Who are the best players in the New England region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
It’s been a crazy season with tons of parity. Really cool to see. Here are my picks:
All region:
O-line handler from Amherst (can’t remember his name)
Emmett Blau (Williams)
Dan Moder (Dartmouth)
Aidan Penn (Bowdoin)
Dylan Salzman (Middlebury)
Jacob Garfinkel (Bryant)
Matt Goldberg (Bates)
All freshman:
Two standouts are the tall freshman on Williams and the puller for Middlebury
Williams freshman #13 handles on O line – should definitely be in the conversation for all-freshman
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The 6’4" guy on Williams that comes down with everything is a junior.
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POTY:
Jacob Garfinkel (Bryant): Good but doesn’t stand out on a team full of very athletic guys.
Dylan Salzman (Midd): He’s good. He has very pretty throws, is a smart handler, and is Midd’s best player. That being said, he should not be POTR-- he isn’t as athletic as the other contenders, and his throws (while very good) are not game changing, and he’s also young and that shows sometimes.
Emmett Blau (Williams): probably is the only reason Williams was even somewhat relevant this year. He is a dominant athlete, has absolutely disgusting throws, and gets an absurd number of layout d’s. He made the Junior Worlds team in 2014 without a tryout (if the rumors are true), something that nobody else in this region can say. He should be POTR hands down.
Number 43 on Amherst is good, and they would not be good without him. He is surprisingly athletic and has nice throws.
FOTR:
#13 on Williams is apparently a freshman. He starts on O-line, gets centered to or is isolated downfield to start, and plays both ways late.
I’ve heard that one of the top guys on Midd is a freshman, but I don’t know which one. If that’s true, then it should be one of these two guys.
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This has been one of the best and most competitive seasons in recent memory and its been a blast to watch! Excited to hype up some of the top players in our region 
Dartmouth:
- Dan Moder (handler; great throws and cutting ability)
Bryant:
- Jacob Garfinkel (very-skilled player; Bryant’s offense runs through him)
Williams:
- Emmett Blau (all-around handler, cutter and defender; nasty throws)
- Other O-line handler (can’t remember his name, but he throws a lot of hucks to Emmett and is really attractive and usually surrounded by women)
Middlebury:
- Dylan Salzman (handler; great at taking over games)
Coach of the region:
- Jim Bishop (Bryant)
- Dylan Martin (Williams)
Freshman of the region:
I thought that #13 on Williams was a returner, but if he actually is a freshman then he should get the award
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I definitely think #13 on Williams deserves FOTR. He’s an O-Line starter for them and a key piece of their offense at that, plus he’s got some pretty crafty throws. Crazy that he’s a freshman, he plays like a returner.
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23 on amherst deserves some credit for his work this season. He might not stand out while on the field, but don’t let that fool you: He’s the glue of the team. If Amherst is to make it to nationals you can bet it’ll be due to superior play from 23.
Very competitive group this year will make for a very exciting regionals.
Some of the players I am looking forward to watching this coming weekend:
Dan Moder (Dartmouth) - Perrenial all region (formerly D-1) player; great throws and crazy layouts. U24 tryout invite.
Dylan Salzman (Mid) - Strong handler playing almost complete games when they need him. Some missthrows, should get better as he gets older.
Nicky Golini (Dartmouth) - Really quick, small cutter that shreds D lines with his speed and massive layouts.
Jeff Sload (Williams) - Throws a lot of dope hucks
Haven’t seen Bryant or some other teams yet so can’t speak to those guys
FOTR:
Connor Haines (Dartmouth): Number 88 has a huge role on the Dartmouth O line, and has had some crazy layouts and hucks (especially at conferences) that should put him in the conversation for freshman of the region.
New England is looking like a strong region again and I’m excited for regionals!
I agree that guys like Emmett Blau and Jacob Garfinkel are among the best players in the region. They’ve shown that for the past few years.
I’m a little surprised that some of the Brandeis and Bentley guys are not getting more love. For Brandeis, #25 has been a monster cutter for several years and is so dangerous in the deep game. Ditto (#8) has been such a key handler for them and he’s shown that he’s a great lead handler. For Bentley, Kyle (Saroka?) has been such an important player for them and I think the region should recognize what he has done for his team.
Really looking forward to Regionals, tons of talent and parity this year. Looking to see more from Midd and Brandeis in particular.
Dartmouth
Dan Moder and Nicky Golini are both fierce competitors. Strong offensively, athletic, and always willing to throw layouts. Leo Blooston is also a great player, and very capable in the air.
Amherst
Kevin Goldberg (#43) is the strongest player on their team easily. Kevin is a very quick and adept handler, and totally directs their team, although he’s probably not as strong of a defender as many of the other players mentioned on this forum.
