Omaha, NE

By Shelly Shankya

A distinct chill filled the Ralston Arena as winter descended and the Minnesota RollerGirls (#3) defeated the Boston Derby Dames (#6) in Game 3 of the 2015 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs. Minnesota’s notorious fans, the Aquaman Army, warned that "Winter is coming," and the Boston Derby Dames were left, shut out in the cold, blanking in 12 of the first period's 19 jams.

Photo by Danforth Johnson

Jacked Pipes took the star six times for Minnesota and during her time as jammer, scored 66 points of the team's 117 in the first half. Her blockers, led by captain Diamond Rough, Sampson, and Trudy, cleared the way when necessary and kept pack pace at a breakneck speed to keep things out of reach for the Derby Dames. The pack speed was quick at times and stand-still at other times. In fact, the majority of the jams in the first period were full two-minute jams, even after jam refs declared lead jammers. Boston failed to mount a serious charge after getting as close as within four points early in the half. Coupled with a well-placed timeout from Minnesota made for a grueling half.

With 2:09 left in the first, the skating officials called for an official timeout to review a call that negatively affected the Boston Derby Dames during the previous jam when jammer Maya Mangleyou attempted a star pass to SweetE and ended up in the penalty box as Jacked Pipes scored 19 unanswered points. The call was overturned, but the damage was done. With a 70-point advantage, Minnesota left the track for halftime as Boston took the break to contemplate their next move. The score at half was 117-47.

Photo by Ryan Quick

Jacked Pipes continued her run after the half, scoring 14 points in the first jam of the second half, extending Minnesota's lead. Then a jammer swap-out in the second jam gave Boston a chance to tighten the gap created by the skaters from Minnesota. Hard Times, jammer for the Boston Derby Dames, scored 10 points. The jammer do-si-do continued through the half, as both teams' jammers spent extended time in the box; four trips for Minnesota and five for Boston. Penalties continued to be a problem for the teams' blockers as well, and Boston veteran skater Shark Week fouled out as the game came to a close.

With just over 8:00 left in the game, Minnesota pulled away from Boston by more than 100 points, and the team managed to maintain a substantial lead throughout the rest of the game. Minnesota RollerGirls defeated the Boston Derby Dames 201-112.

Minnesota RollerGirls (#3) moves on to the semifinals, where they will play the winner of Angel City Derby Girls (#2) and Helsinki Roller Derby (#7) at 8 pm CDT Saturday. Boston Derby Dames (#6) moves on to play Toronto Roller Derby in Game 7 at 10 am CDT Saturday.

FINAL SCORE

Minnesota RollerGirls (#3) 201
Boston Derby Dames (#6) 112