TGSS Day Two Recaps

By Beck Wise, Last updated Thu Jun 14 2012 11:31pm

Semi-finals

Vanquished Semi 1: Canberra vs Brisbane City

This game started with a bang -- after just 21 seconds, the first jam was called off with Brisbane City jammer Penergy motionless on the track and Canberra jammer Shortstop serving a two-minute penalty. Shortstop’s first penalty was for cutting the track but as Penergy fell, Shortstop tried to jump her and clipped her on the way through, picking up a major penalty as a result.

Penergy was assisted from the track after a couple of minutes and play resumed with Vixxxen in a power jam situation. In a mosh start, she quickly picked up a major cut-track penalty but was released from the penalty box immediately as a minute was taken off Shortstop’s penalty. She picked up 4 points for her team, which were nearly equalised in the next jam as Bambi von Smash’er picked up three for the Vice City Rollers.

In the next jam, Shortstop picked up lead jammer status for Canberra and a quick 9 points, leaving the score at Canberra 12, Brisbane 4 with 25.43 to play. Bambi von Smash’er then took the scar against Iron Thighs; Iron Thighs followed Bambi into the pack and snuck by on the inside line to nab lead jammer. The pack raced as Bambi chased Iron Thighs back to the pack but the Brisbane jammer nabbed three points for her team.

Shortstop picked up lead jammer on a 20 foot call and then a series of grand slams, as Anne Thrax and Ginger Nutcase held down Brisbane’s Vixxen. The score stood at 32 to 7 in Canberra’s favour with 22 minutes to play.

Penergy returned to the track in the next jam but Bambi von Smash’er picked up lead jammer status. With Penergy on her heels and a Canberra four-wall at the back of the pack, Bambi called off the jam as both jammers hit the pack for a 0-0 jam.

Iron Thighs then lined up against Shaggle Frock. A crowd-pleasing double-referee takedown punctuated Iron Thighs’ initial pass after a series of big hits from Aunty Aggro. Shaggle picked up 4 points and called it off.

Roulette Rouge committed a back-blocking major in her first scoring pass, giving Vixxxen a power jam with a 3-2 pack advantage. As Aunty Aggro was also sent to the box, Anne Thrax forced a cutting major on the Brisbane jammer. Aggro returned to play after being bounced from the full Canberra box, shortly before Roulette Rouge returned to the track.

With Vixxxen still seated in the box and at a 3-2 pack disadvantage, Freudian Slit was able to pick up lead jammer status and quickly approach the stationary pack. She picked up her second grand slam just as Vixxxen was released from the penalty box. Canberra’s defence continued to stifle Vixxen’s initial pass as Freudian Slit was recycled to the back of the pack; she picked up 4 more points before calling it off, leaving the score at 55-21 in Canberra’s favour.

Penergy hit the jam line against Canbera’s lanky Shaggle Frock; both jammers struggled for an outside line but Penergy found it first. Just as it seemed she was about to break the pack, Anne Thrax and Bambi von Smash’er forced her back as Shaggle made her initial pass. She picked up four points and called off the jam, with Penergy approaching the pack to score. Brisbane City called a time-out with just under fourteen minutes remaining on the clock and the score standing at Canberra 59, Brisbane City 21.

In her first time with the Brisbane City star, Fang Fiend faced off against Shortstop. Canberra opted for a slow start here, burning off penalty time for Anne Thrax; Shortstop added a 4-0 jam here.

After a short official time out, Bambi von Smash’er faced off against Vixxxen; Vixxxen was first off the line but got trapped by a Canberra four-wall as Bambi began to rack up points, adding 9 before calling off the jam. The score stood at 72 Canberra, Brisbane City 21 with 11 minutes to play.

Brisbane City sent out another first-time jammer in Carly Lucas in the next jam. Lucas was able to pick up a single point as Freudian Slit looked for her second scoring pass; Slit was forced to call off the jam from the floor as Lucas entered the pack.

