“I would define my role as whatever the team really needs from me that day,” Nolting explained to me earlier this season. “Whether that’s facilitating from behind, getting the ball movement going from the backside, or dodging a lot I’m doing whatever is asked of me.”

Especially with Jack Rowlett suspended for the quarterfinals, Carolina’s defense is going to have a tall task in containing Nolting. If the Cannons attackman can put on another performance like he had in Salt Lake City versus the Chaos (2G, 4A), I’d say Boston is in very good shape. 

The Cannons have a healthy mix of young talent and veteran leadership. Who do they lean on more in the playoffs? - Ryan 

It’s tough to categorize any facet of Boston’s roster into “young” versus “veteran.” On attack, you have the one-two punch of Nolting and Holman. The midfield is led by second-year pro Matt Campbell and eighth-year pro Ryan Drenner. Defensively, the Cannons do have more of a veteran core than a youth movement, but the importance of Colin Kirst in net and Ethan Rall at long-stick midfielder obviously cannot be understated. 

If I had to pick one, I’ll go with the young talent in this case. More so because of my first point about the offense operating through Nolting, but also with a young gun in Kirst between the pipes as the last line of defense. The two third-year pros have the most important jobs on the field. 

Is there anyone you think could be a surprise hero for the Cannons in the playoffs? - Matt 

The best part of this Cannons roster is anyone could be a hero on any given day. That being said, two names come to mind for me that aren’t the usual suspects.

When I spoke to Cannons offensive coordinator Jim Mitchell last week, he said he felt Pat Kavanagh was on the brink of making a breakthrough at attack before he moved to the midfield in the final regular-season game in Salt Lake City. Mitchell said Kavanagh feels more confident and comfortable in his role as a midfielder at the pro level rather than as the lefty attackman in this Cannons system. 

Now, that doesn’t mean we’ll never see Kavanagh play attack again. Heck, there’s still a good chance we see him on attack on Monday. But no matter his position, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Kavanagh, who led Notre Dame to two straight national championships, is a guy primed for the big stage. Quite frankly, it feels silly to consider him someone who could be a “surprise” hero – but the rookie has not even scratched the surface yet of his potential in the pros. Monday could be a statement game for him. 

My second potential surprise hero is not much of a surprise for any Massachusetts native, especially those from Billerica. We’re getting Jeff Trainor playing in front of a home crowd at Gillette. Need I say more? 

Offensively, the short-stick defensive midfielder has had his best pro season yet. With 10 points in the regular season, the UMass product has earned the green light to shoot. 

One might think his offensive improvements mean he hasn’t been as strong as an SSDM. However, it’s the opposite. Trainor also had his best season yet defensively, with 14 ground balls and six caused turnovers – both career highs. 

Take that and combine it with the Jeff Trainor Fan Club that will no doubt be in the stands, and you’ve got a recipe for success. 

Where does Will Manny fit in on this offense? Could he be valuable out of the box? - Jake

If Manny is going to play Monday, and that’s a big “if,” I can only see him playing at left attack.

I went more in-depth on the reality of Manny at attack here, but with the playoff stakes at hand, I don’t think it’s the right time to play someone who hasn’t seen any game action yet this year, let alone out of his natural position. 

Could Manny be valuable out of the box? Yes, I think his skillset is more flexible than people realize. But as someone who’s mainly played left attack throughout his career, the quarterfinals isn’t the time to test it out. 

Sadly, even with his chemistry playing with Marcus and his familiarity with Brian Holman’s system, unless there’s an injury or the Cannons really want to throw their opponents’ game plan off, I don’t see Manny playing for Boston this postseason. 

In retrospect to Jack Kielty’s injury, how crucial were the offseason acquisitions of Garrett Epple and Bryce Young to the Cannons defense’s success this year? - Robert 

With the second-ranked defense in the league (behind the Chaos) led by Epple, a finalist for the Dave Pietramala Defensive Player of the Year once again, it’s easy to say the additions of him and Young have been instrumental to the Cannons’ success in Kielty’s absence. But I don’t think people fully grasp just how significant of a blow losing Kielty for the season was for this group.

“It rocked our world,” remarked Coach Holman. 

Kielty was the “field general” for Boston’s close defense and one of the guiding voices in the locker room. As Coach said, “Jack Kielty is the Cannons. … You can’t replace him.” 

When Epple and Young came to the Cannons, they were under the expectation that Kielty would be there leading them on the defensive end. All three have their own specific skills as defenders, but Kielty had been that voice for Boston’s defense for a few years. 

“When he went down, we all felt we needed to raise our level of play and communication,” Epple told me back in June. 

And that’s exactly what they did. Game by game, Epple, Young and Cade van Raaphorst learned not only how to play with each other, but how to communicate with one another, as well. It’s important to remember these are three players who had never played together before training camp – Kielty was supposed to be that unifying presence.

Add in the fact Jake Pulver, another of the few returning faces in this Cannons close defense, spent the beginning of the season on the injury list, and Boston would not be where it is now without Epple and Young. The rate at which this defense built chemistry and rose to the top as one of the best in the league is truly one of the most impressive things I’ve seen. 

Has Zac Tucci solidified himself enough to not have a faceoff battle going into next season? - Jake 

If you look back to when Boston first signed Tucci, Coach Holman made it clear he wasn’t looking for Tucci to outright beat guys like Trevor Baptiste, Joe Nardella or TD Ierlan at the clamp. He liked Tucci because he’s not the traditional faceoff specialist – his speed sets him apart.

Tucci went 48% at the stripe in the regular season, but as crazy as it sounds, that stat doesn’t matter all that much. Coach Holman wanted him to provide flexibility, and that’s exactly what he’s done. 

If he wins a faceoff, Tucci has the speed to push the ball quickly into transition off the 32-second shot clock. He’s also not afraid to take a possession shot from deep, something that’s been a lot more valuable than one might notice. If he loses a faceoff, with a “football player mentality,” as Holman put it, he possesses the physicality and athleticism to put pressure on the opposing faceoff specialist. 

Back in May, there were plenty of top-tier collegiate faceoff specialists left on the board in the PLL Draft. Many, including myself, thought Holman would opt to take one of them, but he later on said he didn’t see any value in drafting or picking up another faceoff specialist at that time because there were no options available who could outright beat one of the top faceoff guys in the league. And if Tucci didn’t work out, the Cannons could turn to faceoff by committee. 

All of this is a long way to say I do think Tucci’s solidified himself as the faceoff specialist for the Cannons, but that doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed the job next season. Especially at a specialized position like the faceoff, you need competition for that role in training camp. I now know better than to think Holman will use any draft picks next year on Tucci’s competition, but perhaps we see another try at the faceoff by committee or a free agent pickup to compete with him. 

Will Asher Nolting ever win the Jim Brown MVP as long as Jeff Teat is in the league? - Peter

Yes.