Iron Curtain vs. Copper Queens: Aug. 16, 2008

Season four for Tucson Roller Derby draws to a close with the first of two bouts on the 2008 championship night. The first bout is for third place between the Iron Curtain and the Copper Queens. An Iron Curtain win would finally get them their first TRD victory and would cause the Queens to be the first team to defeat and lose to each of the other TRD teams. The Copper Queens are coming off a very tough loss to the Vice Squad that knocked them from first place to the third place bout tonight. Certainly, no quarter would be given by either side. Of course, none would be asked.

The Iron Curtain fielded Kassi Nova (captain), Kamanda (co-captain), Doris Badenov, Bolshe Vixen (returning to the fold from a stint at referee), Dot Stoevsky, Dr. Z Onatopp, Karla Marx, Bianka Truhl, Russian Rollette and Kosma Nauti. Che was even back to root ’em on!

The Copper Queens had Cheap Ore (captain and returning from injury), Dirty Teri, Ferocious Oxide, Lavender Pitt, Kay Boom, Metal Maiden, Blue Mauli, Venus Dynamite, Pixie Axe and Rough Cut Jules.

All stats are unofficial.

Period #1:
Kamanda and Dirty Teri would jam first. Both jammers are held in the pack for three laps before Kamanda can finally get through for lead jammer (LJ). Teri is right there on her. As Teri cuts to the inside, Kamanda is knocked out of bounds and calls it. Copper Queens have a 4-2 jam to kick it off. Cheap Ore returns to the jammer lineup for CQ against Doris Badenov in jam No. 2. Ore jets through the pack for LJ and is by herself as the CQ pack is gnawing on Doris. Blue Mauli drives two Curtainistas out of bounds. Ore scores and calls it for a 5-0 jam. Kassi Nova and Dirty Teri are the jammers for No. 3. Kassi gets through and is LJ. Bolshe Vixen is keeping Teri held up, forcing her out and slowing Teri down. Kassi has two scoring passes and with a 7-0 jam, which ties it at 9. Russian Rollette is in for IC, and Ferocious Oxide has her first for CQ tonight. Rollette gets LJ status. Oxide is blocking Rollette in the back of the pack until Dot Stoevsky comes through to clear the way. Rollette garners three points before being knocked out of bounds and has a referee fall over her. Bouncing back up, Rollette gets back on the track and calls the jam. The Iron Curtain have their first, but not last, lead of the period. Cheap Ore is lined up against Bolshe Vixen. Despite Ore getting slammed by Dr. Z Onatopp, she has a 4-0 jam, and the Queens regain the lead; IC 12, CQ 13.

Jam No. 6 is Kassi Nova and Pixie Axe as jammers. With some struggle they both get through the pack, but there’s no lead jammer. It’s a full two minutes of unmitigated action. When the dust settles, it’s a close one. Kassi has 5 to Pixie’s 4 points, and the score is tied again, IC 17, CQ 17. Bianka Truhl extends the IC jammer rotation, with their sixth different jammer in the period. Oxide is back for the Queens. Bianka gets LJ, and a 3-0 jam, eventually, as the scoreboard was a bit slow to show it. The Iron Curtain is back on top. This bout is a defensive back and forth. Doris and Teri line up to jam in the eighth. Teri is LJ. Doris gets a whip to try and catch Teri, but to no avail. Teri has a 4-0 jam for another lead change and a 1-point lead.

It would stay at IC 20, CQ 21 for the next two jams. Kay Boom and Rollette are the jammers in the ninth. Rollette is sent to the penalty box (PB). Bolshe Vixen is holding up Kay, who eventually gets lead jammer status and calls it with no scoring. With Rollette in the PB to start, Cheap Ore takes the jammer line for CQ. The Iron Curtain are controlling the front and Rollette is out shortly after the pack. Collisions are everywhere and Ore with two others go down. Later, Venus Dynamite and Rollette take a tumble. Again, there is no score. A time out is called.

With a little over 11 minutes left, Bolshe Vixen and Ferocious Oxide are jamming in the 11th jam. Bolshe is LJ and has Oxide right behind her. Bolshe is able to grab a 3-1 jam and another IC lead; IC 23, CQ 22. The 12th jam is quick and strategic as Pixie Axe gets through the pack first but Kassi Nova is LJ. Kassi calls it before Pixie catches the pack, preserving the slim lead where the IC had no advantage. Oxide goes 3-1 against Bolshe Vixen, and the lead has changed once more, IC 24, CQ 25. Another strategic call in the 14th for no score, with Dirty Teri out first and Doris with LJ calling the jam. Cheap Ore scores the rest of the Copper Queens points in the first period with a 4-0 jam in the 15th jam, and 5-0 in the 17th jam. The Iron Curtain are held scoreless in the last 4 out of 5 jams with only a 3-0 jam by Kassi Nova in jam No. 16. There’s only a few seconds left for the 18th jam and time runs out.

