Brawlers Punish

In a bruising interleague bout last night, the Corporal Punishers of the Jerzey Derby Brigade and the Boardwalk Brawlers of Shore Points Roller Derby faced off on the Punishers’ home rink in Morristown NJ.

Star jammer #157 Maggie Kyllanfall was back on the track this bout for the Punishers, and #57 Heinz Catchup skated her last bout for the team. In a re-run of last year’s match in the same venue, the two teams traded leads in the early part of the first half. The biggest difference was in the blocking, in which both were more aggressive.  #1337 FR3AK N’Rabbit, #13, #17 Outbreak Meggo, #802 Strawberry Moose Cakes, and #3 Shannanigan jammed most frequently for the Brawlers. Brawler nudges into the lead were interrupted by Punisher power jams (when the opposing jammer is in the penalty box) by #394 Voldeloxx and #8 Lil MO Peep, who racked up points for the Morristown team. Heinz, even when not the lead jammer, was especially good at restraining the Brawler point total by catching up to (and engaging) the Brawler jammer, thereby pressuring her to call off the jam. In the final minutes of the first half, however, the Punishers ran into trouble when FR3AK N’Rabbit impressively made five passes through the pack in a power jam. Shannanigan followed up with a second round of grand slams (5 point passes) for the Brawlers. The first half ended with the score 92-40 in favor of the Brawlers.

The second half saw strong blocking by both teams. Both continued to score points, but the Punishers chipped away at the Brawlers lead, partly by exploiting power jams, but mostly bit by bit. AK-47 ASSault Shaker and Voldeloxx slugged through for a few points at a time. Heinz was repeatedly knocked-about seriously in one jam but still managed to score points. #0110 Whoabot delivered serious hits on the Brawler side while Raven Rage and Criss Catastrophe often team up for a double hit for the Punishers. A trade-off of power jams followed, with Maggie Kyllanfall making a multi-pass. With 8 minutes remaining in the bout, the Punishers had closed the Brawlers’ lead to 159-123.

The power jam trade-offs continued, but the numbers favored the Brawlers. FR3AK N’Rabbit, at one point facing only two Punisher blockers (the others were in the penalty box), was outstanding at exploiting power jams. The Brawlers regained their momentum and expanded their lead once more.

Final score was 233-127 in favor of the Brawlers. MVPs were Heinz Catchup for the Corporal Punishers and FR3AK N’Rabbit for the Boardwalk Brawlers.