Fast Takes with Fast Break: North Championship - Cleveland vs Detroit
Authors: Vincenzo Cicco; Madeline Fordham & Joseph Lombardi
In the tertiary bracket of the North Division Championships, we are treated to a highly contested match-up of the Detroit Innovators versus the Cleveland Riff. The Innovators finished the short but difficult North Division regular season 0-6, unable to take a game off of the Indianapolis Intensity or the defending North Division Champion Minneapolis Monarchs. The Riff faced an equally similar fate, dropping both series against the Toronto Raiders and the Conference B leaders, Rochester Whiteout, to finish 0-6 in the regular season.
The last time these two teams clashed was during the 2021 MLQ regular season, where Detroit swept the series against Cleveland. However, the results were far from definitive, as the last two games in the series were both within snitch range. After losing almost two-thirds of their roster from the previous season, this is a very different Detroit Innovators squad that will be squaring off with a relatively unchanged Cleveland Riff roster, making this series completely unpredictable.
Detroit:
Looking back at Detroit’s most recent series against Indianapolis from a month ago, we saw a similar story to their Minneapolis series. High pressure from opposing defensive beaters overwhelmed the Innovators’ offensive attempts early, creating fast break opportunities and generally easy goals for Intensity. Unlike when they faced the Monarchs, Detroit had more trouble in this series adjusting to the aggressive opposing beaters while on offense. However, the Innovators’ beaters often looked to match this aggression in their own defense, looking for high aggression, which had varied results.
On the chaser side, Detroit’s defense remained primarily in the 2-2 zone, which looked more in sync than it did in their season opener. However, even with more coordination and discipline on defense, Indianapolis was still able to exploit its weaknesses and saw no shortage of goals. One new play the Innovators are often looking to use is a high chaser press on defense, both at the midline to slow down the opposing team’s offense, and near the keeper zone in an attempt to force a turnover. The keeper zone press is a new strategy many teams are looking to try with the new keeper zone reset rule, and if pulled off correctly, it can result in free, quick-turnover goals. With a month’s time between this series and the North Division Championship, the Innovators have had the opportunity to polish this play along with their defensive zone.
Cleveland:
In the Cleveland Riff’s latest series, the Riff were swept at home against the Rochester Whiteout. While the scoreline of the series appeared to be overwhelming, the games were much closer. Before coming apart following Game 2, Riff’s defensive posture was highly successful. Bolstered by the return of star beater Ben Strauss, Riff were often either even in or dominating the beater game against the highly touted Rochester beater line. In comparison to their first series against Toronto, Riff’s Baylor Zone defense was also highly efficient in the first two games of the series. With well-trained chaser rotations and better-aligned positioning, the keeper and chaser lines were almost unrecognizable from the defense that was easily driven through by the Toronto Raiders only a month earlier. However, a notable flaw in Cleveland’s game was their inability to score. Against an improved Whiteout 2-2 zone defense, the Riff struggled to find any offensive rhythm without John Gaffigan on the pitch (despite Gaffigan contributing seven goals and seven assists throughout the series). The team will need to receive more contributions from other scorers this weekend if they want to have any chance of beating the Detroit Innovators.
To steal a North Division playoff spot this weekend, a few key players will need to have a major impact throughout Cleveland’s possible two series this weekend. A player who has consistently proven to be a difference maker this season while on the pitch has been Aaron Oehler. Normally an absolute work-horse for Riff, Oehler was unfortunately only able to complete nine beater shifts in Cleveland’s most recent series against Rochester, before leaving the series with an apparent leg injury.In the 9 shifts they played, Oehler had a 44% bludger control rate (% of possessions played with bludger control), tied for the highest rate on the team with Ben Strauss. Oehler boasts an insane workrate and agility that contrasts lucratively with Strauss’ laser beats from distance to provide multiple possible looks for Cleveland’s beater game. How agile Oehler can play coming back from injury will be vital for Riff’s success. Another player who can be a game changer this weekend is Melinda Staup. As mentioned in previous articles, Staup truly is the heart of this team. Multiple times throughout both series, Staup’s voice could often be heard with crucial communication and encouragement. For a team that might be lacking positivity with an 0-6 start, Staup’s confidence and communication will be key in continuing to drive the team forward. Not to mention Staup’s scoring ability, which has been consistently strong throughout their career and has been on full display already this season, Staup will need to continue their previous successes for Riff to have a chance this weekend.
