The Philadelphia Spinners started the 2016 season with a bang. Not only did they land on SC Top 10 plays with an incredible greatest by Nick Hirannet, but they also used a doubleheader weekend to start 2-0 in the east. The Boston Whitecaps, who fell to the Spinners in the opening week, were coming off yet another thriller with their rivals from D.C., who might be better than many originally though. The Portland Stags got retribution for their 2015 playoff loss to the Seattle Rainmakers but not without Khalif El-Salaam having an MVP-type performance. The San Francisco Dogfish also claimed the victory for their fourth straight Week 1 win.
#1 Portland Stags: 1-0
Last Week: #1 Change: +0
It may not have been as clean as the Stags were looking for Week 1 but they exit the weekend with a victory. The team only committed 12 turnovers in the game and held an 81% Offensively Scoring Efficiency. The team generated nine breaks off of the Rainmakers and offensively was able to get Cody Bjorklund (2 goals, 5 assists) involved after he was shut down in the West Final last year. Tad Jensen and rookie Trevor Smith got multiple touches on the O-line as they look to be complementing Bjorklund in the handler position. Hayes had an incredible weekend for the Stags as his blocks led to break opportunities for Portland. This weekend the Stags will travel on a doubleheader to Vancouver and then face the Rainmakers again for a rematch in Seattle.
#2 Philadelphia Spinners: 2-0
Last Week: #2 Change: +0
Everyone expected a win over the Rumble but the true test was the match-up against the 2015 champions, both coming off a game the day before. The opening quarter sealed the deal for Philadelphia early. Although Boston came back, the Spinners had done enough to keep them at bay. The team was able to generate a turn on Boston's offense 57% of the time, forcing extra work for the Whitecaps. Overshadowed in all of this is the play of the Spinners' rookies in the opening weekend. Isiah Bryant, Greg Martin, and Ethan Peck played fantastic in their limited time. Their production in the first weekend's game against the Rumble gave the veterans rest and time to prepare their bodies for the important matchup on Sunday. In total they combined for 3 goals, 11 assists, 4 blocks in their opening weekend.
#3 Boston Whitecaps: 1-1
Last Week: #3 Change: +0
The Whitecaps proved that they can win without both Jeff Graham and Josh Markette. Can they win the east? That remains to be seen. The opening half of the MLU season for Boston had them in a hole, D.C. had the chance to pounce on the Whitecaps in extreme conditions. The grit of the team however, came out when the team needed it most. The team forced five breaks in the game, all of which came in the forth quarter to trounce the Current in the opening week. The team however could not find the magic the next day and fell to the Spinners. The offense now clearly will go through the hands of Jake Taylor and Matt Little while the defense still proves that they are one of the top units in the league.
#4 Washington D.C. Current: 1-0
Its easy to say that after allowing five breaks in the final quarter of their opening game, that there is much to work on in D.C. However, being in that position against Boston showed that the Current will still be competing this season. The weather conditions were terrible but yet were still able to control the Whitecaps for a majority of the game. Turns may have been the storyline, but the rookies of D.C. are going to have them in position to do damage this year. The new-look team will have Lloyd Blake commanding the disc, with his right hand man being Zach Norrbom. The D-line however proved that they can keep the Current in any game. All game they were forcing turnovers, young guns and veterans combined. In the end though their lack of experience is what gave the Whitecaps a chance to comeback.
#5 Seattle Rainmakers: 0-1
Last Week: #4 Change: -1
In the opening minutes against the Stags, things looked promising for the Rainmakers. The teams were trading points and Seattle was primed for the upset. Then the Stags defense stepped up and scored the final three points of the quarter and followed that up with three breaks in both the second and third. At this point down 18-10 the team attempted to stage a comeback but was too deep in the hole. The offense certainly missed Mark Burton steering the ship. The team relied on Gavin McKibben (38/40 on throws) to be the team's anchor with El-Salaam doing a bit of everything for the team. Moving forward the team will have to take advantage of both offensive and defensive opportunities given if they want to thwart the Stags title hopes again this season.
#6 San Francisco Dogfish: 1-0
Last Week: #6 Change: +0
12 breaks. That was the difference for the Dogfish in their lone game and something San Francisco fans have been missing since 2013. The team's defense scored on the Vancouver offense more than the Vancouver offense scored on them. With this defensive efficiency it allowed the Dogfish to open up their lines and give rookies more experience and build valuable chemistry. Of the team's 25 players on the game-day roster, 24 played 5 points or more. This small factor can make an impact later in the season and give Dogfish fans hope for the playoffs. A veteran core of Saunkeah, James Sheridan,Thomas Lassetter, James Yeager, and Jason Edelman will be the focus of the team. During this bye week the O-line must improve on scoring without a turn, which they only did 20% of the time.
#7 New York Rumble: 0-1
Last Week: #7 Change: +0
Things did not start out well for the 'new' New York team in 2016. The team only generated six blocks on the entire day and had 29 turnovers as a team. Due to their lack of experience, both Mieser (a defensive specialist) and Marques Brownlee (1 goal, 2 assists) spent time on the offensive line. Weather was a factor, it was below 40 degrees and wet just making matters worse. Despite all of the odds, the game was still relatively close with the Spinners until the final quarter when the Rumble only scored twice and got broken six times. This week the team hosts the defending champion Whitecaps at home before a road doubleheader the week following.
#8 Vancouver Nighthawks: 0-1
Last Week: #8 Change: +0
Many knew that it was going to be a rough season for the Nighthawks but against San Francisco everyone found out by how much. The team had 39 turnovers in 40 minutes of play, only scored on offense 32% of the time, and only had five blocks in a single game. Nadon, Erik Hunter (2 goals, 2 assists) and Nicolas Lin (2 assists) have quickly moved up to leadership roles on the team in only their second seasons in the league. They do have some rookies, primarily Graeme Barber and Victor Cheng that are having strong starts with the team. On the positive side, they did keep pace with the Dogfish in the first half trailing only 5-6 at half. Even though they only have five blocks, they did generate 30 turnovers. Next up the conference favorites Stags in the Nighthawks home opener.
Final Thoughts
Philadelphia and the Stags have solidified their place as preseason favorites with them going a combined 3-0 in Week 1. Portland will face their first doubleheader weekend of the year, on the road, against the Nighthawks and the Rainmakers. This will give Seattle an early chance to even the score. The D.C. Current already face essentially a must-win game against the Spinners in Week 2 if they do not want to play from behind for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile the Dogfish get the first bye of 2016.