2016 D1 Playoffs Montréal Game 6: Montréal (#4) vs Dallas (#5)

Game 6 of the 2016 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs Montréal featured tournament hosts the Montréal Roller Derby New Skids on the Block of Montréal, Québec, CA (seed #4, WFTDA #14) against the Dallas Derby Devils Army of Darkness of Dallas, Texas, USA (seed #5, WFTDA #18). While Dallas had shining moments, they got left out in the cold as Montréal won the game 177-128 and move on to the the semi-final match.

Montréal started strong with a 21-0 lead against Dallas in the opening five jams of play. Jammer Falcon Punch scored 15 unanswered points in the second jam, despite some strong play by jammers Jett and Miley Virus for Dallas. It wasn’t until a shift in momentum, started by a hit from Dallas blocker Mona Bruis’r which allowed jammer Miracle Whips only 1 point, that Dallas gained the confidence to come out in full force during the next jam. It took seven minutes for Dallas to get on the board – starting with a 4-point jam by Jett. Montréal played a consistent strategy throughout, sending one offensive blocker to support their jammer, and the plan worked until the final jams of the first period.

The largest point gain for Dallas occurred in the final jam of the first half, when the team scored 16 points on a power jam for Miley Virus. Pivot-turned-jammer Mange Moi El Cul went to the penalty box for a full minute for a track cut followed by an insubordination when she tried to convince the officials that she had a no pass, no penalty. Montréal called for an official review as the whistle blew, but it was denied. The half ended with a 37 point differential in favor of Montréal, 95-58.

Due to Mange Moi El Cul’s double penalty, Dallas started the second period on a power start, during which time jammer Anita Riot gained 12 points. Dallas got another opportunity to focus entirely on offense as jammer Miracle Whips went to the box on a forearm for Montréal. The 20-0 run put Dallas within 19 points of Montréal’s lead. Then a 10 point jam by Falcon Punch, and a stack of Montréal blockers, led by Why So Sirius, that held Miley Virus for a full 1:30, gave Montréal a slight cushion. The defense for each team ground to a halt and held jammers TerminateHer and Acute Pain for the entirety of the following jam. Mange Moi El Cul pivoted for Montréal during that jam, and Bayleigh Wheat led the charge for Dallas.

Montréal put up 22 points in jams seven and eight of the second period, but Dallas fired back with 13 points in two jams. 30 points then separated the two teams, a division which held strong for nearly eight minutes, until Montréal put the squeeze on, muscling their way to the win. In the final eight minutes of the game, the host team put up 38 points to Dallas’s 26.

By the end of the game, the differential between the two teams had spread to just over 50 points. Montréal skidded to the win, 177-128, and they advance to a semi-final match against long-time rival London Rollergirls at 6pm on Saturday. Dallas moves to the consolation bracket to play Kallio Rolling Rainbow at 12pm on Saturday.

FINAL SCORE

Montréal Roller Derby (#4) 177
Dallas Derby Devils (#5) 128