However, if we are looking for one X-factor player who will determine if the Cleveland Riff will qualify for the Benepe Cup this weekend, that player is John Gaffigan. Gaffigan is an unquestionable leader on this team, touting the most goals, assists, and stops of any player on the team. His offensive and defensive contributions have made this team as formidable as they have been this season. The Riff’s success will be directly linked to how often Gaffigan has space created for them on offense and how many stops Gaffigan is able to make.
Cicco Prediction
Detroit’s first matchup at the North Division Championship this weekend is against fellow 0-6 team, the Cleveland Riff. I predict Detroit’s beating will be a pivotal piece in this matchup. I believe the Innovators faced more challenging opposing beaters in their regular season than Riff did, and I think this challenge provides them a significant advantage going into this series. The Innovators will be missing beater Elizabeth Williams this weekend, who plays a lot of minutes with veteran David Banas. However, Detroit’s other main beater pair in Rei Brodeur and Ryan Hsu will be there in full force. Chasers who have been high performing this season also attending include veterans Kaegan Maddelein and Emma Vasquez, and new Innovators Jack Levy, Gwen Pratt, and Athilesh Thanigai. If Detroit's beaters and chasers work in harmony, the Cleveland Riff won’t be able to stay on beat.
Series Prediction: 2-1 Detroit Innovators
If Detroit manufacturers a win against Cleveland they will be facing the loser of Indianapolis and Toronto. A rematch with Intensity will likely play out like games 2 and 3 of their most recent series, so Detroit is likely hoping for a chance to face Toronto. If the matchup happens, Detroit’s 2-2 zone will be put to the test to see if they can snuff out Toronto’s drive-heavy offense, which the zone is designed to do. And although Raiders’ beaters don’t play as aggressively and outstretched as Intensity’s, if they see an opportunity to press the Detroit offense, they will likely take advantage. The innovators will need to approach this game the way they adjusted to Minneapolis in game 3.
Lombardi/Fordham Prediction
In this match-up of the two North Division 3rd seeds, the Cleveland Riff have the edge over the Detroit Innovators. With a dominant beater core that is at full efficiency, the Riff’s beaters will provide ample amounts of time for the patient Riff offense, and will prevent drives that the Riff struggled with previously stopping in Toronto. On the chaser side of the ball, Cleveland’s offense will thrive from the opportunities created by their beaters and Gaffigan will be the constant scoring threat he has been the entire season. Defensively, their Baylor Zone defense has become a well-oiled machine that even the Detroit Innovators couldn’t hope to invent.
Series Prediction: 2-1 Cleveland Riff
If Riff wins their series against the Innovators, they would move on to face either the Toronto Raiders or the Indianapolis Intensity on Day 2 of the North Division Championships. Between the two possible opponents, Cleveland would likely favor a battle against the Toronto Raiders. Despite being swept by them already this season, Riff would be much better prepared than the last time these two times faced each other. With a full-force beater core backed by Ben Strauss and a new and successful Baylor Zone defense, this Cleveland squad will be capable of handling the drive heavy, quick-pace Raider offense. If Cleveland were to face the Indianapolis Intensity, the series might prove to be a real struggle for them. A clear favorite for the 3rd playoff spot out of the North Division, the Intensity’s beater core has been at full-flight despite being swept by the Monarch’s only a week ago. This beater match-up would be a tough one for the Riff as the Intensity’s dominance in the beater game would overwhelm both Cleveland’s offense and defense.
Can Cleveland beat the odds and pull off two series wins in a major North Championship upset? Or will they be riding a sad song back to Cleveland after a Day 1 loss? Find out this Saturday, as the Cleveland Riff faceoff against the Detroit Innovators in a win-or-go home series at 3 PM EST.
