Brewcity (#9) upsets Arch Rival (#4)

By Vile Love It

Brewcity (#9) and Arch Rival (#4) dished up the first game of the tournament that had more lead changes than jammer penalties. The teams met in what turned out to be a nail-biter in the third consolation bout of the WFTDA North Central Region Playoffs in Niagara Falls, NY.

The last time these two teams met in sanctioned play was in 2010 when Brewcity took away a solid win 120-65, but a lot has changed since that time.

Brewcity came into this tournament after a tough 2012 season schedule and didn’t come out of many games on top (1-7 season record). Arch Rival also had a busy season, but had a stronger 10-2 record heading into the Thrill of the Spill.

Photo by Bob Dunnell

“The game was really great. We had a wonderful time together and we always play really great when we have fun together.” said Brewcity’s Bloody Cupcake.”

There weren’t that many jammer penalties in this game. Arch Rival’s jammer took 4 trips to the box and Brewcity’s took 5. But each team made the best of their advantages. Jam 2 was Brewcity’s first power jam and they snatched 13 points and then eight more a couple jams later. Arch Rival seemed caught off guard by Brewcity and was only able to score four points in the first handful of jams. But that didn’t last long, and soon it was Arch Rival’s turn on the power jam and they began to catch up.

Arch Rival caught up in the ninth jam but by the 12th the score was tied and the teams took off, like two drag racing cars, fighting for lead. By the time the first half wrapped up Arch Rival had a slim advantage 62-65 and it was still anyone’s game.

Brewcity seemed to have an advantage over Arch Rival in the size and power departments but Arch Rival’s speed and agility gave them an edge as well. Despite the differences, the teams were well matched in this defensive battle.

“We watched a couple of their previous games saw a few things to pay attention to. We knew their jammers were really good and getting by on the inside or outside line so we made sure to really close down any holes on the lines,” said Cupcake. “We focus on defense as a team because we have really good jammers who are able to push themselves through. Our blockers focus on keeping the other jammer behind us in the back and it’s been working really well for us.”

Penalty minutes always affect a game, but in this one both teams warmed the box seats pretty evenly. Arch Rival spent 26 minutes in the box and Brewcity spent 30. Arch Rival took a big hit to their offense when their top scoring jammer Mighty Might Boston was ejected for what was called an “intentional hit to the head.”

“This is our fourth regionals and we always seem to have a hard time. We worked so hard this year and had a really great season,” said Arch Rival’s South City Shiner. “We were very ready for this game after this morning’s win over Cincinnati. When our jammer got ejected on a weird call I think it just got into our heads. We got mental. Also, I don’t think played to our potential, even this morning. I know we can play so much better. It’s a heart breaker.”

Brewcity held tight to their slim lead through much of the second period but Arch Rival always stayed close and towards the end, when they were handed a power jam, they took advantage and pulled ahead.

Going into the last jam it was a seven point game in Arch Rival’s favor, 113-120, but their jammer took a trip to the box and Brewcity was able to pull close and then ahead.

There was confusion in the Conference Center when the scoreboard showed a tie score for a couple of seconds. Arch Rival’s jammer had scored three points during the last jam but then Brewcity’s last three points were added, and the final score was 126-123.

Brewcity (#9) 126
Arch Rival Roller Girls (#4) 123