Sacramento, CA

Minnesota prepares for Champs after defeating Rat City

By Shelly Shankya

With the top two teams of the international WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs of Sacramento already decided, Minnesota RollerGirls of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (seed 2, rank #8) rallied for a win over Rat City Rollergirls of Seattle, Washington, USA (seed 4, rank #16) after being unseated by Denver Roller Dolls (seed 3, rank #9) in game 12 on Saturday. The win solidified the trip to WFTDA Championships for the ladies in aqua and army.

photo byDavid Costa

Rat City Rollergirls drew first blood against Minnesota, but it was an advantage that faded quickly, as jammer Slambda Phage put up 18 points in the second jam while the Minnesota blockers kept Rat City jammer Sintripetal Force in the pack for well over a full minute. From that point on, try as they might, the Rat City skaters failed put a real toe-hold into the Minnesota lead. That’s not to say, however, that Rat City didn’t have some shining moments. Jammer Luna Negra used fancy footwork on the inside and outside lanes to secure lead jammer on a few occasions, and jammer RattleSkate pulled away with a 14-point jam in the closing minutes of the period. The loss of blocker Missile America for a gross misconduct expulsion in the penultimate jam of the period was a blow to the Seattle team’s momentum, and Minnesota closed the half with a 66-point lead, 117-51.

The second period of the game had Minnesota giving up several power jam opportunities to their Rat City competitors, four in total. The Great Wall of St. Paul, however, held strong, keeping Rat City jammers at bay and only giving up a handful of double-digit scoring runs. There was a 12-minute timeout after the eighth jam due to blood on the track, offering an opportunity for the teams to regroup. At the time of the timeout, Minnesota led Rat City 165-89 with 17:48 to go in the period. Rat City used the pause in game play to rally.

While the point spread prior to the timeout was 76, Rat City managed to regain some footing by putting up some strong runs, while at the same time holding Minnesota to several scoreless jams. Two power jams for the ladies from Seattle in the closing minutes of the game allowed the team to bring it within 55 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop Minnesota’s jammers Slambda Phage and Harmony Killabruise.

“We feel amazing [after this win],” Minnesota jammer Harmony Killabruise said. “The whole point was for us to go to Championships. We didn’t go last year, so we really wanted to focus to get to Champs. We have a great advantage because we’re at the first tournament and have the time to hone in and play the basics.”

Minnesota RollerGirls defeated Rat City Rollergirls 197-142. They finish the Sacramento Playoffs in 3rd. Rat City finishes 4th Place.

Final Score

Mineesota RollerGirls 197

Rat City Rollergirls 142