Banger Sisters Back with a Vengeance; Femmes Best Deltas in Last-Minute Upset

Minneapolis, MN – The crowds braved the cold, the snow and the undead to come to the North Star Roller Girls' third bout of season six, Zombie Prom 2012: You Take My Brains Away. Fans – including many zombies – were treated to Savage Aural Hotbed's unique brand of rhythm and percussion (including sparks flying off a circular saw) before the bout, and Koo Koo Kanga Roo led a fantastic halftime dance party, but the biggest excitement of the night was the action on the track.

The Kilmore Girls – Banger Sisters match-up gave the Bangers the opportunity to shout out loud and clear: guess what? We're back. After Player-of-the-Bout Katarina Hit laid down four points on the opening jam, the Bangers never gave up the lead. Kilmore Girl Hell N Gone brought the Kilmores within three points after only three minutes of play, but Katarina answered with the first of eight double-digit Banger scoring runs – contributed by Kat, Misa Ornery, Sly Jinx and Wreck Tangle – which repeatedly acted like a wedge being hammered into the bout's ever-widening divide. The Kilmore Girls were unable to keep up with the Bangers' pack speed control, and were frequently thwarted in their attempts to bust through the blue Banger wall. The Banger Sisters outscored the Kilmore Girls 4:1 in the first half, bringing the score to BS 65 – 16 KG at the halftime whistle.

With three big scoring runs opening the second half, the Banger Sisters did something they could not accomplish all last season: they broke the century mark with 100+ points on the scoreboard. The Kilmore jammers struggled in particular with penalties in the second half, and the Bangers gave up almost no chances to score. The sisters in blue more than doubled their score from halftime to the final whistles, despite the Kilmores' defensive attempts. Kilmore Girl Rosalind Shanklin deserves commendation for her vigilance, tenacity and constant blocking, especially while the only Kilmore on the track. Kilmore teammate (and the evening's noteworthy national anthem singer) Fiona Scalpel closed out the bout on a high(er) note for her team, scoring nine while jamming unopposed.

BS – KG bout by the numbers (unofficial as of press time):
At 10 minutes: BS 20 – 6 KG
At the half: BS 65 – 16 KG
At 30 minutes: BS 114 – 22 KG
Final: BS 159 – 38 KG

Banger Sisters high scorers: Katarina Hit (57 points), Misa Ornery (38), DeadLila and Sly Jinx (16 each)
Kilmore Girls high scorers: Scarlet Raven (14), Fiona Scalpel (9), Tessa Rack (8)

Delta Delta Di and the Violent Femmes presented NSRG fans with some deliciously edge-of-your-seat roller derby. Slow starts, fast packs, controlled play, all action. DDD looked like they had the bout firmly in hand from the get-go, with high-scorer Jawbreaker earning 17 unanswered points on the second jam and the Deltas outscoring the Femmes almost two to one in the first half. The Femmes dealt with more penalties than usual, with jammers going to or starting in the box on ¼ of the jams; Kayzilla tried to turn the car around by wrapping up the half with a hefty fourteen-point jam for the women in red.

Both teams tightened up after halftime and we saw real pack speed, more impenetrable walls and lead jammers on both sides calling off play in order to prevent the opponent from scoring. With nine minutes left, VF Roller Vixen found herself jamming unopposed and brought the Femmes within ten points of the Deltas with her 15-point jam. (This jam clearly lit a spark under her team and kick-started their comeback, earning Vixen Player of the Bout.) VF teammate Ida Kildher was lead jammer on the following jam and was poised to rack up some points of her own, only to hear the Delta jam ref whistle the end of the jam after mistakenly calling opposing DDD jammer Aurora Whorealis lead. Since there is no do-over in derby, the bout moved on to the next jam. DDD's Meagan U Bleed went to the box and stayed in the box for the following jam, in which VF Obscene Sheen jammed unopposed and helped put her team in the lead for the first time all evening thanks to a ten-point jam.

After going to the box on the penultimate jam, the Femmes' Dreidel Robber started the last jam against Jawbreaker in the penalty box. JB called on her pack to keep up the speed as the jam progressed; Dreidel Robber was back on the track in short order. A hard hit by Aurora Whorealis sent DR sliding into turn one and Jawbreaker claimed the lead jammer whistle, but she called the jam off before scoring any points. The clock had run out by then – and the Femmes claimed the upset victory 70 – 67. - Ayn Rant

DDD – VF bout by the numbers (unofficial as of press time):
At 10 minutes: DDD 31 – 6 VF
At the half: DDD 50 – 27 VF
At 30 minutes: DDD 62 – 37 VF
Final: DDD 67 – 70 VF

Delta Delta Di high scorers: Rhea Lentless (26 points), Jawbreaker (21), Meagan U Bleed (17)
Violent Femmes high scorers: Roller Vixen (20), Kayzilla (48), Dreidel Robber and Obsceen Sheen (10 each)