Sectionals - 2002
Sampson State Park
Romulus, NY
April 20-21, 2002
Roster:
  • James "Admiral" Ambrose
  • Robert "Discgo Rob" Atkins
  • David "Poo Rag" Bohnsack
  • Jack Chen
  • Christopher "Cupcake" Ferraro
  • Nick "Snakes" Godinez
  • Alon "Bundy" Goldberg
  • Bret "GFI" Herman
  • Ivan "Prada" Itchkawich
  • Graham King
  • Andrew "Bad Andy" Mason
  • Yasuhiko "Secret Weapon" Masuda
  • Mat "Unk" Morton
  • Sean "LuLu" Quinn
  • Jeffrey "Nickname" Reinig
  • David "Dixie" Reynolds
  • Adam "151" Riccardi
  • Hadi "Doobie" Sattari
  • Phillip "Phil," "Schlansky," "Phil Schlansky" Schlansky
  • Mark "Pyle" Schultze
  • Elan "Gonzo" Sofer
  • Daniel "Otto" White
Note: Individual stats were not kept; the focus of this tournament was entirely on the team.
Saturday
The team met to leave at 6:00 AM. Ouch.
When we arrived the fields were being set up by Hadi, Unk, and Nick. Apparently this was going to be another Sectionals tournament that would go down in history as less-than-well organized. But tournaments, especially this one, are about the games, so that's what I'll talk about.

Binghamton approached us before the first game with a sob story. They only had 7 players and were drooling over our 22-man team. After discussing it with the players involved we loaned them Graham, Jeff, and Gonzo. While it hurts to split up a family, it was better for the three players involved; more playing time leads to faster learning and often more fun. They ended up going 0 for 3, losing to RIT, Union, and Skidmore, but had a good time doing it.
Game 1: Syracuse University Scooby Doom
The twelve UB players that were at the Waterfront Tournament in September still painfully remembered their first round loss to Syracuse and were determined not to let it happen again. The goal for the day was stated early and was always in the team's minds: "Earn a bid to Regionals."

The fire was there from the start. The team played with the kind of intensity that it usually takes a full game to build up. Unfortunately, Syracuse played a skilled game that was tough to beat by willpower alone. A collection of quick moving handlers and a few speedy deeps ate up the UB defense. The Doom handlers moved the disc up and across the field with scoobers, high-release floaters, and active dumps. Once they gained the position they wanted it was just one throw into the end-zone, pull, and repeat.
UB 5, SU 13
Game 2: Hamilton College
With one loss on the day the need to win was clear. If UB was to advance to Day 2 they would need to win both of their remaining games. That's all there was to it. Hamilton would do nothing to derail that idea.

The Hamilton team was small in number, size, and skill. Some insider information revealed that one of their players had only been playing ultimate for about two days. At one point in the game Poo Rag had trouble figuring out who to cover because he only counted six players on the field; it turns out that the 7th just happened to be way below his eye level.

The game went as UB likes their games: don't try anything too fancy, play tenacious defense, and get to 13 before the other team does. Cupcake experienced a horrendous accident with Bret, but managed to play again.
UB 13, Hamilton 9
Game 3: RPI Trudge
RPI was the game of character for Buffalo. Syracuse was a tolerable, if painful, loss. Hamilton was an expected win, and UB didn't disappoint. RPI was ranked higher and has consistently beaten UB any time the two teams met. To lose to RPI here would show that UB's alleged improvements were only surface deep, but a win would mean Buffalo was a legitimate team on the rise.

The first five points were not encouraging. Down 4-1, Buffalo needed to stop their slide real fast. So that's just what they did, tying the game at 5. By halftime the score was a tantalizingly close 7-6, with RPI holding the narrow lead.

The game continued to be close, with neither team leading by more than two in the second half. The teams generally traded points, but UB finally squeezed into the lead at about 12-11. Calling on the best players that could catch their breath for a point, Bohnsack pushed the team forward. Tied at 14 with a hard-cap at 15 the team braced for a the final point of the game. UB prevailed, taking the game in grand fashion.
UB 15, RPI 14

Finishing the first day with a record of 2-1, UB secured their first second day Sectionals appearance in at least four years. Hell yeah!
Sunday:
Game 1: Skidmore Wombats
No amount of psych could prepare Green Eggs and Ham for the flat-out skill that Skidmore brought to the game. Their accurate throws, well-coordinated cuts, and precise defense were just too much for Buffalo. A few oppontunities were wasted close to the goal-line, and an over-aggressive zone defense left UB vulnerable downfield a few too many times.

Skidmore marched through Buffalo 13-3 in what Capt. Poo Rag thought was UB's final game of the tournament. The game-ending point was scored against a line of players in their final year with the team, grasping at one last chance to pull UB up just a little higher.

