Preview

Northeast Fantasy Preview

by Andy Marmer and JackThePhan | August 8, 2014

The third annual Northeast Fantasy tournament will take place this Saturday on Randall’s Island in New York, home of World Cup V. The tournament features 12 teams split into two pools. Nine of the GMs will play, while three will not. Each playing GM started with themselves, and had a pre-determined value deducted from their budget. This value was determined by averaging a value assigned by three neutral observers who were given a 700 galleon budget to assign as they pleased to the nine playing GMs. While all of the GMs will battle for glory, only one can emerge victorious. Will it be a player or non-player? Past champion or runner-up,or will the victor be a Northeast Fantasy newcomer?  

Pool One

With a diverse group of GMs from Canada, the South, the Northeast, and the Mid-Atlantic regions, Pool One was bound to produce interesting teams. Ben Nadeau, Shannon Moorhead, Jamie Lafrance, and Jackson Maher spent big bucks on familiar players and teammates, while Jeff Sherman and Ricky Nelson hoarded elite beaters. From afar, Pool One seems evenly matched, but upon closer look, certain players could lead their teams to dominate pool play.

Hawaiian Shirts

GM: Ben Nadeau, Utility, Q.C. Boston: The Massacre (QCB)

After unsurprisingly locking up two of his Q.C. Boston: The Massacre teammates, Ben Nadeau made one of the most staggering picks of the Northeast Fantasy draft,by selecting utility Julia Baer (University of Richmond) for 280 galleons. Baer, who went for less than ten galleons at last year’s Northeast Fantasy, was the third most expensive player in this year’s draft and will likely need to play both chaser and beater to keep Nadeau's team afloat. Playing alongside Baer and Sarah Kneiling (Louisiana State University), Luke Espina (Macaulay Honors College) will have to earn his place among the Northeast's plethora of elite male beaters. Espina does a great job staying focused and well-positioned in the heart of a defense, and is capable of fending off aggressive offensive beaters. Ultimately, the Hawaiian Shirts will live and die by the high-flying, theatrical playmaking of its GM. Nadeau always seems to raise his game to another level at fantasy tournaments, free from the shackles of organized quidditch. Impactful offensive performances from keeper Victor Viega (QCB) and utility Griffin Conlogue (QCB) could help, but expect the burden of scoring, passing and penetration to fall on Nadeau.

White

GM: Jeff Sherman, Keeper, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

Coming off an epic victory in this year’s Champagne Cup, GM and keeper Jeff Sherman will be pursuing another championship at the larger, more competitive Northeast Fantasy. Sherman did a good job surrounding himself with quick, skilled off-ball chasers and acquiring male chaser depth, something that many other GMs struggled to do. Look for Sherman to develop strong chemistry with Dante Close (New York University) and the versatile, Southwest-bred Nik Jablonski (Loyola University New Orleans). However, Sherman's male chasing corps lacks the explosiveness to compete with many other Northeast Fantasy squads. To advance in bracket play, Sherman will have to connect early and often with Emily Hickmott (Tufts University), who is perhaps the best finisher on her team. Furthermore, the White Team must use its strong, deep beating corps intelligently. The 340 galleons Sherman spent on Josh Kramer (RIT), Kyle Savarese (RIT) and Chris Pavlovych (the Warriors) will prove useless unless the White Team can use its male beater depth to gain an advantage by employing short and aggressive shifts.

Dark Green

GM: Shannon Moorhead, Beater, University of Miami

Due to the unfortunate drop of keeper Zak Hewitt (Bowling Green State University), Shannon Moorhead's Dark Green Team will depend heavily on chasers Sean Beloff (formerly University of Miami) and Hannah DeBaets (Tufts University). While Beloff has been tearing up New York City pickups, DeBaets had a standout tournament at Global Games where she impressed Southwest teammates with her hustle, scrappiness, and reliability. Thanks to her growing reputation, DeBaets will draw defenders and spread the field, giving Beloff and power chaser Walter Makarucha (the Warriors) space to cut, drive, juke, dish and score. Although Moorhead, a Team USA standout herself, can minimize damage in the beater game, Dark Green’s fate ultimately falls into the hands of beater Curtis Taylor (Florida's Finest QC). Other teams can roll out two or three elite male beaters, but Taylor is the closest thing Moorhead has to a top-tier beating partner. Conventional wisdom would say that Taylor would be at a disadvantage playing against unfamiliar opposition, but the former Marquette University captain had a solid spring season with the Flamingoes. Also keep an eye on seeker Matt Zeltzer (New York Badassilisks), who could turn into the steal of the tournament if he manages a couple clutch snitch catches.

