2017 D1 Playoffs Malmö Game 11: Gotham vs Crime City

Gotham Girls Roller Derby (#1) vs. Crime City Rollers (#4)

In a hard-fought semifinal match up, Gotham Girls Roller Derby of New York, New York, U.S. (#1, WFTDA #3) took the 237–65 win against host team Crime City Rollers of Malmö, Sweden (#4, WFTDA #12) in game 11 of the 2017 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Malmö.

Crime City took advantage of a power jam in the first jam of the game after Gotham jammer Miss Tea Maven was sent to the box on a forearm call which allowed Prince Sofia to score 5 for the first lead of the game. Gotham jammer ShortStop then put up seven of her own on the board, bringing the score to 7–5 in favor of Gotham.

After a big jam by Space Invader that increased Gotham’s lead to 21–5, Miss Tea Maven was sent off the track for another penalty, allowing Crime City pivot-turned-jammer Dykestalker to shorten the gap to 21–11.

Grinding walls by both teams played a huge role in this game with several jams going 45 seconds to a minute before a lead jammer was called on either side, or power jams being held to minimal points on each side. Gotham blockers like VanEssa “V-Diva” Sites, Sexy Slaydie, and Brazilian Nut repeatedly punished Crime City skaters with big hits and long run backs, while Dykestalker, Below Me, SPINOSAURUS, and Tjutet kept Gotham skaters trapped tightly for Crime City.

One of the biggest jams in Crime City’s favor for the game happened in the first half when Crime City jammer Ragna ‘PonyCat’ Rockette got a quick lead over Giles, a recent Gotham transfer from Victorian Roller Derby, who will enter next weekend’s 2017 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Dallas as the #1 seed. PonyCat racked up nine points to Giles’ zero, including a pack-clearing apex jump that the crowd went wild for. Gotham had several high-scoring jams in their favor, including a 20–0 run for V-Diva and a 23-point jam for Giles.

Both teams are already guaranteed to finish in the top four of the tournament, which solidifies them a place at the 2017 International WFTDA Championships Philadelphia, Nov. 3–5. At 6 p.m. Central European Time (CET) on Sunday, Gotham will battle the winner of Denver Roller Derby of Denver, Colorado, U.S. (#2, WFTDA #5) vs. London Rollergirls of London, England (#3, WFTDA #7), who play in the last game of the day at 8 p.m. CET Saturday night, for first place for the weekend. Crime City will play the loser of that same match up to determine third place at 4 p.m. CET on Sunday.

FINAL SCORE

Gotham Girls Roller Derby (Seed #1, WFTDA #3) 237
Crime City Rollers (Seed #4, WFTDA #12) 65

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