QUICK SPRINTS SET FEBRUARY’S POST-SEASON INTO SHAPE!
by Muckety Muck - ARRG Bout Recapper
(BALLWIN, MO) In front of 900 derby fanatics Saturday night at ARRG’s regular season finale at Midwest Sport Hockey, two legacy teams utilized a balanced mix of scoring and blocking to secure the top two seeds in the upcoming playoff round.
Building upon a 41-point halftime lead, the Stunt Devils powered their way to a 147-80 victory over the Smashinisitas to grab the top seed with an undefeated regular season record.
Meanwhile, the M-80s utilized a second-half scoring barrage en route to a 153-94 win over Rebel Skate Alliance to enter the post-season as the second seed.
The results now set the stage for the 2012 playoff round, held Saturday, February 4 at Midwest Sport Hockey. The Stunt Devils (3-0) face fourth-seeded RSA (0-3) while the M-80s (2-1) battle the third-seeded Smashinistas (1-2). Advance discounted tickets for this event are available right now online at Brown Paper Tickets by going to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE!
The winners of those two contests will face off in the title bout of the 2012 ARRG League Championships, held at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis on Saturday, April 28. Advance tickets for that event, which includes a third place bout, will go on sale to the public shortly.
But even with the impressive wins posted by the top two seeds, the journey to April’s Showdown at Chaifetz will be anything but easy for all four squads.
M-80s 153 REBEL SKATE ALLIANCE 94
The M-80s were disappointed at their setback in December that dropped their record to .500. If not for two major miscues against the Stunt Devils, this powerful juggernaut would have been in the driver’s seat heading into Saturday’s battle with RSA.
“Last month, there were some key critical errors that we made that cost the game for us,” said M-80s’ co-captain Science Friction of December’s four-point setback. “We wanted to sweep the regular season. Of course, that didn’t happen.”
And with a line-up that had been reduced to ten skaters, the firecrackers knew that a rebound would not be easy against the defending league champion on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Rebel Skate Alliance would go through a roster shift as well, a recurring theme for them this season. Veteran Smarty McFly would return to the line-up in a blocking capacity for her first bout in three months, but the absence of top-notch scorer Pink Diamond would lead to another reshuffling of the RSA jamming rotation.
In short, which team could adept the best given their respective situations? For awhile, it looked like both had to adjust on-the-fly.
RSA began the scoring with back-to-back four pointers posted by jammers Stabby McCutcha and Party Foul to grab an 8-0 lead two jams in.
The M-80s’ Black Market Baby collected four of her own two jams later to cut the gap to 8-4. Another four-point pair by the McCutcha/Foul combo extended the RSA lead to 16-6 at the 24:11 mark. Foul added an eight-pointer at 19:45 to give the Rollin’ Rebs a 24-9 edge.
The M-80s then posted a 24-0 rally during the next two jams to gain their first lead of the bout. Jammer May Require Stitches began the run with five points to cut the gap to 24-14. Then on the next jam, RSA jammer Chewblocka was sent off for a back block, enabling the M-80s’ Black Market Baby to capitalize on a power jam. A 19-pointer ensued and as a result of the rally, the M-80s pulled ahead to a 33-24 lead with 14:00 left in the first period.
The ladies in red extended the lead as the half progressed and pounced on back-to-back power jams down the first half’s final minutes. BMB followed a 10-point power jam with a baker’s dozen two minutes later to give the M-80s a 67-43 lead with 4:30 left in the period.
RSA’s McCutcha collected eight down the stretch and pulled the Rollin Rebs to within striking distance at intermission. A 72-51 lead at halftime was anything but safe for the M-80s.
“We had lost a couple of jams in the first half, but then made some critical adjustments,” said Friction of the M-80s’ 21-point edge. “At halftime, we knew that those adjustments were working. But we also knew that if they adjusted to our adjustments, then we would have to do something else.”
And as foreshadowed, RSA adjusted and struck quickly to begin the second half. A power jam by Party Foul netted 14 points to cut the gap to 72-65.
Two jams later, Foul posted nine as lead jammer before being called off for a track cut. The M-80s’ Stitches netted 13 non-lead power jam points as a result. When the dust had settled, the M-80s held onto a 10-point lead, 85-75 with 25:40 left.
