Omaha, NE

By Vile Love It

From the action on the track during Saturday night’s final game, it was clear that both 2 Seed Angel City Derby Girls (#8) and 3 Seed Minnesota Rollergirls (#12) intend to merely pass through Omaha on their way to Championships. In one of the most physically intense games of the tournament so far, Angel City took an early lead, and held onto it throughout the entire game to guarantee their spot in Saint Paul.

This is not the first time these teams have played each other this season. The teams met in July when Angel City topped Minnesota 195-109. Minnesota came into this game to flip the score and Angel City came to further the spread.

Both teams took short paths through the Omaha bracket thanks to their high seeding coming into the tournament. Angel City trounced Helsinki Roller Derby on Friday night (434-58) and Minnesota beat the Boston Derby Dames (201-112).

Angel City took an early lead in the game when Satan’s Little Helper helped herself to 8 points and left Minnesota’s Jacked Pipes with nothing. But Minnesota’s Second Hand Smoke picked up 14 points during an early power jam and pulled her team even.

Again, Angel City pulled back ahead and Minnesota met them at 24-24. But it was the last time Minnesota came close to Angel City’s score during the rest of the game.

Angel City’s defense was stellar. It held fast and firm despite the strength, agility and endurance of Minnesota’s Shiver Me Kimbers, Jacked Pipes, and Second Hand Smoke. It recycled the energy right out of the Minnesota jammers.

Angel City’s offensive blocking was also top-notch. They were able to sting Minnesota’s defense at opportune times to create a needed hole for their jammer.

You can say the same thing about Minnesota’s offense and defense as well. Angel City just did it slightly better. At the half Angel City held a slight lead 83-59, with Minnesota not out of striking range.

The second period started with an Angel City power jam and Satan’s Little Helper raced through the pack to score 12 points. She shut the jam down before Minnesota could score. Satan’s Little Helper did the same thing in the next jam and collected 13 points. And so on.

Angel City kept scoring and Minnesota kept fighting to get through.

During the second period Angel City kept Minnesota to only 24 points in the 20 jams while they scored 109 points.

Penalties were fairly evenly spread. Angel City had 43 penalties (11 jammer trips) and Minnesota had 41 penalties (13 jammer penalties). The difference in the amount of penalties didn’t account for the score differential.

Angel City earned lead jam significantly more often than Minnesota (23 to 12) and was able to shut Minnesota out of the scoreboard in 11 jams during the period. The jams they were able to score in were low points (8 was Minnesota’s highest-scoring jam in the second period).

Angel City’s Satan’s Little Helper, Chica Go Lightning and Ghetto Fabu-lez didn’t just push against Minnesota’s walls. They had the endurance and strength to continuously, and at high speed, dodge, juke and shift as they pushed through Minnesota’s walls or broke them apart.

There were several jams that were 0-0 jams where Minnesota was able to win lead jam but had to call it off to prevent Angel City from scoring, or conversely, when the Minnesota jammer was able to force a call off by Angel City.

In the end, Angel City proved why they were the #2 seed and ranked 8th in the world and dominated the track. With the win they guaranteed themselves a spot at the 2015 International WFTDA Championships in Minnesota in November and will play 1 Seed Gotham Girls Roller Derby #1 tomorrow at 6 pm CDT.

Minnesota still has a chance to play in their home tournament and will battle 4 Seed Montreal Roller Derby (#16) tomorrow in the 4 p.m. game CST for 3rd place.

FINAL SCORE

Angel City Derby Girls 192
Minnesota RollerGirls 83