Fast Takes with Fast Break: North Championship- Chicago v Toronto
Authors: Sam Nielsen & Scott Rousseau
PC: Major League Quadball
The Toronto Raiders and Chicago Prowl both enter this North Division Championships rematch from last year with 6-0 records and spots locked in for the quarterfinals at MLQ Championships. At stake is a division title, and the opportunity to select an opponent between Washington and San Antonio at Championships. Also on the table for the Prowl is the opportunity for their first undefeated regular season in franchise history, something they did not achieve in any of their four previous division title years. However, despite the similar records, the tape shows Chicago as the clear favorites as they have dominated a stronger side of the division, while the Raiders have looked shaky at times on their way to the top.
While Chicago’s play thus far has been excellent up and down the roster, two players have stood out: keeper Nathan Digmann and beater Matt Brown. On a per-game basis, Digmann is fourth in the league in goals, first in assists, and second in stops. Only three other players are top-10 in any two of the categories. Matt Brown has anchored the beating game in both of Chicago’s series, especially in Detroit, where he played almost twice as many drives as the next closest Prowl beater and recorded a plus/minus of +20. The return of Dany Yaacoub should take some of the pressure back off of Brown in this series, but he will still be one of the players Chicago most leans on while looking to secure the North Division Championship.
In the Quadball game, Chicago has had a wealth of options to step up alongside Digmann. Against Minneapolis it was Ryley Andrews and Darian Murcek-Ellis leading a deep set of contributors, while in Detroit, Nivash Jayaram stepped up to lead the team in goals with Ally Manzella, Byron Ng, Emma Vasquez, and Liam Zach also making significant contributions in both series. Expect more of the same against the Raiders, with the only main contributor not available being Ng. Defensively, Chicago was a little sloppy against Detroit, failing to get back and set up in their 2-2 zone effectively, but when they’ve been able to get set up, the zone has looked excellent. Against the Innovators, Chicago added a back-corner trap, so don’t be surprised if they add another wrinkle to their already-solid defensive scheme for this weekend.
On the beating side, Brown has been the star, with Yaacoub playing most of the non-Brown minutes. Similarly to the quadballers, Chicago’s beating lines are pretty level behind their main stars, with seven beaters averaging between 6.5 and 9.5 drives per game over the two series. One to watch in particular will be new Prowler Caleb Williams, who posted a pedestrian +1 scoreline over 19 possessions against Minneapolis, but jumped out to a +17 scoreline in 34 possessions against Detroit.
Toronto comes into the series having not played an MLQ game in well over a month, but with several of their players and their head coach representing Team Canada at the World Cup. To win a game against Chicago, the Raiders will have to draw on this experience and pair it with some overall cleaner and more creative play than we’ve seen from them so far this season.
In Toronto’s first two series, they relied heavily on the driving threats of Bryan Melchior and Stevie Vindua, who have over double the goals of their next closest teammates. While Chicago’s defense will be stouter than Toronto’s previous opponents, these two should still be able to generate pressure through driving. The question then will be whether they can find wing chasers to finish these possessions. This has been a struggle at times, with the Raiders posting some heavy turnover numbers, especially in their series against Cleveland, but you can expect quick players like Levi Medeiros, Savannah Campbell, and rookie Gabriel Kwok to make the right cuts to sneak in and finish the job or collect loose balls from stray shots, rather than leaving these points off the board. Continuing to clean up their offense will be a key factor if they want to keep this series close.
Defensively, Toronto has also been running a 2-2 zone, which has proved fairly effective so far this season when Toronto has been in half court situations. This can also be effective against the mid-range shooting the Prowl beat them with last season. However, they were burned at times earlier this season by cutters from behind the hoops, which could be a problem again against the Prowl, who are one of the best at using every player in their offense, and love to send cutters behind while they initiate pressure at the front. Toronto could have a tough time finding the correct balance to this attack if Chicago sets things up in a half-court.
Beating is probably the place that Toronto matches up best with the Prowl. Toronto’s beaters were in control, spending nearly 60% of the time with two dodgeballs in their first two series, and have the depth to match the Prowl sub for sub. This corps has a lot of experience together as well, and should be able to identify which matchups are working better for them and lean into it. While time has been split relatively evenly, Emma Sherwood specifically has proven to be a workhorse for this team, with the most drives played (averaging 10.33 per game) and tied the best +/- out the Toronto beaters with 12, and you can expect her to continue to be a rock for this team. Plus, the additions of Guelph beaters Grace Davey (who got time against the Riff) and Isabelle Kirby to the beater corps brings youth and fresh ideas to the dodgeball game, so the Trash Pandas may just have a chance to catch the Prowl off guard.
While it is unlikely to come down to it, the seeker play is another area Toronto can feel good about their chances. While Chicago’s seeking game is much improved from last season, they still have only recorded one flag catch in six games, compared to three for Toronto, including two by Cory Smithson. Combine this with solid beater play, and this is another team that the Prowl will not want to let close with the flag runner on pitch.
Best Case Scenarios:
Chicago’s best case scenario is also the expected one: a 2-0 victory and the first undefeated regular season in franchise history. To make it even better, Chicago will want clean, straightforward wins and cap each with a flag catch.
For Toronto, managing a win against the Prowl will be a tall task, but if they can keep a couple games close they should be able to take some valuable experience into Championships and further their chances at a win in a series there.
Prediction: Chicago 2 - 0 Toronto
