Sunday’s derby double-header at the D.C. Armory kicked off with the 9th-ranked DC All-Stars looking to snap a worrying losing streak as they welcomed the Maine Port Authorities. The second bout of the afternoon served as a preview of the upcoming championship bout, as undefeated Scare Force One faced the DC DemonCats.
For full bout recaps, we turn to special correspondent Lady Burn Johnson:
DC 82 – 163 Maine
So far this season, the DC All-Stars’ (#9 East) strategy of trying to overcome their home-turf losing streak by playing lower-ranked opponents at home has yet to pay off. Last month, they fell to Dutchland (#10 East) by 28 points; on Sunday, Maine’s Port Authorities (#11 East) became the latest team to topple DC at home, with a decisive 163-82 victory.
Their roster bolstered by fresh blood from Gotham (Polly Gone and Barbara Ambush), Maine wasted no time putting their new talent on display. Polly put the first points on the board for Maine, racking up 3-0 against veteran DC jammer Free Radical in the first jam. But it was co-captain Itsy Bitsy Fighter who gave Maine a firm toehold on the scoreboard, dodging her way past tenacious DC blocker Battery Operated for two grand slams, bringing the tally to 13-0. DC soon answered that challenge, thanks in part to a powerjam that allowed them to trap Maine’s Spry Icicle, freeing jammer Dr. SKabs to give DC their first and only lead of the bout, at 14-13.
It didn’t take long for DC’s chronic penalty trouble to kick in, though, and with two blockers boxed during two subsequent powerjams in their favor, DC was only able to add 1 point to Maine’s 8. For the next seven jams, Maine kept DC off the scoreboard entirely while powerhouse jammer Grim D. Mise capitalized on two key powerjam opportunities, racking up 33 points for her team and giving Maine a commanding 64-15 lead. The end of the half saw DC begin to mount a small comeback with a couple 4-0 jams from Yankee Scandal and Dr. SKabs, but Maine was up by a daunting 53 points at halftime, with a score of 78-25.
DC hit the second half with a fresh burst of energy, with jammer Sookie Slaughterhouse putting up a triple grand slam during an early powerjam, closing the gap to 82-47. DC continued to build on that momentum for the first 10 minutes or so of the half, with Free Radical and Dr. SKabs taking advantage of rare DC-heavy packs to post a few points each. A 9-4 powerjam win to Yankee Scandal over Polly Gone put DC within 28 points of the lead, at 89-61, but that was as close as they’d ever get. Maine’s tight, flexible front wall regrouped to stymie DC’s jammers, much as it had through the first half, and held DC virtually scoreless for nine consecutive jams while Maine jammers steadily piled on the points.
With 9 minutes left on the clock, Spry Icicle sealed Maine’s fate for good, nabbing three easy grand slams to bring the score to 143-64 while DC was busy trying to free jammer Dr. SKabs from the clutches of the Maine pack. The remainder of the bout saw the two teams trade hit-and-quit jams; consistently down at least one blocker, DC was never able to make any headway into that 80-point lead, and Maine finished the bout with what will likely be a rankings-shifting 163-82 win.
DC hopes to reverse its five-bout losing streak in two weeks with three consecutive bouts against lower-ranked opponents: Long Island (#17 East) on 4/8, Suburbia (#14 East) on 4/9, and Connecticut (#12 East) on 4/10. Maine has a tougher challenge ahead, squaring off against Boston (#4 East) on 4/23.
Scare Force One 170 – 98 DC DemonCats
In a preview of May’s home-team championship, the DC Rollergirls’ Scare Force One and DC DemonCats took to the track for their second regular-season face-off. Their last meeting on December 18 saw Scare Force nab the narrowest win of their season at 128-94; this bout fell more heavily in the Fright Attendants’ favor at 170-98, thanks to some key powerjam opportunities.
Scare Force’s first chance to skate unopposed came in the second jam, when DemonCat jammer ShREDica was boxed; the ‘Cats attempt to run the pack wasn’t enough to keep Scare Force jammer Lenore Gore from racking up 15 points. Scare Force’s Marion Barrycuda followed that up with another 9 unanswered points, taking the score to 24-6 in her team’s favor. The DemonCats put a lockdown on that score for the next 10 minutes, though, with a heavy front wall that trapped Scare Force’s jammers and allowed the ‘Cats to chip away at the lead. When Lenore Gore was sent to the penalty box twice in one jam, DemonCat jammers Jersey Jill and ShREDica seized the opportunity to get ahead, putting up 12 points to bring the score to 30-26 in the DemonCats’ favor. But the lead was gone as quickly as it came; Scare Force wrested it back in the very next jam with a 15-0 powerjam for Feral Streak, followed almost immediately by two more explosive powerjams (15-0 to Marion Barrycuda and 20-0 to surprise jammer Soledad), bringing the tally to 76-30. Although the DemonCats managed to rally a bit with a 10-0 from ShREDica and a 5-0 for Obitchuary, the Scare Force powerjam carnage wasn’t quite over. They closed out the half with another major powerjam win (14-0 to Lenore Gore) and a commanding lead of 90-46.
Going into the second half, the powerjam tide seemed to flow in the DemonCats’ favor; an 8-2 for Camilla the Hun and a 9-0 for Obitchuary allowed the ‘Cats to narrow the scoring gap to 92-63. Things remained on an even keel after that, with the two teams trading lead-jammer status back and forth, and each team’s blockers positioning themselves strategically within the pack to force early jam calls. Well past the midway point of the half, it looked like Scare Force’s 30-point lead over the DemonCats might be a done deal―but then the penalties started to pick up again. DemonCat jammer ShREDica started the trend with a box trip that allowed Marion Barrycuda to rack up a whopping 19 unanswered points, thanks to her blockers’ agile back-of-the-pack trap. A few jams later saw a repeat performance, with Scare Force mounting an effective stop game to send Barrycuda zipping around for 25 more points. With the score at 167-87 and less than two minutes left on the clock, the DemonCats’ last two hit-and-quit jams could only stem the damage. With their 170-98 victory, Scare Force One claims an undefeated regular season, while the DemonCats go into the championship with a 2-2 record. The two teams have six weeks to prepare for their next matchup on May 14, which will determine the DC Rollergirls’ Season 5 champions.
Your next chance to see the DC Rollergirls in action is Saturday, April 30th, when the DC All-Stars are back in action against the Rhode Island Riveters. The home-team Championship bout takes place on Saturday, May 14th. As usual, doors open at the Armory at 3 p.m., with the bouts starting at 4 p.m.
