USA Ultimate

		2011 Club Championship Day 3 Recaps: Masters Recap (Spillum) Mixed Recap (Ziv) Open Recap (Toner) Women's Recap (Levine)

 
The most intriguing quarterfinal matchup pit Atlanta’s Chain Lightning against Raleigh’s Ring of Fire.  Ring’s offense experienced more difficulty than Chain’s early on, with the moist conditions contributing to drops and blady hucks.  Chain’s Greg Swanson and Dylan Tunnell were more comfortable hucking in the rain, and after Jolian Dahl chased down a huck between two Ring defenders, Chain earned its third break of the first half to go up 8-6.  Thomas Ward and Ken Porter put forth inspired athletic performances to keep Ring alive, but on the game’s final point, Jolian Dahl launched himself through the air to earn a gigantic poach block.  Dahl then uncorked a full field backhand huck to cash in Chain’s final break for a 15-10 victory.

[PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Canniff, facebook.com/ultiphotos (full coverage)]

Though the Doublewide/Revolver matchup was the most anticipated semifinal of the round, Chain/Ironside provided the highest drama.  Ironside’s D-line offensive efficiency, maintained by Teddy Browar-Jarus and Colin Mahoney, propelled Boston to an impressive 8-5 halftime lead, and that momentum continued into the second half, with Boston jumping to a daunting 12-7 advantage.  Chain refused to go away, mounting a charge to 13-10 before Ironside dropped a sure score.  Jolian Dahl immediately picked up the disc and turned an almost 14-10 deficit into a 13-11 deficit with a monstrous full field huck to a laying out Joel Wooten in the endzone.  Chain grinded to 14-14, when Greg Swanson hucked to Nick Lance, who in turn threw a goal to Asa Wilson.  Swanson’s huck came back on a travel call that was upheld by the observer, and Ironside was able to punch in that point and trade with Chain to 16-16.  Ironside’s O-line regained its confidence and composure in that final point, with George Stubbs. Danny Clark, and Matt Rebholz working the disc up the force sideline before Peter Prial beat his man to the cone to clinch Ironside’s 17-16 win.

[PHOTO CREDIT: Brandon Wu, facebook.com/ultiphotos (full coverage)]

Doublewide had revenge on their minds as they entered their semifinal against Revolver; Revolver ended Doublewide’s season last year in the semifinals, and the teams had not met since then.   Kurt Gibson put Doublewide on his back as much as he could, but Doublewide’s inability to distribute the disc widely (which they had done earlier in the tournament against Chain Lightning) hindered their offense.  Martin Cochrane, Jon Levy, and Mark Sherwood were instrumental in Revolver’s breaks and cruising 15-10 win.  For the second year in a row, Revolver will face Ironside in the Open final.

News & notes:

• 19 current and former Hodags squared off in the Madison Club/Ironside quarterfinal, which Ironside won 15-9
   
• Standout Ironside defender Russell Wallack sustained a hamstring injury in the semifinal against Chain that will keep him out of tomorrow’s final against Revolver
  • Boston Coach Josh McCarthy had hoped to have Wallack available to guard Revolver’s Robbie Cahill
     
• Revolver’s Eric Halverson will be unavailable due to two herniated discs and a battle with sciatica
   
• Revolver and Ironside head into the final as the only teams without losses in the Series
   

[PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Canniff, facebook.com/ultiphotos (full coverage)]