2017 D1 Playoffs Malmö Game 3: Rainy City vs. Calgary

Rainy City Roller Derby (#6) vs. Calgary Roller Derby Association (#11)

Rainy City Roller Derby of Oldham, England (#6, WFTDA #17) took the third game of the 2017 WFTDA International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Malmö by storm, defeating Calgary Roller Derby Association of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (#11, WFTDA #35) 324-81.

Despite the wide point differential, it was an exciting and head-spinningly fast game. Rainy City showed their dominance from the very first jam and on, achieving lead jammer status in 75 percent of the total jams. Blondie went on a 25-point spree only five minutes into the first half, ending the jam 46-1 in Rainy’s favor. Calgary relied heavily on star passes throughout the game, handing over the panty as soon as their chances had been thwarted.

While Rainy’s jammers visited the box exactly twice as often as Calgary, they managed to effectively kill most power jams against them, excluding a scoreless four jam-streak which included two consecutive forearm penalties by Blondie. The British team controlled the speed of the game, protecting their points fiercely and never letting up the pace, as outside pack referees sped around the track to keep up. Their focused offense and precise strategy even at breakneck speeds proved decisive as Calgary trailed far behind.

The second period of the game was the mirror image of the first half: while the first half ended 167-40, by the end of the final period Rainy had scored 157 additional points to Calgary’s 41.

Calgary put up a strong fight, at times managing to lock down their defense, but their walls were easily discombobulated by Rainy’s calculated offense. Jammer Kriss Myass punctuated Calgary’s game with bursts of energy, earning 27 of the team’s total points. Close behind was Hilary Boswell, the second-highest scorer with 26 points.

The Canadian team played a lively game but was unable to keep up with the Mancunian speed-demon tactics and fell to Rainy City by 243 points. Rainy’s top scorer was Weeble, with 97 points.

Pivot Ruthless Philly, who put up one of the standout performances of the game said, “We knew Calgary would be coming in fighting, so we focused on doing what we’ve been training: to keep clean, play smart, and stay together. There were a few learning points throughout, but ultimately we achieved what we came here to do, which was to play good, clean roller derby”.

As for their dizzyingly fast style of play, Ruthless Philly said, “It actually felt quite calm to us. We really focused on calm communication, so although the pace is fast and there might be some really big hard hits, as a team we try to stay quite chilled out, and we play our best game when we do. “

Rainy City Roller Derby advances to play the London Rollergirls (#3, WFTDA #7) Saturday at 10 a.m. Central European Time. Calgary Roller Derby Association will play the losing team of game 6 on Sunday, either the Crime City Rollers (#4, WFTDA #12) or Helsinki Roller Derby (#5, WFTDA #15).

FINAL SCORE

Rainy City Roller Derby (Seed #6, WFTDA #17) 324
Calgary Roller Derby Association of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (#11, WFTDA #35) 81

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