The Portland Stags manage to somehow improve every season. Perhaps it was returning 19 players from 2015, 13 of which were the 14 starting O-line or D-line players that year. Perhaps it is their focus on playing star players, or perhaps it is the overall improvement of the Portland ultimate scene.
In 2016 the Stags became the first Western Conference team to go undefeated in conference play and finished with a 9-1 record for the second year in a row. It was their third straight season they claimed homefield advantage, but the first time Portland actually won the West Championship. Despite the momentum of breaking through in the playoffs, and already facing an east coast trip earlier in the season, the Stags could not top the Philadelphia Spinners in the MLU Championship Game.
Using the most experienced roster in the league, Portland dominated conference opponents. Including the playoffs, only one match was decided by fewer than five points and even that was the second game of a Week 2 doubleheader. By season's end they were the most decorated roster in the league (in terms of league awards) and became the highest scoring team in league history (228 goals).
In 2016 the Stags became the first Western Conference team to go undefeated in conference play and finished with a 9-1 record for the second year in a row. It was their third straight season they claimed homefield advantage, but the first time Portland actually won the West Championship. Despite the momentum of breaking through in the playoffs, and already facing an east coast trip earlier in the season, the Stags could not top the Philadelphia Spinners in the MLU Championship Game.
Using the most experienced roster in the league, Portland dominated conference opponents. Including the playoffs, only one match was decided by fewer than five points and even that was the second game of a Week 2 doubleheader. By season's end they were the most decorated roster in the league (in terms of league awards) and became the highest scoring team in league history (228 goals).
Record: 9-1 | Home: 5-0 | Away: 4-1 |
There is a "Big Three" in Major League Ultimate and there is no doubt who they are: Cody Bjorklund, Timmy Perston, and Peter Woodside. While there many other great trios in the league, none would be able to cover the three main aspects of ultimate (throwing, cutting, and defensive ability) better than these three. Take them off of this Portland roster and each player would still have success, but together and in this system, they bring out the best in each other.
In the past few years, the franchise has been looking to fill in players around this trio. This season they seemed to find the group that could still work if Bjorklund, Perston, and Woodside were taken out of the game.
By doing so, new stars emerged on Portland's roster. Raphael Hayes (18 goals, 23 assists, 14 blocks) broke out onto the scene as someone who could potentially turn the Big Three into a Big Four. Hayes has a mix of both Bjorklund's and Perston's skills; he has an uncanny ability to get open on an initial cut and can also make athletic plays in the air. With his attributes he became a favorite downfield and upfield target for Bjorklund and the handlers. The 2016 Breakout Player of the Year could both score and keep the offense moving.
Portland is a team that runs the same offense every game, there is no altering their system. They know that their offense works and they challenge teams to try and stop it. In 2015 only one team was able to do so, the Seattle Rainmakers; in 2016 it was the Spinners.
Much of this success is to do with the 2016 West Coach of the Year, Danny Quarrell. This is the second year in a row Quarrell has claimed this award and now has him as the leader in wins as a head coach with 27.
vs. Rainmakers: 3-0 (1-0) PD: +19 (+9)
vs. Dogfish: 3-0 PD: +20
vs. Nighthawks: 3-0 PD: +41
vs. Whitecaps: 0-1 PD: -1
vs. Spinners: (0-1) PD: -3
Both Bjorklund and Perston hit career milestones this season. Bjorklund not only became the league leader in assists, he was the first player to surpass 100 career assists and now stands at 114. With 41 assists in 2016 it was by far the most Bjorklund threw in his career. Adding on 16 goals he became the highest scoring player in league history with 189 points, 47 ahead of second place Mark Burton.
Perston became the league leader in goals scored (108) by adding 29 goals this season, and was also the first player to hit the century mark in that category.
The most anticipated game on their schedule came mid-season, as the Stags were to travel cross-country to play the Boston Whitecaps. It would be the second ever, cross-divisional game and pit the two best franchises in league history against each other.
The game lived up to the hype with Portland fairing better than any other West Coast team had playing against the East. Although the Stags lost 22-21, there were impressive performances by Bjorklund (one goal, five assists) and Perston (five goals, two blocks) but none quite as impressive as Tad Jensen. In extremely windy conditions, Jensen manged to go a perfect 30 for 30 on his throws in only 14 points played. He would put up five assists, four of which came in the second half as they were attempting to comeback.
Team MVP: Cody Bjorklund
(16G, 41A, 7B, 133/159 throws, 0.778 TPOP)
No surprise, Bjorklund was the Western Conference MVP this season. His numbers were unmatched as he also took home the league scoring title in 2016 with 57 points, second was Brad Houser of Seattle with 45. Each season he has led his team in scoring dating back to 2013 and his 41 assists was the most in a single season ever. In addition to leading the league in points (189) and assists (114), he leads the league in games played (39) and points played (763). Bjorklund was not just a top guy in the league this season, but has become one of the top five players in league history.
Team Star: Cody Bjorklund (4 weeks)
Week in and week out, Bjorklund performed for his team. He played all 12 games (playoffs included) in 2016, playing no fewer than 12 points in each game. Five times this season he recorded six points or more, but his lowest scoring performances were in the playoffs. In the West Finals, the 28-year-old, scored only two goals and an assist, and in the MLU Championship he only had a single goal and an assist, something that has plagued Bjorklund his entire career.
Team Rookie of the Year: Trevor Smith
(8G, 8A, 2B, 187/197 throws, 1.258 TPOP)
Just like for the Whitecaps, it is tough for a rookie to come on to a team and have an impact. However, with Trevor Smith there is no question how big of an impact he had on this team. As a rookie, he stepped onto the highest scoring offensive line in league history. He had the highest completion percentage of all O-line starters, he had third highest TPOP on the entire team, and was one of three players to play on 100 offensive points for the Stags, Bjorklund and Perston were the other two.
Trend: Upward
The team continuously gets better, year after year. There should be not expectation otherwise. Giving Woodside the 2016 West Defensive Player of the Year, the team brought home five league awards. After becoming the second team ever to go undefeated against their conference (joining the 2013 Whitecaps), 2017 could be the year they look to go undefeated. Retaining players is always the biggest obstacle, but the Stags have never had that problem in the past four years. As of right now there are no players locked up for 2017, but that will be sure to change in the upcoming months.