The next jam saw some jammer-on-jammer defence in a battle of the tiny, bouncy jammers when Penergy and Shortstop headed to the line. The action was reprised a few jams later but this time, Penergy was able to pick up lead jammer status and pick up three points before Shortstop made it back to the pack. Canberra held an 85-29 lead with just under 5 minutes left on the period clock.

Vixxxen showed amazing endurance, battling a Canberra four-wall as Fauna Cat added 15 points to her team’s total. Lil Decoy played some critical offence as a blocker for Brisbane City in the next jam, breaking open a Canberra three-wall to let her jammer make her next pass.

Bambi picked up lead jammer in the next jam as pivot Ova Bearing and Shortstop locked down on Carly Lucas at the front of the pack. The period ended with Canberra holding a 127-29 lead over Brisbane City and halftime featured an impromptu break-dancing showdown in the Victorian cheering section.

In the first jam of the second half, Sara ‘Juke Nukem’ Gardiner took the Brisbane City star for the first time against Canberra’s Roulette Rouge. Roulette got an outside line to complete her initial pass and called off the jam after adding 4 to Canberra’s total.

Vixxxen picked up the first lead jam call for Brisbane City of the second half as Fauna Cat struggled with Fang Fiend’s defence. She added 4 points before Fauna could complete an initial pass and called it off, leaving the score at 135 Canberra, 33 Brisbane City, with 26 minutes remaining to play.

Gardiner returned to the line in the second half but was held against the inside line by a Canberra wall as Roulette Rouge scooted around the outside to pick up lead jammer status. She added four points as Unforgiving Bunny cleared the way for Gardiner to break the pack.

Iron Thighs picked up lead jammer status in the next jam and made her way back for a scoring pass. She ducked under a block from Belly Up but went down in a tangle of limbs with another Canberra blocker. The jam was called for injury as St John’s Ambulance volunteers attended to her apparent knee injury. Iron Thighs skated the track under her own power with assistance from a team member.

Following the official time out, Brisbane City started on a knee, a strategy that proved successful as jammer Fang Fiend picked up lead jammer status while Fauna Cat struggled with a defensive wall of Speed Angel and Unforgiving Bunny. Fang called off the jam mid-pass as Fauna Cat approached the back of the pack, leaving the score at 143-38 in Canberra’s favour with 23 minutes left on the clock.

Roulette Rouge was the first jammer to break the pack in the next jam as Shortstop sat on Vixxxen. Roulette was able to add 15 points to Canberra’s score before Vixxxen made her initial pass, gaining lead jammer status and immediately calling off the jam to stop Roulette’s scoring.

Brisbane City called a team time-out at this point and the officials called the team captains into the infield. Bambi von Smash’er made short work of the pack in the next jam as Shortstop held down the pivot position and Brisbane City jammer Gardiner. Gardiner finally escaped after a clearing block by Wonder Witch on the last line of defence, Aunty Aggro; the score stood at Canberra 167, Brisbane City 38, with just under 20 minutes to play.

Over the next five minutes, Canberra added 16 unanswered points before sending Shortstop out to jam against Unforgiving Bunny. Iron Thighs returned to the track as a blocker in this jam after her injury earlier in the half.

With 12 minutes remaining on the clock, Shaggle Frock played a little jammer defence, handing Carly Lucas off to Freudian Slit then slipping by on the outside to pick up lead jammer status. Canberra broke the 200-point barrier as Lucas broke the pack, with the score standing at Canberra 202, Brisbane City 41.

Roulette Rouge suffered an injury as the Canberra jammer, going down hard in corner 2 with about 11 minutes remaining in the game. She was taken out of the pavilion on a backboard and stretcher.

Shaggle Frock picked up lead jammer status for Canberra as Aunty Aggro and Amykazeee laid heavy defence on Brisbane City captain and jammer Unforgiving Bunny. With 40 seconds left in the jam, Bunny headed to the box for a major back block, giving Canberra a power jam as Shaggle completed her last scoring pass and called it off with the score at 227-41.