Emotional post-game celebration seemed a little foolish after Dave came back, saying we still had another game or two to play. It turned out the Regionals bid was beyond the team's grasp, but there are other reasons to play a game.
Game 2: University of Rochester Little Piggies
Facing another team with a history of beating them, the Buffalo team saw an opportunity to assert themselves one more time. Buffalo came out firing early, continuing to play hard defense and making their opponent work for everything they got. UB's intensity took Rochester off guard, allowing Green Eggs and Ham to pull away to an early lead.

Unfortunately, the Piggies were not prepared to let this game slip away so easily and they turned up their game to match Buffalo. Rochester's L-stack and formidable deep game proved to be too much for Buffalo, stretching out to take half-time with a comfortable lead. Buffalo was already playing at it's highest level, using lines of veterans and their most relentless defenders, so the second half brought no added surge of power.

Buffalo fought hard but couldn't quite close the gap, especially with a time-cap looming overhead. The loss was disappointing. U of R was within UB's grasp, just not that day. The Little Piggies best not let their guard down; the rematch may not go so well for them.
UB 8, UR 11
Final Thoughts
Buffalo failed to meet their goal of earning a bid to Regionals. They did, however, surpass the previous three years' teams by advancing to the second day and winning a close game against RPI. The loss to Rochester is difficult to swallow; this win would have announced loudly that Buffalo is no longer a team to be ignored.

This only adds incentive for next year's team to continue the hard work that brought them this far. With a squad as deep and talented as this the future could be very very bright for Buffalo ultimate. The front line talent that has emerged in the last two years shows the potential for a lot of big wins against quality teams. The type of depth available on the sidelines means every player can make every cut and bid with the knowledge that there's a qualified sub waiting to back him up.

The absolute size of the team and enthusiasm of the players hints at ultimate growing on campus in huge ways. A sport as welcoming to new players and gratifying to its veterans has the potential for huge appeal, especially on a campus where so many students are just dieing for an excuse to get out of their dorm rooms.
Seniors
Green Eggs and Ham will lose six players before the fall semester. Each of these players have made tremendous contributions to the team as long as they've been here and will be missed every time they're not on the line.

Robert "Discgo Rob" Atkins - Rob joined the team his Sophomore year and has brought his hard-running track mentality to every game. Always quick to make the hard fill-cut straight to the disc, he was tough to defend and reassuring to have in the stack. No one could ever accuse him of dogging a point, especially when they watched him sprint back to the line after losing a tough goal.

David "Poo Rag" Bohnsack - Dave and his ugly plaid visor have been an inescapable presence in UB ultimate for the last four years, taking a formal leadership role by the secod half of his sophomore year. With the help of a fantastic core of players he was able to right the sinking ship of UB ultimate and set it back on course. In his tenure he has seen the team at a low of 4-man practices and a 6-man tournament showing, to the highs of this year with 20+ players at practices and a Sectionals showing of 22 players. On the field he was found as a reliable handler, and a goal-thirsty deep when the opportunity arose. (I'm saving my sappy "I love you all" email until school is closer to being over, so don't look for it here.)

Alon "Bundy" Goldberg - Alon joined the team late, only playing one full year, but learned a lot in that one year. New to the game, he was a veritable sponge for knowledge of the game and its strategy. That paid off, as he soon developed a good sense for the flow of the game and filled the middle of the stack extremely well. His solid defense didn't allow for many spectatular plays, as the other team rarely tried to pass to a man he was marking.

Ivan "Prada" Itchkawich - A veteran of Green Eggs and Ham, Ivan is closing out his seventh year with the team. He has always had quick feet, an alarmingly high leap, and hard, fast throws. Some might call his darting cuts difficult to predict, but after four years with him he was always a refreshing sight on the line. Ivan played with foot and ankle injuries of every kind but always managed to find his way back out onto the field.

Yasuhiko "Secret Weapon" Masuda - Yasu joined GE&H for this year while he was in the U.S. as part of an exchange with his school in Japan. His skills soon spoke for themselves. Any time a handler looked upfield they could count on seeing Yasu make that super-quick flow cut to just the right spot. Yasu played his position (mid) to perfection, but when given the opportunity he revealed that he could have flourished just as well at handler. His speed and sense for the game came through just as well on defense as he continued to be in the right place at the right time. Yasu's only drawback is that he was only here for one year.

Daniel "Otto" White - Dan has been a pillar of the team since he started playing the Fall of his freshman year. He quickly settled into the role of handler and the team has always been better for it. Working as the team's "pocket passer" he was always able to give UB the strong upfield throws when they were needed. Finally acquiring the patience needed to be a true passing threat, Dan was capable of running an offense any time UB was on the field. While he never donned a title, Dave never hesitated to look to Dan as an instructor, field leader, and strategist.

Dan, Ivan, and Dave stand as the only three players to play with Green Eggs and Ham uninterrupted since September, 1998.