Bryant
Bunch of tall, athletic dudes. Garfinkel is obviously a strong player. One of the other captains and handlers, a tall guy with short, blond hair, also deserves mention, although I don’t know his name.
Williams
If anyone else on Williams has had even a moderately impressive season it is more than anything else a reflection on Emmett Blau making everything as easy as possible for his teammates. Almost always the best player on the field on both sides of the disc, he is thoroughly deserving of POTR. There are some exceptional players in the region, but no one else nearly as capable of doing it all and always exerting his influence on the game.
FOTR
I’m not sure about these guys on Dartmouth and Midd, but Kees Humes (#13) on Williams is an integral part of their offense capable of putting the disc almost anywhere on the field, and is thoroughly unafraid of throwing huge bids on defense. Williams heavily relies on his experience (he just won YCC’s this past summer with Swing Vote), which is extremely impressive in his first year.
Coaching
Coach of Dartmouth deserves credit. They play probably the most disciplined ultimate in the region.
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yes, in an year when amherst seems to really miss its graduated senior class from last year, #23 stands above to carry a struggling squad
Here are my top picks for all-region:
Emmett Blau (POTR)
Jacob Garfinkel
Nicky Golini
These guys not only are the most talented players on almost any field they step out on, but they also have incredible spirit. Maybe it’s because they happen to be leaders on their respective teams and they have to put up a veil of cordiality, but even if that’s the case they pull it off. I’ve got the utmost respect for these three.
With regard to my own team (Amherst), I think Zack Stern and Borun Sun should be recognized. Zack is our go-to guy when we need to shut someone down and Borun is on the receiving end of the majority of our scores.
I also think that Cameron (tall Bryant handler), Ditto, and the short handler from Bentley should get some praise. Again, good players with good spirit.
Looking forward to the weekend!
For anyone who has seen or played against WPI this season, you’ve gotta consider Jared Perkins, #42. Junior captain on the team, he is easily the best player for WPI and shoulders the load. Athletic, quick, great throws, and persistent defense - he has it all. Chances are if you played WPI this season, you noticed Jared.
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After watching Regionals all weekend, I have a few comments to say. POTY is clearly Jacob Garfinkel. The only other person that was in the discussion for POTY was Emmett Blau, but after a terrible showing drowning in pool play, I believe he shouldn’t even be considered anymore. If he was POTY he should’ve been able to lead his team to at least 1 win at Regionals.
Emmett should 100% still be on first team all Region. Another person that should easily make First team is the handler from Midd, I think his name is Dylan Salzman (short blond kid). Another player that should make either First or Second team is the short handler from Amherst, I have no idea what his name is, might be #25 or #35 I’m not sure.
Bryant let up at most 6 points to any team, while every other team struggled to punch their ticket to natties. After reading through all the comments the only name mentioned is Jacob Garfinkel. After Bryant’s showing both First and Second team all region list should consist of at least 4 players from Bryant.
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100 percent agree.
Disclaimer Bentley Alum
After watching both days of Regionals it is clear that Kyle Saroka from Bentley should be All-Region. He was an absolute force on the field all weekend. After numerous injuries to top players on Saturday the load fell squarely on his shoulders on Sunday and he did not disappoint. He willed them to victory against Bowdoin having multiple points with 3 plus D’s and leading their offense. He is dominant near the goal line with powerful strike cuts and great around backhands. Without Kyle this weekend Bentley would’ve been lost. He is clearly the best player we’ve had since our 2014 championship and should be recognized as an All-Region player.
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Brandeis player so won’t mention any of them
Just going to list players I think deserve some recognition:
Kyle Saroka- great defender and consistent center handler
Kevin Goldberg- strong hucker with creative break throws
Zack Stern- great puller, infinite stamina, and really nice guy
Borun Sun- crazy good deep threat. helps make Kevin and Zack’s jobs easier.
Dylan Salzman- leads Middlebury offense as a sophomore
Kai DeLorenzo- my pick for FOTY. great in the air while also being a threat with the disc (I wish he came to Brandeis!)
Jacob Garfinkel- what everyone else said
Emmett Blau- what everyone else said
Don’t know the names of the Dartmouth players but the one that plays on Wild Card and the shorter one with the blond manbun.
Wild Card Player - Daniel Moder
Manbun - Nicky Golini
Midd player. Want to throw out the name of a guy that definitely should be on here: Gab “Gabe” Doble is a guy that works effortlessly to be a better player, teammate, and captain. He doesn’t stop running, and can make plays as a handler or a cutter. He was integral to Midd’s success during this season. In addition to being a phenomenal player, Gab is a great leader, teammate, and friend.
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