Baby Blue

GM: Jamie Lafrance, Keeper, North Star Quidditch

After suffering an onslaught of unlucky last minute drops at 2013's Northeast Fantasy, the fantasy gods rewarded Baby Blue GM and keeper Jamie Lafrance with two picks in this year’s Northeast Fantasy supplemental draft. After landing chaser Shane Hurlbert (RIT) for 300 galleons in the original draft, Lafrance swiftly snagged utilities Alex Leitch (formerly Hofstra University) and Andrew Canto (N/A). Leitch is known for his hyper-aggressive offensive beating, but Baby Blue will need to utilize his physicality at keeper or chaser because Lafrance only spent 103 galleons on keepers and chasers after acquiring Hurlbert. In addition, beaters Erin McCrady (North Star Quidditch) and Alex Bassa (North Star Quidditch) and Leeanne Dillman (Emerson College) must compensate for a potentially weak defense by playing assertively and minimizing mistakes in the beater game. If Leitch plays primarily in the quaffle game, look for Steven Ficurilli (Macaulay Honors College) to step up as Baby Blue's number one male beater.

Purple

GM: Jackson Maher, Chaser, Emerson College

Although Purple Team GM Jackson Maher wasted no time surrounding himself with familiar players, the Emerson College Quidditch captain filled out his beating roster with more adventurous picks. Brian Zanghi (QCB) and Max Blaushild (QCB) will use their existing chemistry with Maher to form a reliable offense and defense. Zanghi, the quickest and strongest of Maher's chasing corps, will be called upon to score fast break goals, get tough buckets on drives and be the primary point defender. Leading the Purple Team's beating corps is University of Maryland duo of Jeremy Dehn and Emily Camardo. Dehn and Camardo rarely beat together, but each are rising stars in the University of Maryland program. Dehn displays many of the attributes of an elite beater with his quickness, agility and good arm, and Camardo is smart and specializes in covering her partner's weaknesses.

Union Jack

GM: Ricky Nelson, Beater, University of Maryland

Union Jack GM Ricky Nelson spent 525 galleons on seven players before purchasing his first male quaffle player, Chris Thomas (University of Maryland). A late addition to Maryland's World Cup VII roster following an injury to Harry Greenhouse's thumb, Thomas showed hard-nosed, smart, and physical play that helped Maryland compensate for the loss of its star player. Assisting Thomas in the quaffle game will be a pair of keepers from teams that did not qualify for World Cup: Max Curran (Stony Brook University) and Sean Sullivan (Horn Tailed Horcruxes). For the Union Jack Team to put points on the board, its talented beater line will have to step up, literally and figuratively. Scott Axel (Pennsylvania State University) and Aaron Wohl (Emerson College) will be tasked with clearing driving lanes and avoiding beater battles at all costs. Nelson's most expensive female beater, Amanda Dallas (the Warriors), will need to shut down fast break opportunities for the opposition. If the full attention of Axel, Wohl and company isn't focused on the quaffle game, the Union Jack offense will struggle to score and concede turnovers.

With capable beaters on each team, Pool One will likely come down to offensive firepower and snitch catches. Jamie Lafrance's Baby Blue Team looks strong in both departments, with several candidates to don the yellow headband. Shannon Moorhead and Hannah DeBaets will continue to ride Global Games momentum for the Dark Green Team, and seeker Matthew Zeltzer will bail out its Sean Beloff-heroball offense. Ben Nadeau, Jeff Sherman and Jackson Maher's teams will each split games to finish 2-3, and a year removed from his finals' loss, Ricky Nelson's Union Jack Team will fail to win a game.

