OHIO SPLITS GAMES AT STEEL CITY
For their last travel game of the 2015 regular season, the (34) Ohio Roller Girls ventured east to Pittsburgh for a double header against (29) Steel City Roller Derby.
GANG GREEN BOLTS PAST STEEL BEAMERS, 225-166
“Small but mighty” was truly the theme of the evening for a short-rostered Gang Green, who were not initially predicted to take the victory over SCRD’s Steel Beamers, but arrived in Pennsylvania determined to upset that prognosis just as they did in Nashville last month. The Beamers were able to put up 3 points in the first jam for a quick lead–the only time they would have it during the contest. Gang Green’s HellionBOI answered with a 15-point power jam as SCRD’s jammer left the track on a forearm penalty, and another power jam in jam 5 allowed her to widen the Ohio lead to 41-5. A string of jammer penalties provided plenty of opportunity for both teams to try to score unopposed, but tough defense kept gains low until a double track cut call on SCRD’s Inga Kneeher allowed Karmabal Lectur to put up 20 unanswered points for Gang Green. With a power jam start, Blitz Lemon continued the momentum, adding another 13 points and bringing the score to 79-18. An apex jump past Beamer blockers landed Val Holla lead status and a 26-point jam, while Slammerhead and Lil Spitfire teamed up to force the opposing jammer out of bounds. Now over the century mark, Gang Green turned up the heat for the remainder of the first period; tough defense by blockers and jammers alike minimized scoring by the Beamers, and gave Ohio a 153-60 lead by halftime.
Steel City’s blockers responded with tighter defense in the second half, only allowing Gang Green to score 3 points in the first 6 minutes, but a slew of penalties meant that Val Holla then had little competition as she ran up the inside line for lead & a 19-point jam. Several scoreless jams followed, until Karmabal Lectur spun around all four Beamer blockers to bring the score to 184-118. Gang Green jammers refused to allow their opponents to make much progress, snagging lead status for 8 out of the remaining 13 jams, and forcing Steel City jammers to call off multiple jams without scoring. Quiet Storm repeatedly made crushing offensive plays for her jammer, and a star pass to Slammerhead boosted Gang Green to over 200 points. With just under 4 minutes in the game, Garden of Beatin and rookie HardKore Lena worked to hold Steel City’s jammer at the front of the pack while Karmabal Lectur outmaneuvered defensive attempts; a star pass to captain Elektra Magneto and subsequent lead jam by HellionBOI cemented Gang Green’s 225-166 victory.
Unofficial jamming and scoring for Gang Green were: Karmabal Lectur (7-14, 57 pts), HellionBOI (8-12, 54 pts), Val Holla (3-5, 50 pts), Blitz Lemon (5-9, 45 pts), Elektra Magneto (2-6, 15 pts), and Slammerhead (0-1, 4 pts). Gang Green obtained lead status 25 out of 45 total jams.
Unofficial jamming and scoring for the Steel Beamers were: Inga Kneeher (7-12, 57 pts), Baranauskas (2-11, 44 pts), Kace O. Damondaze (5-8, 32 pts), Breakin’ Knees Burger (5-13, 29 pts), Shrinking Violet (0-1, 4 pts), and Vicious Virus (0-1, 0 pts).
STEEL HURTIN’ BREAKS OHIO’S WIN STREAK, 249-117
With only three games remaining before playoffs—Steel City, (48) Naptown Roller Girls, and a closed competition with (20) Windy City—Ohio’s charter team was eager for a challenge, and looked to improve their 4-1 record against their long-time Pittsburgh rivals, but a tough Steel Hurtin’ jammer rotation, penalty struggles, and highly physical game rendered Ohio unable to bring home a road win.
Steel Hurtin’ took the lead from the first whistle, posting a quick 5-0 jam. A penalty on SCRD’s Leanne Groll and determined solo blocking by Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin gave The Smacktivist room to get Ohio on the board and tie up the score, 18-18. In a very physical pack, Burnadeath zeroed in on ‘Snot Rocket Science, keeping her occupied while Texas Chainsaw Sasskicker put up another 4 points for Ohio. Steel Hurtin’ held Ohio at 22 points for the next ten jams, but not for lack of effort by Ohio players. Speed and agility by jammers on both sides meant closely contested lead status and several scoreless jams; SCRD’s Snarkolepsy managed a scant 3 points in jam 12 before being sent to the penalty box, and impenetrable defense by Kitty Liquorbottom, Texas Chainsaw Sasskicker, and Paige Bleed negated all further scoring attempts. Ohio got things moving again with a 9-point jam, bringing the score to 31-85. Jam 19 saw Ena Flash and Burnadeath repeatedly shutting down Steel Hurtin’s jammer, helping to slow the point bleed, and a track cut call on ‘Snot Rocket Science in the last jam of the half gave Texas Chainsaw Sasskicker time for a 16-point improvement to end the first period.
Starting the second half down 50-138, Ohio kept the pack fast and took full advantage of a string of Steel Hurtin’ penalties. Ohio obtained lead jammer status in back-to-back jams, holding SCRD scoreless while posting another 10 points. Smart defense created optimal scoring opportunities for Kitty Liquorbottom: Ena Flash and Texas Chainsaw Sasskicker teamed up to punish Snarkolepsy on her initial pass, and Burnadeath again distracted ‘Snot Rocket Science. Steel Hurtin’ answered with tighter defense of their own, allowing their own jammers to sneak through the pack without giving ground to Ohio. Eking out 4 points at a time, The Smacktivist and Bigg Rigg pushed Ohio closer to triple digits, while Steel Hurtin’ hovered near 200. Penalties on both jammers meant a full two-minute jam, with Ohio blockers glueing themselves first to Leanne Groll, then to Ally McKill after a star pass, while leaving The Smacktivist to rely on their familiar footwork & spin moves to dance around Steel Hurtin’ opponents. Groll attempted a bold strategic play, hitting The Smacktivist out of bounds at the jam start before running them backwards for a full lap, but it backfired as Kitty Liquorbottom, Ena Flash, and Bigg Rigg were prepared to trap Groll while The Smacktivist stole lead status. An 18-point jam by Steel Hurtin’ brought the final score to 249-117 in SCRD’s favor.
Unoffical jamming and scoring for Ohio were: The Smacktivist (7-21, 51 pts), Texas Chainsaw Sasskicker (1-3, 32 pts), Kitty Liquorbottom (5-13, 29 pts), Bigg Rigg (0-9, 5 pts).
Unofficial jamming and scoring for Steel Hurtin’ were: ‘Snot Rocket Science (13-16, 111 pts), Leanna Groll (10-20, 62 pts), Snarkolepsy (9-13, 47 pts), Ally McKill (0-1, 15 pts), and Hurricane Heather (0-1, 14 pts).
The Ohio Roller Girls will finish out their home season in a triple header against Naptown Roller Girls (Indianapolis, IN) on August 22nd at the Ohio Expo Center.
