TUCSON, AZ -- Bout Night in Tucson again and for the third time in a row fans were treated to an exciting, down-to-the-wire game. Despite many injuries, the Iron Curtain led at the half, but the VICE Squad would come back and win it, 67-54.
The Iron Curtain had only six healthy skaters but were allowed to use three substitutes from the Furious Truckstop Waitresses to help keep their rotation fresh. On loan were Hell Bent Betty, Pinkie McLovin and Skeletor. Most missed from the Curtain's lineup was Helen Wheels, but the ladies in red put up a solid defense anyway and kept the game within grasp throughout.
Both teams played a deeper jammer rotation than they have in previous bouts, with VICE giving extra time to Carrie Gunns and Anita Donut and IC giving regular shifts to Kamanda.
As typical, VICE jumped out to an early lead with Sami Automatic winning 4-0 over Punchkisser and Polly Graf winning 3-0 over Bianka Trohl. Also typical, Luc3f3r would win her first jam, stopping the freeflow of VICE points and beating Sami Automatic 3-0 to keep it close at 7-3.
The next few jams were tight and the score crept up to 8-5 before Iron Curtain scored big in a breakout jam about 12 minutes into the bout. Bianka Trohl of IC versus Myna N. Possession of VICE and Myna gets sent to the box. Bianka runs the the full two minutes to score a big 10-0 victory and vault her team into the lead at 15-8. This jam would actually be the most lopsided of the bout and one of only three jams to see a jammer even attempt a second scoring pass, (Sami Automatic would own the other two), a testament to how competitively both teams played.
Luc3f3r won the next jam over Sami 2-0, but Polly Graf stabilized things for VICE with a 5-0 grandslam over Kamanda, leaving the score close at 17-13 in meager favor of the Iron Curtain.
Punchkisser returned fire with what might be a highlight of the whole TRD season. Punch had been playing with noticeably more fire in this bout - which is really saying something - but up to this point was still scoreless. Up against Myna N. Possession, Punch ended her drought first by laying a solid, clean hit against the opposing jammer, sending her near into the audience. Punch broke the pack quickly and won the jam 4-0.
Two jams later the audience was wowed again, this time by Luc3f3r who made several slick jumps on her way through the pack, earning lead jammer status on a defense-defying aerial move that got IC fans cheering loudly. She won jam the jam 4-0 over Carrie Gunns.
The score as Luce left it was 25-16 and the rest of the period would be a slow, defensive grind that saw little change. The Iron Curtain owned the half, 28-18. This was the high point of their night, but a well-deserved one. The six Iron Curtain regulars played better than I've seen them ever play, which is saying a lot in some cases. Dot Stoevsky, a consistent blocker on any other day, was often a one-lady wrecking crew, holding the VICE jammers at the back of the pack with regularity.
The second half ultimately belonged to VICE as they played like the defending champions that they are, but it would not be an easy battle and they would only pull away at the end.
After a 0-0 wash, Polly Graf got the scoring started with another 5-0 grandslam over Bianka Trohl that cut the IC lead in half, 28-23. Luce answered with a 3-0 victory, but VICE immediately earned another grandslam, this time Carrie Gunns over Punchkisser in a power jam situation, bringing the score hand-wringingly close at 31-28, still in favor of the Iron Curtain.
The next jam was an odd one. Punchkisser still in the penalty box, Anita Donut started uncontested. She broke pack and earned lead, but Punchkisser returned to play before Donut could score the free point. After clearing the pack a second time, Anita Donut would herself be thrown in the penalty box, allowing Punch to skate uncontested for the remainder of the two minutes. The result was an eccentric 4-4 jam.
Luce started the next jam uncontested and would win it cleanly, but was held to an unexciting 3 points. It should be said at this point that while Luc3f3r had an outstanding game - her best ever perhaps - the VICE Squad always minimized the damage she caused. She beat her opponents nearly every jam she took and yet she was almost always held to 3 points or less each time. In another context she might have given us a game-winning, carry-her-team-on-her-shoulders performance, but the simple fact is that VICE is still the most consistent team in town and has never let a single player get the better of them alone.
With her team down 32-38, Sami Automatic delivered her most devastating jam, a near double-grandslam over Kamanda, 9-0 that put VICE back in the lead 41-38. Polly followed this up with a 4-0 victory over Punchkisser that extended things to 45-38. Sami jumped in again, earning another victory, albeit a small one, 2-0. 47-38 and it looks like VIC E is running away.
IC does not go down easy however. Luce won her next jam 5-0 to begin a series of three jams that saw Dot Stoevsky clamp down on the opposition. Behind a stretch of remarkable solo-play on the part of Dot, the Iron Curtain were able to storm back to a sliver of a lead, 48-47 with less than 10 minutes left to play.
VICE quickly returned to form however, starting with a 3-0 victory by Sami that put her team in the lead for good.
Luce took the next two jams for IC, greeted at this point by the crowd chanting her name. Uncharacteristically, however, she would gain no ground against Anita Donut or Polly Graf. VICE was shutting down IC, this time for good.
Sami Automatic grabbed a 6-0 victory from Punchkisser, the last of only three jams greater than 5 points. It was the nail in the coffin, a 61-52 VICE lead.
The last two jams would change nothing, Carrie Gunns leading in a 2-2 tie against Bianka Trohl, and Sami Automatic defeating Luce 4-0, a fitting microcosm of the entire bout: Age and Guile beating Youth and Innocence.
The final was 67-54. Congratulations and thank you to all of TRD for providing a truly competitive season thus far. These last months have given the best derby I've seen since becoming a fan!
