MRD All Stars The Port Authorities vs. ROC City Roller Derby’s ROC Stars | March 15, 2014 | Happy Wheels Skate Center, Portland, ME | Bout Recap by: Sparrowhawk
Maine Roller Derby’s All-Star team The Port Authorities hosted the ROC Stars of Rochester, NY in their first WFTDA sanctioned bout of the season – the annual March-themed Lucky Lass Throwdown. These two teams came into the bout neck-and-neck in the official national WFTDA rankings and the PA’s were proud to be showcasing several new skaters in their lineup. One new face on the team, #750 InfraRed, scored points in the first jam despite not earning lead jammer status. As the team found their rhythm, the hard hits started flying. Even All-Star jammer #305 Grim D. Mise couldn’t resist taking a few hits and masterfully took out a blocker to gain lead in the 7th jam.
The ROC Stars played some wicked smart derby, and their jammer #911 Asa Clubs managed to take inside line and gain lead status very quickly several times throughout the night. I overheard one jammer (whose name rhymes with “prim”) gleefully exclaim “You’re doing a great job!” to an opposing jammer on the jam line before the whistle. A 29-point power jam in ROC’s favor in only the 8th jam of the night had the PAs re-thinking their strategy. Fifteen minutes into the first half, the PA’s were in damage control mode – fighting to hold opposing jammers using effective defense and recycling by blockers like #54 Crystal Whip and #99 Margot Tenenbomb. At halftime as the score was ROC Stars 136, PA’s 48. Though the PAs fought, they didn’t earn more than 9 points in one jam during the entire first half.
The second half started strong for Maine as jammer #750 InfraRed took advantage of offense from #20 Crazy Buchanan while teammate #100proof Lil’ Punisher took out the opposing jammer #213 Halestorm. Slowly the tide began to turn, and despite fast packs and strong ROC Stars jammers, the PAs climbed steadily from a 90-point deficit to within striking distance of the lead. The ROC stars earn 13 points in the first 11 jams, while the Port Authorities earned 49. The crowd could sense the shift in momentum, and beautifully executed offensive plays from #3 Tri-Scare-A-Tops and #603 RED-demption got the PAs jammers through the pack quickly. Essential defensive plays prevented the opposing jammer from scoring even in seemingly opportune moments, like when blockers #A1 Hard Dash and #100proof Lil’ Punisher held and recycled #911 Asa Clubs despite being the only two PA blockers on the track.
Then, in the 18th jam of the second half, #3 Tri-Scare-A-Tops forced a track cut on #911 Asa Clubs, setting the PAs jammers up for some massive scoring passes. The ROC Stars went six jams in a row without scoring as jammers #305 Grim D. Mise, #750 InfraRed, and #828 Kissy Kicks brought the score from 113 to 167 in the span of three jams (23 points, 13 points, 18 points). Seriously, in my notes I misspelled the word AMAZING (in all caps) because it was so exciting! The comeback was not meant to be despite a 24-point power jam by #750 Infrared in the second-to-last jam of the night, as the ROC Stars held the PAs 218-195. It was thrilling to see the Maine Roller Derby All-Stars keep their cool and play smart, focused derby and come back to end the game on such a high note.
TOP SCORERS:
Port Authorities: Infrared (94)
ROC Stars: Halestorm (84)
MVP JAMMER:
Port Authorities: Infrared
ROC Stars: Kell’d on Impact
MVP BLOCKER:
Port Authorities: Margot Tenenbomb
ROC Stars: Lethal Lorelei
PORT AUTHORITIES ROSTER:
Lil’ Punisher | Bea Nimble | Crazy Buchanan | Tri-Scare-Atops | Brannigan’s Law | Grim D. Mise | Wilykat | Crystal Whip | RED-Demption | Infrared | Eva LaDiva | Kissy Kicks | Margot Tenenbomb | Hard Dash
ROC STARS ROSTER:
Kell’d on Impact | Lethal Lorelei | Beric Dondarrion | Roxy D. Sniper | Halestorm | Karma Lized | Adina Scizorhandz | Natasha Musquashya | Goldie Fox | Jacky Spades | Jojo Thrasher | Terminal Trend | Asa Clubs | Kate Soanes
