2017 D2 Playoffs Game 27: Oklahoma vs. E-ville

Oklahoma Victory Dolls #5 vs E-Ville Roller Derby #15

The Oklahoma Victory Dolls of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. (Seed #5, WFTDA #45) and E-Ville Roller Derby of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Seed #15, WFTDA #57) met in the game that decided 7th place in in the 2017 International WFTDA D2 Playoffs and Championships in Pittsburgh with Oklahoma skating away with the 295-238 win.

E-Ville’s top scoring jammer Shania Pain kicked things off with an easy four points, but in the second jam of the game, F’N Fury started a trend that cost E-Ville throughout the game when she went to the penalty box. Fatal Inferno scored 10 points for Oklahoma and the Victory Dolls never gave up the lead after that.

Early penalties gave E-Ville trouble and at one point every E-Ville blocker was either in the box or in queue for a penalty. In jam 4, jammer Shania Pain headed to the box as well but she came out to score 13 points to Oklahoma jammer Emma C. Hammer’s 11 points.

E-Ville came close at times to catching up to Oklahoma’s lead, particularly after Oklahoma’s top scoring jammer, Trigger Trixie, took down a skating official in her second jam of the game and was ejected for “avoidable contact with a referee.”

It took Oklahoma a jam or two to settle back into their game after the expulsion, including the 30 seconds Emma C. Hammer had to sit for the jammer penalty. Toward the end of the first period E-Ville came within three points of Oklahoma but double jammer penalties against F’N Fury gave Oklahoma the time they needed to pull further ahead. The teams went into the half with Oklahoma leading 116-93.

Oklahoma used the long game throughout the 60 minutes even when they only came out four points ahead of E-Ville in a jam. It’s possible they intended to do what they could to tire out E-Ville’s Shania Pain and weaken her ability to score but with 135 points to her name, and skating nearly half of the jams in the game, that strategy might not have been successful.

E-Ville used speed to try and knock apart Oklahoma’s defense and get their jammers through. Both strategies worked to a certain extent. E-Ville’s Shania Pain did not tire out, and also spent several jams as the pivot. She skated the last three jams and scored 46 of her total points in those alone. The speed that E-Ville attempted to use also worked against them as Oklahoma was also able to cycle quickly and close up holes or knock the E-Ville jammers out.

E-Ville improved in the seeding/placement race, as they entered D2 Playoffs as the #15 seed and take home 8th place. Oklahoma was the #5 seed and with the win over E-Ville take home 7th place.

FINAL SCORE

Oklahoma Victory Dolls (Seed #5, WFTDA #45) 295 – 7th Place
E-Ville Roller Derby (Seed #15, WFDTA #57) 238 – 8th Place

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