Photo by Sydney Kane – UltiPhotos.com
JUNE 4, 2026
By Will Stuntz
The DC Breeze (5-2) are hosting the Carolina Flyers (5-1) this week, marking the fourth straight year the interdivisional rivals have faced off. DC and Carolina have played each other almost every year since 2017 – excluding 2019 and 2022 – with the Breeze being the primary victors of the matchup, as they hold a 6-3 advantage all-time.
Last season, DC went down to Carolina and bested the Flyers 20-18. However, that was a very different Breeze team than we will see this week, as that game was headlined by Cole Jurek, who’s still yet to suit up this year, as well as Tyler Monroe and Rowan McDonnell, both of whom are not playing for the Breeze this season.
Part of Carolina’s recent success and their ability to contest the Breeze so closely is Allan Laviolette. In the 2025 matchup, he racked up six assists, three hockey assists, two goals, and 604 total yards. Unfortunately for the Flyers, he won’t be available for this match. However, Carolina has proven that they can play without the 2025 unanimous All-Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) selection, and they’ve actually been undefeated since the start of his absence in week five.
The Breeze are the first team the Flyers have played that aren’t named the Atlanta Hustle in almost a month, as they’ve played Atlanta in weeks three, five, and six, with a bye week in week 4. Laviolette’s last game was in week three when they lost to Atlanta by one in double overtime. Since then, they’ve beaten the Hustle by six and five, respectively, and they’ve had a new face emerge as the star of their O-line: Jacob Fairfax. Fairfax is currently fourth in the UFA in goals and seventh in total scores. He, as well as the emerging Tobias Brooks and the USAU D-I Callahan award winner out of University of Colorado Zeke Thoreson – who put up six scores in his 2026 debut last week – will be a legitimate force against the DC D-line even without their offensive anchor Laviolette. Jake Thorne, Dillon Bruer, and Trevor Lynch are also listed as out.
DC is missing pieces of their own this week, as AJ Merriman will miss another game after sustaining a leg injury against Toronto. Merriman has been crucial for both DC lines, and he’s still played the most points for the Breeze, despite missing a game. With Merriman out, we can expect Miles Grovic to take more responsibilities on the O-line as he did against Montreal, which was a wildly successful decision by Breeze Head Coach Xavier Maxstadt, as Grovic tossed nine assists in that game, the second most in a single game by any player this season. Christian Boxley, who terrorized the Flyers in Carolina in 2023, will also be returning to the lineup this week, which will take some pressure off the O-line. Merriman’s absence doesn’t just affect the Offense, as he’s played the ninth-most points on the D-line, and ranks third in blocks on the Breeze. However, Micah Wagner, Raymond Lu, Wiebe van den Brink, and Tanner Gesell, who currently leads the team in blocks, are all active, and the young core of the Breeze defense proved in Canada that they can get the job done themselves.
Fans can probably expect a high-scoring affair this week, as DC and Carolina rank third and fourth in the UFA in scores, respectively. Both squads also love to take deep shots, as they both have nearly-identical huck statistics that sit near the top of the league. The Flyers will be wary of Jacques Nissen and Grovic’s deep shots, who’ve both completed nine this season with 100% and 90% completion rates, respectively. For the Flyers' deep game, Fairfax has been the lead since Laviolette’s absence, and he’s completed seven and 70% so far.
Catch the interdivisional rivalry renewed this Friday at Carlini Field, with tickets available at thedcbreeze.com and streaming live at watchUFA.tv. First pull flies at 7 p.m. ET.
