Friday night’s warm spring weather set the stage for a heated game on the waterfront, as fans emerged from their winter caves in droves to see two longtime contenders go head to head for the first time this season.
Excitement flooded Riverworks as the Devil Dollies in black and pink lined up on track with the Suicidal Saucies in red. The skaters weren’t the only ones moving about– the Saucies premiered their tall, spicy pepper mascot who tirelessly shook maracas, while the Dollies introduced a jumping, button-eyed voodoo doll that was the perfect combination of adorable and creepy.
The game started modestly, with the Saucies gaining slow but consistent points. The Dollies’ score remained in the single digits until newcomer Ashes t’Ashes racked up 15 points in jam 8. However, red got revenge in the following jam, with June CleaveHer making six passes to garner 24 points. Black fought back and in jam 19, Vanilla Creamz regained some footing by accumulating 15 points in three passes. At the end of the first half, the score was Saucies 119, Dollies 58.
The Saucies emerged from the locker room with a trail of fire blazing behind them, with MissFire garnering 27 points in the first jam of the second half, the high for the game. The Dollies dug in their toe stops and fought to close the gap, with Ashes, Creamz, newcomer MURPHY and rookie Penny Dreadful racking up points in the teens throughout the second half.
However, dry spells in scoring made it impossible for black to gain hold over red, as the Saucies’ B’kini Whacks, MissFire, Hot Damnsel and June CleaveHer kept the lead consistent. In the last jam, a star pass allowed Head Huntress to put an additional 18 points on the board. At the end of the final whistle, the Saucies had dominated the Dollies by 75 points in a final score of 238 to 163, proving more than just a lucky Friday the 13th for the team in red.
The Saucies and Dollies will meet again on Friday, May 8 for Hell on Wheels IX. The Dollies will play the Nickel City Knockouts on Friday, March 27 and the Saucies will play the Alley Kats on Friday, April 3.
~ Maulbright Knocks