During the Happy Days bout on March 30, QCRG fans can tune in to see which team—the Alley Kats or Nickel City Knockouts—will kick-start the jukebox and spin a victory tune. Will last year’s champions the KOs continue their winning streak, or has their time for victory jumped the shark?
Perhaps the biggest disparity between the two teams is the amount of turnover. While the Knockouts’ lineup is comparable to last year, Kats captain Knockin’ Das Boots has seen a fifty-percent change in team members this season.
“The girls are newer, but we have twenty healthy skaters,” Boots said. “The KO bout will be the most challenging yet, but it will be valuable experience for our rookie skaters.”
Knockouts captain Lamb Chop believes that while “the respect, dependability and accountability between all of the Knockouts is very strong and stable,” all the teams have been working hard this year for success.
“Every team in this league had been stepping up their game this season and I don’t think any one stands heads above any other,” she said. “I can say that the Knockouts have been fortunate the past couple of years in not having major roster changes, and our leadership and coaching crews have also remained the same.”
Chops says the focus has changed slightly in the Knockouts’ training this year, with a concentration on skating as “one force with a high level of controlled aggression and awareness.” She is also excited about implementing certain line changes.
“New skaters have been added and removed from our roster so there will be some slight changes, but overall we have to find something that works well for us and we are sticking to that formula with small tweaks,” she said.
The Kats’ last match against the Suicidal Saucies helped the team reevaluate their strategy.
“Penalties destroyed any momentum we may have had,” Boots said. “We need to start playing conservatively.”
The bout will benefit Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a leading non-profit organization that provides services for reproductive health, maternal and child health services.
~Maulbright Knocks