Baby Blue 5-0

Dark Green 4-1

Hawaiian Shirts 2-3

White 2-3

Purple 2-3

Union Jack 0-5

Pool Two

The GMs from the second pool are equally as diverse as the first. This pool has three non-players: Andy Marmer, Clay Dockery and Jack "ThePhan" McGovern, as well as talented chasers with a great mind for the game, such as Jayke Archibald, Erin Mallory and Ethan Sturm. Their presence should yield some close games. Everyone but McGovern seemed to build their team on a budget, making most teams fairly equal. However there is one front runner positioned to take home the pool.

Black

GM: Erin Mallory, Chaser, University of Maryland

Erin Mallory’s draft started off with a bang as she was awarded herself for just 97 galleons, a bargain. Besides herself, Mallory built her team around a pair of QCB teammates. Zach D’Amico will be Mallory’s top playmaker; although an injury risk due to his history of concussions, the former Team USA Captain should provide on-pitch leadership and crucial playmaking skills. Mallory’s most expensive player Sheldon Bostic will be heavily relied upon after being purchased for 180 galleons. Bostic, quite a physical specimen, debuted at beater for QCB last season but has been developing his chaser game this summer and Mallory may look for him, along with Ohio State University breakout chaser Jack Rawlinson, to support D’Amico in the chaser game. At beater Mallory will depend upon Bostic, and her own regular season teammate Isabella Newton, after the drop of Team Canada beater Arlene Rosenberg (Tufts University). Carlos Metz (University of Richmond) will be providing excellent value as a backup to Bostic who might have a lot of responsibilities if the latter chases. Mallory’s team will largely depend upon the ability of D’Amico to carry the offensive load and to some extent another quaffle player, be it Bostic, Rawlinson, or keeper Josh Marks (University of Maryland).

Orange

GM: Clay Dockery, Coach, New York Badassilisks

Clay Dockery, coach of the New York Badassilisks, was very patient in his draft, abstaining from making too many purchases until midway through day two of the draft. Dockery allowed himself two big ticket items on the first day, grabbing University of Rochester star Devin Sandon for 240 galleons, and beater Danielle White (the Warriors) for 111 galleons. While Sandon is one of the top players in the Northeast and will provide invaluable chasing and seeking as a speedy scoring option, White may have been overvalued by Dockery in a beater-heavy tournament. In limiting himself to just two big purchases Dockery saved plenty of money to acquire his targets on the second day of the draft and filled out his roster with some talented depth. Beater Zachary Pickett (Austin Quidditch) may prove to be the steal of the draft at 85 galleons, as the talented Southwest-beater was not nominated until many teams were low on funds. Utility Patrick Callanan (University of Rochester) will likely be Sandon’s main partner in the quaffle game, and the two will look to play off their regular season chemistry. Dockery nabbed many potential steals as keeper Matthew Niederberger (27 galleons, RIT), beaters Edward Inzauto (29 galleons New York Badassilisks), and Ryan Sebade (15 galleons Stony Brook University) should all out-perform their price. Dockery also budgeted well for the secondary draft, replacing a four galleon player with Félix Tremblay (Université de Montreal) who teamed up well with Sandon at Canada Fantasy. This team has one of the most talented and deepest beater lines, and does not lack seeker options, but the question will be how much scoring this team has outside of Sandon.

Pink

GM: Jayke Archibald, Chaser, Q.C. Boston: The Massacre

Jayke Archibald’s draft started strong before he even made a pick. Archibald obtained himself for just 123 galleons, despite coming off a performance at West Fantasy where he garnered MVP consideration. With a star quaffle player already on his roster, Archibald had one hole filled at a bargain price. He ensured his team would not lack star power by spending 210 galleons on seeker Andrew Zagelbaum (Macaulay Honors College), a Team USA alternate this year. Zagelbaum’s seeking prowess led Macaulay to and through the World Cup, and with a star quaffle player and seeker, Archibald looked set. He complimented his two stars with a variety of players that should provide both depth and talent. Chasers Sam Medney (formerly University of Maryland) and Tim Keaney (formerly NYDC Capitalists) will likely flank Archibald. Utility Kelsey Franklin (Ohio State University) will also see time at chaser and may start there while also beating. Luke Changet (Blue Mountain Quidditch Club), Robert Vortherms (University of Massachusetts), Theresa Buchta (Hofstra University), and Katie Rothert (University of Richmond) front a talented beater corps. While Buchta is the real deal at Hofstra and Vortherms is underrated, as he doesn’t get a lot of attention at the University of Massachusetts, Changet’s reputation may have outpriced his value. Still, Changet no doubt helped identify possible steals for Archibald in the drafting process. Overall this team looks like the one to beat and any perceived flaws (the lack of quality chasing behind Archibald) are minor.

