Weekend Recap: Thames tame Debs

Thames Fatales 205 vs. Derby Debutantes 64

GTAR‘s Debutantes hosted cross-province rivals Thames Fatales at Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto on Saturday night. In a scrappy, sometimes contentious bout, Fatales ended up pulling ahead for a 141 point victory over their big city opponents.

There was a tight start to the bout, with both teams jockeying for position and points. Five minutes in and the score was 9-8  for the home team. After the Debutantes pulled ahead a bit more, Thames went on a power jam in what would prove to be a pivotal moment in the first half. Down 17-9, the Thames pack took over the jam, isolating and then trapping a Debutante while Sufferjet flew around the pack, picking up a double grand slam to give the Fatales their first lead of the bout. It was a lead that they would not relinquish.

Killson and Bruise Berry Pie battled all night

Killson proved to be an uncontainable force for the Fatales in the first half, engaging in some great battles with Getcha Kicks and Canadian Psycho (who was solid in the first half for the Debs), and Piepshow stepped up to join the Fatales’ jammer rotation, but the real difference in this bout was in the pack, and the control that Thames was able to wield over it. Mirambo was excellent as pivot all bout, leading the way physically and positionally, getting some big jammer take outs and setting some devastating traps.  Bruise Berry Pie tried to respond for the Debutantes and engaged with Anya Face in some of those great pack battles. By the end of the half it was already clear that Commiekaze is a viable triple threat for the Forest City team and was instrumental in their 105-42 lead at the half.

The Debutantes came out flying to start the second half with Bruise showing a frightening intensity in the pack and going shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip with Mirambo on more than one occasion. Leather Locklear also stepped up with some big hits and capable leadership with the stripe,  Getcha Kicks kept fighting and LeeWay Wreck’em put in her time with the star; Canadian Psycho is emerging as a key player for the Debs. But the storyline played out much the same way in the second half. The Debutantes simply couldn’t contain Killson and her triple grand slam to make it 170-60 sealed the deal for the Thames Fatales.

Mirambo and Anya Face keep a close eye on Getcha Kicks

Bruise exited the defeat in style (with an ejection late in the bout), and while the Debutantes still show signs of great improvement, it was the Thames Fatales who were shining brightest on this night. Only two months on and this team barely resembles the one that went to Montreal for this year’s Beast of the East. The pack control, the strong positional play (and the continued growth of Killson as a top jammer) show that this is a team that can not be taken lightly. Both of these squads are clearly headed in the right direction and their performances speak to the continued development of the sport in Ontario.

The Neon Army: Montreal's New Skids on the Block

And elsewhere in the roller derby community…

It was somewhat of a coming-out party for Montreal‘s New Skids in the Block in Philly this weekend as they and Hammer City‘s Eh! Team headed south for the 2010 East Coast Extravaganza. Despite playing with a roster of only 11 (and missing key players including Georgia W. Tush and Trash N Smash), the Skids tore through the weekend putting up the highest single game score, getting the largest margin of victory(261) and putting in the best defensive performance of the weekend in a thorough dismantling of the Dominion Derby Girls (288-27).  They had a much stiffer test against a much more controlled and experienced Tampa Bay team on Sunday. The bout had all the makings of a low scoring battle in the early going as the Derby Darlins matched Montreal’s pack control and jammer speed. Eventually though the persistence and conditioning of the Skids was the difference and they ended up pulling away for a 197-57 victory. Hammer City didn’t fair quite as well, but undoubtedly gained valuable experience in losses to a very good Dutchland team (132-79) and Suburbia (184-95).

All the action from the ECE was boutcast live and archived here by DNN.