Fast Takes with Fast Break: GLRC Edition
The Collegiate Division of the Great Lakes Regional Championship is easily the premier event of the fall. The biggest tournament of this young season will pit 15 teams against each other for 6 bids. Unlike previous years, there will be a lot of out-of-region teams joining the fray. The influx of teams from other regions will provide greater parity to the tournament and likely some of the best games that we have seen since USQ has returned.
Pool A
Ball St 4-0
Creighton 3-1
Illini 2-2
Bowling Green St 1-3
Iowa 0-4
Pool A: A storied school in a rebuilding year, Ball State has the MLQ-experienced starting beater set of Alyssa Irwin (Intensity) and Dustin Minnick (Intensity practice squad) and are in a position to shock the world and go 4-0 in this pool. However, it would not be surprising if the short-rostered Creighton team proves to be too much for Ball State to handle and wins Pool A. With a full squad, Creighton would have been the easy favorite to take this pool however, without their starting seeker, Joe Goulet, they will likely have to play longer games. Any team with beaters that can match Creighton should look to force them into longer games by limiting fastbreaks and forcing Creighton to run a set offense and defense. With a limited roster (11 people) it will also be a grueling task for Creighton to try and win a second regional championship in as many weekends.
Further down the pool, Catherine Rogers and her IHOP sleeve will be one of the leaders for her Illini team, but it remains to be seen if the quaffle players can capitalize on their elite beating to score. Bowling Green State’s 0-5 record is not indicative of their overall potential. With a younger team, coach and beater Raeann Barnes will look to keep games close and pull off some upsets throughout the pool. Iowa has only played 3 games this year but they kept their game against Illini close and are looking to use that momentum to grab a win or two in the pool.
Pool B
Michigan 4-0
Dark Snare 3-1
Blue Jay 2-2
Penn St 1-3
Michigan St 0-4
Pool B is this year’s GLRC ‘pool of death’ and should produce the most exciting Saturday games. Michigan returns some players that they didn't have at the Ball Brothers tournament and need to use this tournament to cement their claim as the gold standard for the Great Lakes region. Dark Snare is a mix of players from Syracuse and RIT which means they gain the talents from both teams. Jacob Lin (RIT) and Josh Anglum (RIT) paired with Avery Olivar (Syracuse) could be a lethal connection while Brady Grow (RIT) clearing the lane could lead their quaffle game to be a lot for any team to handle.This formula will help them stay close in their game against Michigan and run up the score against teams further down the pool. Blue Jay Quidditch (Creighton’s junior varsity team) can easily play spoiler in this pool. They have shown they can handle their own against storied teams in Kansas and Mizzou in their debut last week at MWRC. However, with another limited roster, and being stuck in the pool of death, it will push them harder than they had to play last weekend. Penn State has always been known for their hard hitting and gritty play. Their performance at the Ball Brothers tournament showed that their reputation continues to hold true and they can keep games close, making them a tough out against anyone. Michigan State has had a tough schedule coming into this weekend, they’ll have to hope that that experience gives them the boost they need to surprise some teams in the toughest pool of the tournament.
Pool C
Columbia College 4-0
Marquette 3-1
Rochester 2-2
Pittsburgh 1-3
Miami University (OH) 0-4
Pool C: Columbia College has 19 rookies this year but if you look at their performance it really doesn't feel like it. Rockstar coach Tad Walters and the return of beater Peyton Jay will help this team go 4-0 on Saturday and show that they are a true competitor in the region. Marquette is filled with returning players and that experience will help them outpace younger teams that are not ready for a regional schedule. Rochester has an MLQ coach in Alyssa Giarrosso and has shown that they can compete against Dark Snare. This is a good indication about the caliber of this team and we are in a great position to watch extremely good games whenever Rochester is on the pitch. Pittsburgh is a tough out, another MA transplant, they will use their hard-hitting and gritty play style to surprise teams. Ben Raymond and Kevin Oh will look to shore up the beater play to allow Wes Lombardo the lanes needed to create offense. We’ll have to wait and see if that is enough for this Pittsburgh team to compete at a high level. Miami of OH is coming into this weekend with a smaller roster (11 people) but if they can replicate their performance against Michigan, that could be enough to shock teams that are not ready to play them.
Bracket:
