The Road to Playoffs (Furies 2014 Recap)

The Furies playoff berth is the culmination of their most successful season yet. Following their games against Suburbia (Yonkers, NY), Killamazoo (Kalamazoo, MI), and Tri-City (Kitchener, ON) the team kicked off their travel season with a trip cross-state to Ithaca, NY in May to play the Ithaca League of Women Rollers (WFTDA #79). The Furies had previously played Ithaca in July 2013 at the Franky Panky tournament in Tampa, FL, winning 197 to 131.

In the May rematch, things were kept close throughout most of the game, with Ithaca managing to get within 1 (92-91) early in the second half, and again pulling within 20 (134-114) going into what would be the final 10 jams. At this point, the Furies defense kicked into high gear, allowing only 5 additional points in what would be a 66-5 run for a 200-119 final score.

The Furies would next play June 16th, hosting Hammer City Roller Girls (Hamilton, ON; WFTDA #86) for a private sanctioned game (private games count for standings/rankings, but are not staged for an audience). The Furies would jump to a 70-9 lead after the first 10 jams and would continue at a similar pace for most of the game. A late Hammer City rally (47-24 over the final 8 jams) would even things up somewhat, as the Furies won 262 to 105.

The next weekend, in their most difficult test of the season, the Furies trekked to Columbus, OH to play WFTDA #22 Ohio Roller Girls – a team that made it all the way to the WFTDA Championship quarterfinals in 2013, losing to eventual champions Gotham Girls Roller Derby (New York, NY). Going in with a goal to keep the game close, the Furies managed to keep in range into the second half, trailing only 107-80 early in the second half. The experienced Ohio skaters would pull ahead, shutting the Furies down to the tune of only 31 points over the final 20 jams and a 239-111 final.

In their third game in as many weeks, the Furies would close out their home season – and end an era of Queen City Roller Girl games at their original home at Rainbow Rink – as they did in 2013 by hosting Burning River Roller Girls (Cleveland, OH; WFTDA #76). These teams last played at the 2013 playoffs, where Burning River topped the Furies for a 192-163 win (avenging a 256-149 Furies win earlier that summer). With the Cleveland squad contending with several key injuries, the Furies notched a dominant win, outscoring their opponents 209-22 in the first half en route to a 407-95 win.

Finally, in July, the Furies headed to Akron, OH to play NEO Roller Derby (WFTDA #70). Despite their proximity, the Furies had not played NEO previously. As with their game against Burning River, the Furies came out strong early, not allowing a point in the first 7 jams en route to a 118-32 halftime score. The Furies offense was even stronger in the second half, securing a 285 to 65 win. Although coming before playoffs, the game did not count towards the WFTDA rankings which determine playoff seeding. It will count towards 2015 playoff standings.

Also, although their games do not count for rankings, the Lake Effect Furies B-Squad, B-Lo Zero, played a pair of games in back to back weekends in July. First B-Lo traveled to Erie, PA to play Eerie Roller Girls. Although trailing at the end of the first half 61 tp 66, B-Lo managed to take the lead early in the second half and used a 41 to 9 run over the final 9 jams to secure a 161 to 117 win. A week later B-Lo traveled south to Jamestown, NY to take on the Babes of Wrath of Chautauqua County Roller Derby in a game that went smoother, with B-Lo jumping out early and securing a 270 to 97 win.

The Furies will play August 22-24 in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario in the 2014 WFTDA D2 Playoff as a #2 seed, having completed their 2014 season ranked #46.