2016 Championships D2 Game 3: Calgary vs Charlottesville
Calgary Roller Derby Association (Lansing #1) vs Charlottesville Derby Dames (Lansing #2)
Calgary Roller Derby Association of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (D2 Lansing #1, WFTDA #48) faced off against Charlottesville Derby Dames of Charlottesville, Va., USA (D2 Lansing #2, WFTDA #52) in a rematch of the D2 Lansing Playoff game in August. The first game of Day 3 at the 2016 International WFTDA Championships ended with Calgary triumphant over Charlottesville, 252–197.
The first period saw Calgary take lead jammer status the lion’s share of the time — they had 13, compared to Charlottesville’s five. That ability to control the clock and the rate of scoring helped Calgary put an early mark on the scoreboard. The women from Canada went up 32–0 in the first four jams, and it wasn’t until Charlottesville jammer River Styx Phoenix scored 10 that her team settled down. Calgary afforded Charlottesville two back-to-back power jams when jammers Kris Myass and Easy Break Oven went to the box on a track cut and back block, respectively. Charlottesville scored 20 during the power jams, but Calgary’s defense also made it possible for their jammers to score 16 points.
After the two power jams, Calgary’s defense — led by blockers sin-e-star and Preacher’s Slaughter — paved the way for Calgary jammers to blank their opponents. Strong defense continued to be the calling card for Calgary throughout the first period. Hilary Boswell and Novel Blonde helped hold Charlottesville jammer Tippi Headlock for a full fifty seconds before and held her to a mere four points after the onslaught of the previous five jams. The period ended with both jammers swapping spots in the penalty box — both for track cuts — resulting in a full two-minute jam. Calgary ended the period up by 38 points, 121–83.
“We had to work on keeping up our training after our win in August because the rest of our league started their offseason,” Calgary captain Easy Break Oven said. “We had to keep ourselves in check and remember that just because we beat them in August, it didn’t mean that we would be able to do it again.”
Penalties were a problem for the Calgary skaters in the first period; they accrued 21 to Charlottesville’s 14. During the second period, however, the number of penalties evened out dramatically, as Charlottesville took 23 trips to the box in comparison to Calgary’s 26. As in the first period, Charlottesville had three power jams, and managed to capitalize on one of them, as jammer Boom! Shake the Room scored 18 unanswered points while Jenni Gunns sat in the box for a back block. The other two power jams were relative washes for Charlottesville. In one, Tippi Headlock passed the star to The Big Bangarang who lost the jam 8–13 to Calgary’s Kris Myass. By that point in the second period – with just 12 minutes left of play — Charlottesville was down by 38 points. The team called a timeout to collect themselves and refocus their strategy.
The timeout worked in Charlottesville’s favor for the following three jams, as they outscored Calgary 25–12, but the momentum waned in the final six minutes of play when Calgary put up 49 points to Charlottesville’s 27. The final jam solidified Calgary’s win and third place finish in Division 2 as Charlottesville jammer Boom! Shake the Room got lead jammer status but then cut the track, delivering Calgary a power jam, during which time jammer and captain Easy Break Oven scored 16. The game ended with Calgary in the lead by 49 points, 252–197.
“It was a super tight game,” Easy Break Oven said. “We could have blinked and our lead would’ve been gone. We had to maintain our focus and keep our game plan in mind.”
Calgary ends the season in Division 2 third place, while Charlottesville takes fourth.
FINAL SCORE
Calgary Roller Derby Association (D2 Lansing #1, WFTDA #48) 252 3rd Place
Charlottesville Derby Dames (D2 Lansing #2, WFTDA #52) 197