Fast Takes with Fast Break: Ottawa Black Bears vs Washington Admirals
Authors: Ashton Butler and Christian Barnes
Roster Talk:
Washington sails into Ottawa to face the Black Bears after a disappointing series at home against New York. History in this matchup heavily favors the Admirals, as they have only ever lost to the Black Bears once. Despite the past success, the Admirals will need to buckle down and remind everyone who they are in this series. Their roster is bolstered by their beater depth, retaining four out of five of their beaters who had played the most drives in their series against the New York Titans. The name to highlight in this matchup will be Adrian Koretsky who a season ago set a single series record with 24 +/- in Ottawa series with ten stops. Washington will need more contributions from Koretsky and an equally strong shift from Diana Howard. Howard had an impressive statline in their New York series with the best +/- among all beaters who played at least 20 drives and was scored on the least among that group. Howard should get more time this weekend because they are a major difference maker for this team, especially in relief for Koretsky.
Chasers on Washington will need to really step up if they want to rebound in this series. No chaser against New York was able to score more than four goals, and the two chasers that did put up 40 points were both playing in their first MLQ series. The Admirals’ chasers were very stagnant against the Titans and lacked the effort to find openings to receive the ball from their playmakers, and it led to forced passes and turnovers. Washington will need to look to stars and coaching in this series to set an example and make the difference. Riley Starrs will be back for this series after a six goal and 5 assist performance a season ago. His playmaking has always been a crucial part of their offense, and they will look for his connection with superstar Bryan Mulcahy behind hoops to finish plays.
Young players on this team are now getting major opportunities to gain valuable minutes this weekend as Washington is down multiple beaters from the New York series. This includes 26 drives from Athilesh Thanigai which will need to be taken by others such as budding star Joey Beh. Beh plays for the University of Virginia in the college season, but in his first series in MLQ has already made a huge difference for Washington. Beh’s four stops against New York in just 27 drives is impressive, and this Ottawa series needs to be a confidence building series for the young sailor. Another young admiral aboard for this series is Caitlyn Breslow. Breslow is an aggressive chaser who is not afraid of taking drives and shots. They tied for the lead in scoring in their series against New York with four goals, and the number should grow with this series.
Keys To Victory for Washington:
Stop settling for shots. This Washington became too infatuated with taking shots during their series against the Titans, many of which were simply poor selections. Washington was settling for shots especially when getting pressured rather than making the next pass or kicking it back out for a better attempt. Although this team has strong shooters such as Shane McConaghie, this team is too talented to be shooting into a defender’s hands.
Spread the defense out. Force Ottawa to play the one-on-one game with the chasers on this team. While Ottawa’s chaser core is strong at the top, they do not have a consistent four-on-a-line that can compete with what Washington brings to the table. Forcing Ottawa’s chasers away from hoops then attacking mismatches for their chasers will open up their lanes and make the beating game simpler.
Catch the flag. Washington had an abysmal flag runner game last season, only catching two times in 2024 with Zan Siddiqui. Siddiqui will not be rostered, but elite seeker for Ottawa, Ugochukwu Nwadike will be. This flag catch could make a difference in not only the score but the momentum for either team. Without Siddiqui, Washington has the perfect opportunity to try new combinations of Flag Runner on Pitch sets and allow people time to work to become another option at seeker.
The Right to Bear Arms:
The Black Bears come into this weekend planning to host the Admirals in the series they've been looking forward to since roster announcements. With much of this team coming off a Canadian national championship, they've been looking to show that their success translates to MLQ. With the US-Canada relations on a decline politically, Ottawa made the difficult choice to forfeit their games against the Titans and the Charlotte Aviators. Knowing this, the Black Bears are looking at this weekend as this season's chance to make MLQ Championships. The last time the Black Bears went to champs, it came off of an Admirals team caught flat footed and confident, ending their 2018 voyage. This time they're poised to take advantage of the WAS v. NY series by creating counters for Washington's high press to upset them (hopefully out of a champs spot).
Paws Down, Claws Out:
This weekend, the Black Bears bring 16 athletes to the matchup to decide the better “blue” team. Notably absent from this roster is Darren Bell, so they'll need another point chaser to step into heavy hits to stop any fast breaks. Misha Wittingham will look to take on the job, after playing big minutes for uOttawa at Canada QC this past spring. On offense, look to Hailey Yhap and Naomi Hildebrand for playmaking, landing passes through defenders to off ball threats Ugo Nwadike and assistant coach Meg Howden. In the beater game, coaches Em Naftel (HC) and Zach Reiken (AC) will generate opportunities across offense and defense to stall Admirals in the water. When they need a break, long time veteran Sean Bairos may team up with Miranda Naftel after her quick development that brought Carleton Ravens their gold medal in March.
In the seeking game, Ugo Nwadike will look to continue his MLQ seeking success, securing Ottawa's best path to victory with a quick FROP period. Quick catches could turn any close game into a victory in any match.
Clear Eyes, Full Hearts:
For years, watchers of Ottawa have watched a team play with heart, grit and adaptation to surprising “almost” competitions. “With a little less heat” or “with a few more plays” has remained on the lips of every Ottawa supporter. At home under the lights of Immaculata High School, they'll look to make history again, and bring themselves back to champs for a check at the Benepe Cup.
Predictions:
Ashton: Washington 3-0
Christian: Ottawa 2-1
