Duluth, MN

by Shelly Shankya

The first game of Day 2 at Division 2 Tournament in Duluth featured the Brewcity Bruisers from Milwaukee, Wisconsin against the Omaha Roller Girls from Omaha, Nebraska in a battle to stay out of the ninth-tenth place game on Sunday.

Photo by Ryan Quick

While Omaha managed some jaw-dropping comebacks and lead changes in the second half, the ladies in black from Milwaukee eked out a win and advancement to Game 9 on Saturday afternoon.

For the first several jams, the score went back-and-forth between the two Midwestern teams. In jam 5, there was a jammer swap-out in the penalty box, yet the score differential stayed relatively stable. Brewcity began their breakaway from the ladies from Omaha around the 17:00 minute mark, as they pushed pack pace to jockey for position.

In jam 18, Omaha’s jammer Ima Firestarter struggled with opposing jammer Sharkira and fancy-footed her way to lead jammer. Moments later Sharkira escaped the Omaha wall, but Firestarter managed to fly around the track after grabbing her four points, and then grabbed the jammer point on Sharkira before calling off the jam. The score differential continued to be tight, with Brewcity in a slight lead, 41-33.

Each team fought to control pack placement and speed, oftentimes forcing jammers to complete multiple laps before entering the pack on a scoring pass.

Jam 24 was a tough one for Omaha, however, as jammer Ima Firestarter picked up a track cut followed by an illegal procedure for leaving the penalty box early. The one minute penalty cost Omaha 25 points as BrewCity blockers played passive offense, giving their jammer Sharkira a short track to skate. With 2:14 left in the half, the ladies from Milwaukee led Omaha 77-40.

By the end of the first half, Brewcity jammers Sharkira and Zo-Tay, with the help of blockers Becky the Butcher, Freight Train, and The Other White Meat managed to more than double Omaha’s points for an 86-40 lead over the ladies in green.

The second half started with fast jams, each lasting under one minute. The pack pace was equally fast, and the hits from both Omaha and Brewcity had jammers struggling to keep their footing.

Down by 46 points at the half, Omaha grabbed 47 points in the opening 10 minutes of the second, switching the game’s momentum in favor of Omaha due to four jammer penalties back-to-back for Brewcity. With under 15:00 on the clock, Omaha managed to tie the score, 106-106, as Brewcity’s penalties continued to mount. After the tie, the lead shifted hands multiple times, yet Omaha couldn’t quite manage to make the gap substantial.

Omaha called for an official review on a no-call forearm with 11:55 left. The no-call stood, but Omaha used the break to re-group, allowing their jammer Ima Firestarter to get lead jammer. However, Brewcity’s pack picked up to a breakneck pace. The momentum shifted again after sixth jammer penalty. Brewcity’s captain Latina Heat donned the jammer star and kept calm composure, regaining the lead for her team.

The ladies in green from Omaha mounted one last comeback in the final minutes of the game, scoring 22 points and bringing the differential back to within eight with only six seconds left in the game. Top-scoring jammer Zo-Tay for Brewcity took the line in the final jam and quickly grabbed lead jammer, ending the game and Omaha’s hopes.

Final score

(4) Brewcity Bruisers 148
(7) Omaha Roller Girls 140

Brewcity Bruisers advance to play Treasure Valley Roller Derby in Game 9 at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Omaha Roller Girls move on to play the loser of Game 8 in Game 13 on Sunday at 10 a.m.