With Shortstop jamming unopposed, Canberra started on a knee, letting Shortstop pick up lead jammer status in just five seconds and two scoring passes in the first thirty seconds of the jam. Bunny returned to play as Shortstop completed a three-point pass and hit the deck after a big block. Shorty ran for one more scoring pass and called it off as Bunny approached the pack, leaving the score at Canberra 243, Brisbane City 43 with 7 minutes to play.

Canberra broadened their jammer base at this point, sending out Rainbow Spite against Fang Fiend. Speed Angel and Iron Thighs held Spite at the front of the pack before forcing her out of bounds and recycling her to 20 feet behind the pack; Fang Fiend called off the jam for 0-0.

Shortstop returned to the jammer line against Gardiner and picked up a near instantaneous lead jammer call, scooting around the outside and returning for points. Gardiner committed a major track cut, handing Canberra a dangerous opportunity to rack up points, especially as two of Brisbane City’s blockers headed to the penalty box before Gardiner returned. Shortstop called off the jam as Gardiner hit the deck hard -- she returned to her bench unaided, but looked sore.

This left the score at 277-41 in Canberra’s favour as Brisbane City called a team time-out with three minutes remaining on the clock. This turned into an official time-out as the referees conferred in the infield.

Amykazeee took her first turn with the star against Brisbane City’s Lil Decoy. Kazeee picked up lead jammer status but only had about a 30 foot lead on Lil Decoy; she called with 0-0.

In the next jam, Bohemoth Rhapsody took the jam star for the first time for Canberra with two minutes left on the clock. Fang Fiend grabbed lead jammer for Brisbane City and a grand slam as Carly Lucas and Speed Angel held Bo-Rap. The Canberra jammer finally broke the pass after blocking her way past Lucas; Fiend picked up 4 more points and called off the jam with the score at 227-50, with 41 seconds remaining.

Shortstop took the lead for the likely last jam and ran around the outside to pick up lead jammer status, with Gardiner about a quarter-lap back. Both jammers racked up successive 4 point passes, with Canberra obviously looking to run out the period clock with no call-off -- but with 30 seconds remaining to play, Shorty cut her way past Unforgiving Bunny, handing Gardiner a power jam. She added 21 points to her team’s total in this jam, leaving the final score at 286-71 in Canberra’s favor.

Vanquished Semi 2: Sydney vs Pirate City

The game kicked off badly for Pirate City, handing Sydney two power jams to start and allowing Sydney to establish a 28-0 lead. Over the next minutes, Sydney stretched their lead to 41-6. At that point, a string of jammer penalties on both teams resulted in two two-minute jams with lots of jammer musical chairs. When the music stopped for the last time, Sydney held a 59-27 lead.

Sydney continued to rack up points four and five at a time, building a 91-33 lead. At that point, a massive power jam for Pirate City brought the score to 95-58 in Sydney's favour and for the next six jams, the Kiwi visitors held Sydney scoreless. At halftime, the Pirates were just 20 points behind Sydney, with the score standing at 95 for Sydney, 75 for Pirate City. Pirate City held a slight advantage in lead jammer calls in the first half: ten to Sydney's nine.

Pirate City came out hitting hard in the second half, bringing the score to 98-82 in Sydney's favour. For much of the period, the two teams traded four point jams, with little movement in the score differential. A full-length jam with no lead jammer saw Pirate City falter and let Sydney open a 32 point lead, leaving the score at 143-111. From that point, Sydney's momentum proved too much for Pirate City and the final score was Sydney 221, Pirate City 173.

This game saw three skaters removed from play. Pirate City sisters Terror Satana and Skate the Muss both left the game; Terror was expelled for a low block and Muss fouled out. Sydney's Torture Twice was also expelled for a low block.