At the end of period one, the score is IC 27, VS 34. The Iron Curtain are giving the gals in green a challenge tonight by playing a very physical, low scoring and defensive bout. Points are precious for both teams as there are no knockout jams, six lead changes, two ties, and five jams with no score in 18 jams total for the first period. It’s a 7-point game going into period No. 2.

Period #2:
The battle would continue into the second period. Kamanda and Cheap Ore jam first. Kamanda gets through but is not LJ. The Iron Curtain are upholding their name keeping Ore in the pack. During the full two-minute jam, Bolshe Vixen is sent to the Sin Bin, gets back out, and is sent back in. At the end, Kamanda had a 6-0 jam to cut the CQ lead to one point. The Queens respond with Dirty Teri against Doris. Dirty is thru for LJ and builds a full head of steam to blast through the pack for a Grand Slam (5-0) and calls the jam. The CQ blockers were giving Doris the pinball treatment for the length of the jam. Iron Curtain continue to have good pack control as it’s all red up front holding back Ferocious Oxide. Kassi Nova has a 5-0 jam to counter the CQ’s. Rollette and Ore are jamming in the fourth jam. Ore is LJ and picks up three points before a wipe out in turn 3, and calling it off. Bianka Truhl and Pixie Axe are jamming in the fifth. Bianka is LJ, and is able to score five points. Pixie Axe is sent to the penalty box. With their jammer in the Sin Bin, the CQ’s have three skaters in front controlling Truhl and fending off every IC blocker attempt to bust the line. The Iron Curtain have regained the lead, IC 43, CQ 42.

In the sixth, Dirty Teri has a quick 4-0 jam over Kassi, and the lead is back to the Queens. There’s no score in the seventh jam. Cheap Ore was sent to the Penalty Box after going to the ground entangled with Bianka. With their Jammer in the PB again, the Queens would tag team IC Jammer, Bolshe Vixen, with hits to keep her in the pack. Kamanda finally busts things up, but it’s too late for Vixen to take advantage. There’s a time out before the eighth jam. When the action returns, there are more hits, more penalty box activity, and a 4-4 jam for Doris and Oxide.

The Iron Curtain has been hanging in there, but the ninth through 11th jams would prove their demise. The ninth jam begins with about 14 minutes left in the period. Russian Rollette is jamming against Dirty Teri. Rollette is getting a Copper treatment as she’s knocked into the announcer’s table (no nachos were harmed), and Blue Mauli kept Rollette out of bounds. Meanwhile, Teri is LJ, gets five more and calls it. The Iron Curtain also end up with three players in the PB to start the 10th, including their Jammer. There is only Doris Badenov and Dot Stoevsky to try to keep Cheap Ore from building an insurmountable lead for the Queens. The attempt is valiant, but doomed. At one point, Doris is sent to the PB, with 3 ICers still there. There is confusion and time elapses before Doris is sent back in. And while Dot did the best that a lone Blocker could, it’s 8-0 for the Queens. A messy jam for the Iron Curtain.

The Queens add three more in jam No. 11 and it’s IC 47, CQ 66. In this extra hard hitting defensive struggle, 19 points is looking like a very large advantage. Kassi Nova is able to get a 3-0 jam against Oxide, but Oxide was keeping Kassi in line forcing here to call the jam. The Curtain wins the 13th jam as Doris is LJ and is 3-1 over Cheap Ore. The 14th jam is won by Pixie Axe, 3-1, against Kassi Nova. The Queens can certainly afford to trade jams in the remaining 3 minutes. The last two jams are 4-4, and 5-3 for the Curtain. The Iron Curtain is only able to cut the 19 point lead by 5 points in the last 5 jams. The Copper Queens win a brutal bout against the Iron Curtain.

Final: Iron Curtain 63, Copper Queens 77

In the second period, the Iron Curtain scored 36 to the Copper Queens 43. Each team had nine more points over their first period total. So, the Iron Curtain lost both periods by seven points. The Queens did what they needed to get the job done, and capitalized on a catastrophic ninth and 10th jams in the second by the Curtain. This was a hard-earned win for the Copper Queens.

As the season draws to a close, the Iron Curtain say dosvidanya to Doris Badenov and Dr. Z Onatopp. Both have been with the Iron Curtain since the second season. That’s a lot of derby, baby!

The Copper Queens announced the departure of Ferocious Oxide. She’ll be out for next year, but there may be a possible return in the future.

Congratulations to both teams for all their work this season and a whale of a third place bout. Up next is the championship bout.

Don Bombshelter
Copper & Iron Don’t Mix – At Least On The Rink