Keeping with their system of utilizing players “at any position at any time,” RSA next sent blocker Beaster Bunny to the jammer rotation. The Windy City Rollers’ transfer posted seven with 23:00 left to whittle the M-80s lead to 85-82.
Perhaps it was at this time that the M-80s decided to finally stop playing the “adjustment game” and do things their way. A 27-0 rally off the next three jams was the end result.
The Siege collected eight off of a power jam to extend the lead to 93-82, BMB followed with nine to make the margin twenty and Rhino Might posted 10 power jam points to expand the margin to 30 points midway through the final frame. With 15:40 left in the bout, the M-80s had built a 112-82 lead.
The M-80s’ blocking schematic would limit any potential RSA late-bout dramatics. The aforementioned M-80s’ skaters, complimented by Bareknuckle Smack, EnYa Nightmare, Sue Render and the Sound of Violence, limited RSA scoring to a dozen points in the second half’s last half.
The M-80s outscored RSA 81-43 in the second half to pick up the 59-point win and finish the regular season 2-1.
And once again - as proven in all regular season bouts - the M-80s were able to utilize their depth effectively despite small numbers. The firecrackers rotated five different jammers, each who scored double digits on the evening.
“The M-80s has always been a team that has sought out depth,” said Friction of her team’s balance. “We draft people based on their ability to play a lot of positions. We tell anyone when we draft them that they will play every position, whether they like it or not. It’s nice to see that we can look at a player and know that they can do anything.”
Black Market Baby topped M-80s’ scoring with 82 points, followed by 26 from May Require Stitches.
Party Foul and Stabby McCutcha scored 42 and 40, respectively for RSA, who finished the regular season with a 0-3 mark. However once again, this squad showed that they should be considered a very dangerous fourth seed heading into February’s playoff round. With McFly back in the fold, the impending return of Diamond at jammer and the lethal emergence of McCutcha in that same capacity, RSA next month can easily erase the frustrations experienced in the regular season in very short order.
Meanwhile for the M-80s, it’s full speed ahead into the post-season.
“Tonight, we came out guns a blazin’ and played our hardest,” said Friction. “We really want to play for the championship at Chaifetz.”
OFFICIAL SCORING
M-80s - Black Market Baby 82, May Require Stitiches 26, EnYa Nightmare 24, Rhino Might 13, The Siege 8
REBEL SKATE ALLIANCE - Party Foul 42, Stabby McCutcha 40, Beaster Bunny 9, Chewblocka 3
STUNT DEVILS 147 SMASHINISTAS 80
This season, three of the four local squads have had to perpetually adjust their line-ups due to injuries and retirements. The Stunt Devils are the lone exception to this rule.
It seems that going against the norm has served them well. Heading into Saturday’s battle, the Stunts would try to capitalize on the absences of Smashie blocking lynchpins Shimmy Hoffa (injury) and Jezebelle (retirement).
And the ladies in purple would also continue to strengthen what is already a solid foundation.
“We have a solid core pack, which is our veteran skaters,” said Stunt Devils’ co-captain Deathica Steele of her team’s complexion. “And our skaters who have not have as many years are getting a lot of time out there and adding to that core. That’s helped us a lot.”
A full roster is a luxury to have. To have a consistent jamming quartet of Artemischief, Mighty Mighty Boston, South City Shiner and Morgan LeFaetal is a luxury to have. To have veterans Mayor Francis Slayer, Grave Danger and Steele lead the charge out front is a luxury to have. To have a promising collection of rookie and sophomore blockers at your disposal is a luxury to have. No pre-bout scramblings or adjustments are nice luxuries to have.
Consider them fortunate - the Stunts have luxury.
A collection of points from the aforementioned Stunts’ jamming quartet resulted in a 14-3 lead five minutes in. The Smashinistas’ Boom Boom Pow and Downtown Dallis added four and five, respectively, to whittle the lead down to 14-12 at the 22:16 mark.
Back-to-back five pointers from Shiner and Boston extended the Stunts’ lead to 24-12 two jams later. An 8-4 Smashies run off the next three jams reduced the gap to 28-20 Stunt Devils midway through the half.