Blue

GM: Jack "ThePhan" McGovern, Correspondent, USQ

McGovern knew what he wanted in the draft and went ahead and got it right off the bat, spending 340 galleons on chaser/seeker Harry Greenhouse (University of Maryland) to open the draft. Greenhouse, a Team USA selection, is certainly worthy of being the most expensive player and will be a dominant force all day for McGovern, anchoring the defense at point and running the offense. Behind Greenhouse, McGovern lacks chaser depth as he’ll rely on keepers Luke Zak (TC Frost) and Adam Kwestel (Hofstra University), and chasers Cody Nardone (University of Maryland), Phill Cain (Rutgers University) and Carli Haggerty (Harvard University) to provide most of the offensive firepower. If Greenhouse and company can keep McGovern’s squad in snitch range, they should be one of the top squads with the seeker on the pitch. Matthew Cardarelli (Tufts University) is one of the top seeker beaters in the region, and Mike Iadevaia (Hofstra University) is one of the best overall beaters. Both will partner Lulu Xu (Boston University) herself a capable beater, while Greenhouse, Cain and company pursue the snitch. The question for this team--like many in its pool--will be who, other than its star player (in this case, Greenhouse), can put points on the board.

Green

GM: Ethan Sturm, Chaser, Tufts University

Sturm went in with a clear strategy to ensure that he had a well-rounded and deep chaser line, in the relatively scarce chaser pool. Lucking into Katie Milligan (Bowling Green State University) in the supplemental draft simply bolstered an already deep and talented chaser line. Although Sturm will be the first to admit that supplemental drafts can often win fantasy tournaments, lacking a solid female chasing option, Milligan was the perfect player for his needs. While Sturm’s beater line will be anchored by Tufts teammate Michael Sanders, its his chasing line that deserves the hype. In Wesley Weiss (formerly Emerson College), Steve Sleasman (University of Maryland), and Jon Jackson (Harvard University) Sturm has three incredibly talented quaffle players. Alexander Graham (Valhalla), the Canadian National Team seeker, will pursue snitches for Sturm, who with one of the deepest teams will be a force to be reckoned with.

Gray

GM: Andy Marmer, Editorial Manager, USQ

Marmer was very aggressive from the get-go, spending in excess of 70 galleons on seven players, and more than 100 galleons on five of those players, including 220 galleons on Hugh Podmore (Valhalla Quidditch), the Canadian National Team Coach. Podmore will lead a chasing corps that also features Steve Gambino (University of Maryland), Mike Pascutoi (University of Rochester), and Stevie Borrello (Macaulay Honors College). For Marmer’s chasing line to succeed, 85-galleon keeper Brandon McKenzie of the New Haven Nightmares will need to step up and prove he belongs among the Northeast’s elite. McKenzie is an imposing presence, but playing with a smaller program does not have the reputation or experience that more established players have. Marmer looks to have one of the deepest beating lines with Ohio State pair Matt Eveland and Julie Fritz anchoring the line, with Jimmy Pritts (formerly University of Maryland) and Fina Vitale (Macaulay Honors College) backing them up. Running through his budget early, Marmer was forced to acquire seven players for fewer than 10 galleons, one or more of these will have to step up, and possibly play an unfamiliar position if Marmer is going to take home his second championship of the summer.

This pool is Archibald’s to lose, but he’ll face stiff competition. These GMs have assembled six of the most talented teams and any one of them would likely advance out of Pool One. The draw is what it is though and these teams will have to battle for a spot in the bracket.

Archibald 5-0

Sturm 4-1

Marmer 3-2

Dockery 2-3

Mallory 1-4

McGovern 0-5