BY: Alex “Shaggy” Shragis
PHOTO BY: Don Mennig
Philly fought valiantly, but ultimately fell in double overtime 24-23 against cross the state rivals Pittsburgh Thunderbirds. The best Phoenix game of the 2026 season; the Hotbirds fought back, down 14-9 at the end of the second quarter, outscoring Pittsburgh 12-7 in the second half. However, the Philadelphia defense, which put so much pressure on Pittsburgh, particularly in the third quarter, was unable to stop the patient Thunderbird attack, as the visitors ground out a 25 pass, no turnover possession to score the game winner in double overtime and secure the Commonwealth Cup for Pittsburgh — only the second time in the trophy’s history.
Ironically, the two crucial pieces driving the near comeback for Philadelphia were current and former University of Pittsburgh players. Pitt alum Scott Heyman led all players with 878 total yards, and went 47/48 with an assist and three goals. Heyman nearly had the game winning assist with seven seconds left, however an errant Phoenix timeout pulled the goal out of Philly’s grasp. He was joined by current University of Pittsburgh player Ezra Beidler-Shenk, who had 846 total yards with four assists, and was an outstanding 58/60 passing in his UFA debut. The two also combined for a total of nine hockey assists, meaning the pair of Phoenix distributors accounted for or were one pass away from 17 of Philadelphia’s 23 total points. This level of production — reminiscent of Sam Grossberg’s debut against Toronto last season — from a rookie in their UFA debut is spectacular, and pairing it with a resurgent Scott Heyman is a good sign for the Phoenix future, both in 2026 and beyond.
The defense also had their best game of 2026 so far, picking up 12 blocks and nearly doubling their season total through the first three games. They also had multi-block games from Jack Wisner and Ethan Holmgren — the first of 2026 for any Philly player — and a callahan for rookie Tyler Mackey, also a first for Philly. The Phoenix had phenomenal games from other defenders, with Sam Davies putting up two goals and a block, while Matt Hanna and Drew Loughnane applied constant pressure, forcing key turnovers late in the game, including the throwaway by Yarter at the end of overtime to force sudden death.
Fans may focus on a late timeout call which wiped out what would have been the go ahead goal, however one play is not what cost Philly the Commonwealth Cup. The Hotbirds falling behind early, a consistent theme through their first four games, cost them the trophy as it forced Philadelphia to constantly play from behind. The Phoenix have not led at any point this season, not even 1-0, and that held true for this game where they could do no better than tie the score. Early throwing errors and miscues continued to plague the Philly offense, putting them in a hole they spent the entire half digging themselves out.
Defensively, the team did much better limiting the deep game, as they held Pittsburgh to an 11/22 completion rate on hucks. However, they continued to struggle in the red zone, where Philadelphia is now allowing the second highest opponent completion per game. They also could not pressure Will Hoffenkamp, the dynamic Thunderbird handler, particularly in the fourth quarter and overtime. Hoffenkamp finished 75/78, but was unstoppable in crunch time, grinding out the final 3 periods with a perfect 34/34 throwing performance, four assists and a goal, including going 9/9 with the game winning assist in double overtime.
The inability to stymie Hoffenkamp is important because Philly will now face Boston in a rematch of their 28-11 week five defeat. A game that was rainy, and missing several key contributors, but saw thematically similar breakdowns to the Commonwealth Cup loss. The Phoenix fell behind early, going down 0-4 and finishing the first quarter 7-2. Boston converted 85% of their red zone possessions into goals. Boston’s key offensive handlers: Ben Sadok and Ryan Dinger were a perfect 60/60 in a game where both played 13 points. That simply won’t cut it if Philadelphia hopes to contend with the defending champs.
One bright spot for Philadelphia is the extreme disparity between the production of these two teams at home and on the road. Boston is outscoring teams by nearly 10 points a game, and by just two points per game on the road. Philly, similarly, has been outscored by a staggering 17 points per game on the road, and by just four points per game at home. Part of which could be due to the nature of the teams the Phoenix have played, Toronto and Pittsburgh at home versus Carolina and Boston on the road, but it also speaks to the logistic complications both teams face during road trips and the motivational atmosphere at Neumann University for the Hotbird home games. Additionally, Boston will be facing the New York Empire at home in Medford, MA for Friday Night Frisbee on June 5, then traveling to Philadelphia the next day for a 7 p.m. game, meaning not only will Glory be on the second half of a back to back, but they will not even have the luxury of a full travel day to reach the City of Brotherly Love. If you were to design a set of circumstances where Philadelphia could beat Boston, Glory playing a top five team in Massachusetts the night before, and then traveling to Philadelphia the next day would be it.
Another fun wrinkle for this game is the potential debut for Nolan McCloskey. The Brown University rising junior, who had eight assists, four blocks, and four goals for the 2024 Bmo squad, suits up for his first UFA game this Saturday. After impressive showings from several Phoenix rookies in last Saturday’s game, including Ezra Beidler-Shenk’s debut, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact McCloskey will have on this squad. McClosekey, and Beidler-Shenk — along with Ethan Sarles, Ethan Holmgren, Chase Rawlins and Justin Keller — all played club together during the summer of 2024, and now have a chance to run back their young gun Westchester Loco experience, this time on the pro stage.
Philly has yet to lead all season, and while I believe teams should defer — elect to start the game on defense — for math and strategy reasons, there is a certain psychological weight attached to the dismal start for the team. Starting on offense, against a Boston team who just played the night before and had an entire day’s travel, could provide the mental boost needed to get the Phoenix over the hump. It could also put pressure on a Boston team who has been able to coast through much of the early part of their season, and faces their first real test this weekend.
See how it all plays out at Neumann University this Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets available at the Hotbird Web Shop: phoenixulti.com.
