The Queen City Roller Girls gave a preview of the mayhem to come in the season’s first exhibition bout on November 2.
“Spill-O-Ween” marked the second iteration of the league’s “We All Brawl” series, in which members from each of the league’s four teams split up and threw down in an all-out, sister-versus-sister, three-match brawl. The Bloody Betties took home top honors, outscoring the Smack-O-Lanterns 230 to 194 after two bouts apiece, despite losing their first match. The Black Ninjas came in third, with 149 total points. All three teams went .500 on the night.
Bout 1: Black Ninjas vs. Bloody Betties
The first jam of the night belonged to the Black Ninjas and the Bloody Betties, and a saw a panty pass from LowHits Griffin to Ninjas captain Day TripHer. The early lead went to the Betties, though a lead curtain pack would keep them from capitalizing on jam after jam.
The Ninjas pack, which had been relatively porous throughout the first half of the bout – giving up 34 points in the first 15 minutes of play – was able to sew itself up in the second half and start working with their jammers. Around the halfway mark, Betties jammer Shank You Very Much was sent to the penalty box, giving the Ninjas a much-needed power jam. LowHits Griffin took four grand slams to the house for 20 points, and a 48-34 lead over the Betties.
From there, the Ninjas never gave up the lead, despite the Betties’ best efforts.
Librawlian led a yeoman’s push in the last third to bring her Betties within striking distance, with only 5 points separating the two teams after 20 minutes. But a pair of late-game power-jams, along with stellar jamming from Evil-Lyn Cognito, Mexicali Bruise, and LowHits Griffin, would seal the deal for the Ninjas.
The final minute of play saw a power jam for the Betties, with 24 points pounded out by jammer Miss Fire, though it would not be enough to save the match. The great wall of Ninjas would bend, but refused to break, in a 97-88 win.
Bout 2: Smack-O-Lanterns vs. Black Ninjas
The Bloody Betties were given the benefit of a breather while the Black Ninjas kept their skates on for a tilt with the Smack-O-Lanterns in the second bout of the night.
The Lanterns took advantage of their fresh legs, grabbing an early lead. Four minutes in, the Ninjas would answer back with a 20 point power jam by Mexicali Bruise, though just a few jams later, the Lanterns would return the favor, firing back with 22 unanswered passes by Ilana Gordon and Toots McGee.
Stonewall blocking and a rotating cast of jammers would dictate the rest of the match for the Smack-O-Lanterns. B’Kini Whacks, Pepper Stix, inSINerator, and Abercrombie and Fists would contribute most of the Lanterns’ 111 points, and the pumpkin pack would hold the Ninjas to 52 points. The Ninjas’ jammers showed some brilliant moves, but the back-to-back bouts may have spelled the end for the women in black, and they finished the night with a total 149 passes across two bouts.
Bout 3: Bloody Betties vs. Smack-O-Lanterns
The third bout saw the Betties back on the track, and it was the Smack-O-Lanterns’ turn to skate for two straight.
The women in orange saw the lead once, would have no answer for the Betties’ jammers, who would carve their pack like a pumpkin. Shank You Very Much and Miss Fire would contribute plenty of points to the Betties’ lead, allowing their team to breeze past the century mark with about 8:30 to go. The Smack-O-Lanterns, meanwhile, struggled to break 60.
A 19-point jam by B’kini Whacks would be too little too late for the Lanterns. The Betties finished them off on a power jam in a 142 to 83 win.
Phenomenal jamming for the Betties would give them the juice they needed to finish the night in first overall, with 230 points across their two bouts. The Smack-O-Lanterns would take second, at 194 points, and the Black Ninjas would score 149 total passes.
Fans can look forward to more derby action on January 11th, when the Nickel City Knockouts take on the Devil Dollies in a grudge match between last year’s QCRG Cup contenders. The home opener will take place at the Rainbow Roller Rink, 101 Oliver St. in North Tonawanda.
~ Josh Gordon