The Stunt Devils proceeded to go on a 16-0 rally as the first period progressed. Highlighted by a nine-point jam by Shiner midway, the Stunts pulled out to a 44-20 lead with under ten left in the half. The Smashinistas went on a 10-4 run - propelled by Dallis’ non-lead eight-pointer - to draw the gap to twenty, 50-30, with 5:24 left in the half.
The Stunts countered the camo mini-surge with a 19-0 run down the stretch. Boston’s nine point strike was followed by Artemischief’s 10-point power jam, extending the Stunts’ lead to 69-30. By picking up lead and points in final two jams, the Stunt Devils cruised to a 76-35 halftime advantage.
“We really worked hard on reducing our penalties because we knew that that could really set us back,” said the Stunts’ Steele of the first half play. “We focused on our walls, staying together as a pack and keeping our cool.”
That collective coolness continued in the second half. A 12-3 Stunts’ run to start the frame extended the lead to fifty, 88-38. Dallis grabbed lead on the next jam and scored three for the Smashinistas at 24:35 to stop the surge.
Or at least for the moment. The Stunt Devils utilized another streak - a 19-0 run off the next three jams - to keep a Smashie comeback at bay. Boston’s nine-pointer from a power jam was followed by four from LeFaetal and Shiner’s six. The Stunts found themselves in control with a 107-41 lead with 20:00 remaining.
This 70-point cushion would remain intact for the remainder of the second half. Despite brief flashes of scoring - notably a 16-pointer scored by Dallis with 9:10 left - the Smashinistas were never able to chip away at the lead due to stubborn Stunt blocking.
The Stunts Devils outscored the Smashinistas 71-45 in the second half to pick up the 147-80 victory and charge into the playoff round as the top seed with its 3-0 regular season finish.
All four Stunt jammers finished with at least 20 points in the bout. Boston paced the way with 52 points, followed by 38 and 35 from Shiner and Artiemischief, respectively.
The Smashinistas - who finished the regular season 1-2 and head into the post-season as the third seed - was paced by Dallis’ 53 points. Frustration was evident on the Smashie faces as Saturday night’s bout progressed. One can expect a modified game plan to be drawn up in the next couple of weeks in playoff preparation.
And even with their undefeated regular season, the Stunts will also have to prepare non-stop heading into February. With three teams breathing down their necks, they can ill-afford to rest on their laurels. In summation, the Stunts can’t get cocky…and the purple brain trust won’t allow that to happen.
“We’re really grounded people,” said Steele. “We’re not arrogant at all. We just really love what we love to do and that can go a long way.”
And that is a luxury.
OFFICIAL SCORING
STUNT DEVILS - Might Mighty Boston 52, South City Shiner 38, Artemischief 35, Morgan LeFaetal 22
SMASHINISTAS - Downtown Dallis 53, The Educator 20, Boom Boom Pow 7
St. Louis…40 West…Near Compton…Near Chaifetz Arena Exit…Billboard…BIG!!!
ARRG ALL-STARS JOIN POWERFUL REGIONAL EXPO SQUAD!
Members of the ARRG All-Stars have joined a regional exhibition flat-track franchise consisting of top-flight skaters from the WFTDA North Central.
Midwest MEGAteam - which features five ARRG skaters - will face the Naptown Tornado Sirens in an exhibition bout this Saturday in Indianapolis, IN.
Veteran all-stars Grave Danger, Downtown Dallis, Mayor Francis Slayer and Chewblocka will represent ARRG on the flat track, while Shimmy Hoffa will serve as a bench coach.
Other members of Midwest MEGAteam scheduled for the Saturday bout include: Ol’ Drrrty Go-Go, Jackie Daniels, Karmageddon and Ruth Enasia (Windy City Rollers), Phoenix Bunz, Outta My WayMan and Amy Spears (Ohio Rollergirls), High D’Voltage and Grace Killy (Brewcity Bruisers), Bloody Elle (Chicago Outfit) and Ivanna Destroya (Burning River Roller Girls).
To find out more about Midwest MEGAteam, go to their Facebook page RIGHT HERE.
NEXT WEEK IN THE ARRG NEWSCENTER: We’ll assess the final regular season outputs of all four squads and see what future implications hold in store for February’s post-season round as Magilla Guerilla checks in with another edition of “Guerilla Uncaged.”
Check back in this section Monday mornings for the latest in ARRG news/information.
