Kalamazoo, MI

Tri-City edges out Burning River to advance

By Vile Love It

Burning River Roller Girls (9 seed, ranked 61) out of Cleveland, Ohio and the Tri-City Roller Girls (8 seed, ranked 60) out of Kitchener, Ontario kicked off the WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Kalamazoo today in a tight and exciting game that was a nail-biter to the end.

The last time these teams met in sanctioned play was last summer when Tri-City took the win in a close game (147-125). Both teams have lost key players this season; Tri-City lost six players and Burning River lost four.

The first ten minutes of the bout were close as the teams tested each other, wobbled a little, visited the box a bit, and then settled down. Although both teams had already had early power jams, halfway through the bout Tri-City was able to control Burning River’s blockers during back-to-back power jams and their jammer Freudian Whip (#22) gave them the first solid lead of the bout (77-27).

Soon after, Burning River collected 19 points on their own power jam until Mae Burnya (#45IF) jumped the apex and landed just shy of safe. Tri-City went back on the power jam grabbing 10 points before Mae was released from the box. Tri-City was able to hold onto their lead and it was 91-46 when the penalty dust settled.

Tri-City was able to scatter Burning River’s defense while their jammers held onto lead jam in several jams, holding Burning River scoreless. But the skaters from Cleveland didn’t give up and Maul-ibu Barbie (#101), in a dog fight of a jam, was able to collect 11 points while Burning River’s defense held Tri-City scoreless bringing the score to 103-55 with 5 minutes left in the period.

Burning River was on a tear and then hit a power jam and it seemed that they were going to make a serious dent in the score differential. But then a track cut sent their jammer Cupquake (#24) to the box. Tri-City wasn’t able to collect any additional points and at different points each team was down to one blocker as their jammers hunted and pecked for holes to get through.

At the half it was still tight: 119-85.

Also tight were the penalty minutes. Burning River was sitting on 18 minutes, Tri-City was sitting on 17 minutes. Tri-City’s Freudian Whip had spent 5 minutes in the box as the jammer.

Eight minutes into the second half both teams were playing furiously and on an intense power jam Burning River’s T-Wrecks (#14) was able to bring her team to within 13 points (143-130). Burning River’s Cupquake took over the second half of the power jam before being caught by the bane of their existence today: a track cut penalty. Tri-City went back on the power jam.

By this time, both teams had gotten into the groove of shutting down the passive offense and were able to stem the tide of runaway power jams. Tri-City hadn’t scored but a point or two before Burning River’s Cupquake zoomed out of the box, over the apex, and brought the score to 153-139.

Fast, furious and chip were the words for the second half. It seemed that it took more and more energy for blockers and jammers alike to collect and prevent each and every point. With just under 11 minutes left in the bout is was 174-148 with Tri-City in the lead. During several jams the pack was racing, the jammers were racing and no one was scoring.

With 7 minutes left Burning River executed the perfect pop and pinch at the whistle. The blockers held a goat and jammer T-Wrecks popped by her and called it off. It was only a point, but it was a well-organized and distinctly executed strategies. It could have turned the tide, but it didn’t. It seemed that Tri-City had determined that speed was their friend. In every jam they didn’t get lead jam, they raced off while Burning River tried to catch up. Even if they got lead, they pushed the pack speed to the max and their jammer grabbed one or two points to increase their lead.

With 3 minutes left, Tri-City’s jammer Ova-Kill (#11), on a forearm penalty, gave Burning River a power jam and they pulled within 2 points before Cupquake, after three successful apex jumps, headed to the box on a track cut penalty. Tri-City was able to increase their lead and with under 2 minutes left and it was 180-174.

Burning River’s blockers held fast to Tri-City’s Freudian Whip but almost as soon as Cupquake was released from the box she cut the track again and headed back.

“Standing on the sideline as a captain, injured and sidelined, was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life,” said Tri-City’s captain, Sofanda Beatin’ (#420). “But I have never been more proud watching them succeed today.”

“We lost 6 of our key players this year and we’ve considered it somewhat of a rebuilding year,” Sofanda said. “We set the goal to make it to D2 Playoffs but knew we’d need to work hard to get there. Every person on our bench had the opportunity to rise and shine. Everyone brought up their game and they wanted it just as much as those six skaters that left. They had the opportunity to shine and they did.”

“We’ve changed a lot as a team just before coming here,” said Burning River’s Co-Captain West Nel Virus (#22). “For us it was about coming together as a team and doing the best we could do and not judge our success by a win but by better teamwork, attitude, working well together and our intensity. I think we did what we needed to do and I’m proud of what we accomplished.”

Tri-City was able to keep the lead, pull ahead and take the win.

(8) Tri-City Roller Girls 190
(9) Burning River Roller Girls 174

Tri-City advances to play the #1 seed, Santa Cruz Derby Girls at 4 p.m. EDT Friday. Burning River will continue play Saturday at noon against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.