2017 D2 Playoffs Game 20:
Bear City vs. E-Ville
Bear City Roller Derby (#14) vs. E-Ville Roller Derby (#15)
Game 20 of the 2017 International WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs Pittsburgh between the Bear City Roller Derby Berlin Bombshells of Berlin, Germany (#14, WFTDA #55) and E-Ville Roller Derby E-Ville Dead of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (#15, WFTDA #57) was exactly what one might expect from such closely ranked adversaries. A fast-paced affair punctuated by numerous lead changes, the game was decided in its final moments. First-time WFTDA Playoffs contender E-Ville was able to pull off the 207-187 upset thanks in no small part to the efforts of jammer Shania Pain, who led all scorers with 133 points.
The game began with a jammer matchup that would become familiar throughout the evening: Mia Missile for Bear City against Shania Pain for E-Ville. Both used nimble footwork to pick their way through the pack, with Shania taking the lead jam designation and two fast points before calling off the jam. A few quick jams later, the two faced off again, with Mia this time taking lead. Instead of taking points and calling the jam before Shania could score, Mia kept the jam going, a gamble which backfired when she was penalized for cutting the track. Shania continued to score while her blockers played sweeping offense to clear Bear City from the track. When the fourth whistle sounded, Shania had scored an impressive 33 points, catapulting E-Ville out to a 39-11 lead.
Over the next several jams, E-Ville continued to bolster their advantage as they earned lead jam calls and utilized smart defense to limit Bear City’s opportunities. After E-Ville doubled up the score at 66-33 midway through the first half, Bear City got the opportunity they needed to climb back into the game. D Mented of E-Ville went to the penalty box on a track cut, allowing Bear City’s Donner Doro to rack up a huge 20-0 jam and cut E-Ville’s lead to 66-53. Bear City’s Jane van Pain then followed that up with a monster 25 point jam as her blockers held F’N Fury behind an impenetrable wall of three. That saw the score swing to 81-66 in Bear City’s favor. The German team held their lead through the remainder of the first half, though a 13-4 jam to close the half brought E-Ville back to within five points.
The second half saw the two teams pick up where they had left off, trading advantages back and forth, with neither able to gain a firm upper hand. In the fourth jam, a Mia Missile track cut allowed E-Ville to rack up 15 points and retake the lead at 122-120. A determined Bear City snatched it back in the very next jam as Donner Doro took a 5-0 advantage over D Mented. By Jam 7, Bear had picked up five out of six lead jam calls, but had only an 11-point lead to show for it.
As time dwindled away with Bear City still leading, E-Ville relied heavily on the hot skates of Shania Pain, trusting her with the star for seven of the final ten jams. With just over five minutes remaining, Shania took a quick lead over Mia Missile and then a power jam as Mia went to the penalty box on a track cut. The jam ended at 22-0 in E-Ville’s favor and they were back in the lead at 198-183. There was hope for Bear City yet — an official review called by their coaches challenged the lack of a cutting the track penalty call on E-Ville’s jammer. The officials agreed with Bear City’s contention, sending Shania to the penalty box and Mia to the line on a power start. But the opportunity was squandered when Mia was called on a forearm penalty and the jam ended at 5-0 for E-Ville. With E-Ville grasping on to their largest lead of the half at 203-183, Shania Pain took the star for the final jam against Jane van Pain. E-Ville captured lead jammer and let time run down, skating away with a hard-earned 207-187 victory.
FINAL SCORE
E-Ville Roller Derby (Seed #15) 207
Bear City Roller Derby (Seed #14) 187