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Skate, Battle & Brawl - March 03, 2007
The year began with a bang in Grand Raggidy Roller Girl land, as the league's original two teams, and still fiercest rivals, reunited for their most competitive and exciting bout yet. Skate, Battle and Brawl tore Grand Rapids' Deltaplex a new one on March 3, as the Roustabout Rollers came within spitting distance of dethroning the still-undefeated Blue Collar Broads.
From the first whistle, the crowd (our biggest since the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls first debuted) knew it was in for a night of hard-hitting action. The teams stayed neck and neck through the first 20 minutes of play, with the Roustabouts squeezing out a small lead at Roustabouts 29 to Blue Collar Broads 27 at the end of the first period. The Broads were frustrated early on by the jamming prowess of Roustabout Make Ya Dizzy Lizzy, who with 42 points under her belt would end up the night's top scorer, barely surpassing BCB standout Jackie Daniels, who racked up 41.
But the Rousties had trouble sustaining that early momentum, and the familiar Blue Collar defense machine clicked into gear midway through the match. By the end of the second period, the BCB squad had stepped up the defense to neutralize the Roustabouts' top jammers, Dizzy and Naughty Netty. Blue Collar vets Jackie Daniels and Dot Matrix led their team's offensive effort, building a lead that would prove insurmountable. [RR 59 to BCB 68]
During period three, the gloves came off, and the crap hit the proverbial fan. As the frenzied action between jammers continued and hard checks in the pack prevailed, conflicts arouse between these fierce rivals. Tension came to a boiling point when two of the league's scrappiest skaters, Roustie Shutter Speed, winner of the Season One penalty paddle, and Broad Bette Mangler (who would go on to win the Season Two penalty paddle) engaged in the first full-blown fight of the night. Once the refs broke up the meelee, play resumed peacefully until the final jam of the night, which ended with Roustabout co-captain Angie Warhaul brawling with Broad/star jammer Mira Maheiny, in retaliation for a late game hit by Mira on the Roustie's MYDL, as the final whistles of the night sounded.
With all that action -- and a final score of Roustabout Rollers 76, Blue Collar Broads 105 -- Skate, Battle and Brawl more than lived up to its name.
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