2017 D2 Playoffs Game 16:
Pirate City vs. Bear City
Pirate City Rollers (#10) vs. Bear City Roller Derby (#14)
Overtime jam! The winner of Game 16 of the 2017 International WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs Pittsburgh was decided by the second-ever overtime jam in WFTDA D2 Playoffs history. This exciting matchup saw the Pirate City Rollers (#10) of Auckland, New Zealand ultimately upset by closely ranked Bear City Roller Derby (#14) of Berlin, Germany after an incredible comeback.
The stakes were high in this consolation game, as the victor would continue play as the tournament ended for their opponent. The Berlin Bombshells put the first points on the scoreboard and were leading by 20 points after the first five jams of the game, thanks to dynamic blocking work in the pack and a combined 37 points scored by jammers Jane van Pain, Mia Missile, and Donner Doro. Both teams showcased strong tripod defensive walls with dedicated offensive blockers and earned lead jammer status fairly evenly, but Bear City continued to increase their first-half lead.
Resisting offensive attempts from Pirate City, Bear City’s blockers shut down C-3P-Owned as Jane van Pain scored 14 points with nimble footwork to bring the score to 51-104 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, Berlin’s largest lead of the game. Trading consecutive power jams, Pirate City slowly closed the gap to 30 points, trailing 119-89 as the first half concluded.
The second half seemed like more of the same — strong play by both teams, as Pirate City picked up momentum only to be met with more resistance from Bear City. Long, grinding jams resulted in little change to the point spread, and Berlin maintained their 30-point lead with just five minutes left in the game. A huge 28-8 jam put Pirate City back in the game with under four minutes remaining (210-220), as game high scorer Ballistic Button circled past Jane van Pain, who endured tenacious blocking from Pash, Crunch, TutanKarnage, and Past-Her Belz.
The next two jams are 4-4 and 13-13, respectively, keeping the score differential at 10 points after Pirate City used their final team timeout to stop the clock. With just 43 seconds remaining at the next jam’s start, Donner Doro was assessed a cutting the track penalty and Shan earned lead jammer for Pirate City. Despite Berlin’s determined defense, Shan scored 5 points before Doro exited the penalty box and picked up 4 in return. Excellent recycling by both teams’ blockers made this anyone’s game as the jam continued, ending 14-4 in favor of Pirate City, bringing the score to a 241-241 tie as regulation time lapsed.
Overtime began as spectators were reminded of the rules for this rare occurrence — two minutes, no lead jammer, points scored immediately. Mia Missile exploded through the pack and landed a huge apex jump on her first scoring pass and did not slow down, tearing around the track. Ballistic Button was quickly sent to the penalty box for cutting the track, and the eventual outcome became clear. Berlin saved their win as blockers held Ballistic Button to 12 points when she returned to the track, while Mia Missile scored an impressive 34 points in two minutes to bring the final score to 253-275 in favor of Bear City.
Pirate City finishes the weekends 0-2, ending their tournament play but making a distinct name for themselves with two close games this weekend . Bear City will move on to play E-Ville Roller Derby (#15) of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in Game 20 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday and will place higher than seeded, regardless of the outcome.
FINAL SCORE
Bear City Roller Derby (Seed #14, WFTDA #55) 275
Pirate City Rollers (Seed #10, WFTDA #51) 253