): Week 2: 6 goals, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Sean Doherty (Boston Whitecaps): Week 6: 4 goals, 1 block, 1 callahan
West:
Raphael Hayes (Portland Stags): Week 2: 1 goal, 7 assists, 3 blocks
Peter Woodside (Portland Stags): Week 4: 5 goals, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Khalif El-Salaam (Seattle Rainmakers): Week 5: 2 goals, 6 assists, 30/30 throws
MVP:
East:
Billy Sickles (Philadelphia Spinners): 24 points, 11 goals, 13 assists, 98/105 throws, 3 blocks
West:
Cody Bjorklund (Portland Stags): 33 points, 11 goals, 22 assists, 72/83 throws, 6 blocks
Erik Hunter (Vancouver Nighthawks): 27 points, 15 goals, 12 assists, 131/149 throws, 3 blocks
Peter Woodside (Portland Stags): 23 points, 18 goals, 5 assists, 21/24 throws, 12 blocks
Rookie of the Year:
East:
Kyle Khalifa (Washington D.C. Current): 15 points, 14 goals, 1 assist, 31/37 throws, 5 blocks
Ethan Peck (Philadelphia Spinners): 18 points, 5 goals, 13 assists, 55/66 throws, 4 blocks
Coach of the Year:
East:
Darryl Stanley (Philadelphia Spinners)