(TACOMA, WA) The St. Louis GateKeepers advanced to the semifinals of the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) 2014 Championships Saturday with a 288-87 quarterfinal win over Southern Discomfort (London, UK) at the Tacoma Armory.
Photo Credit: Rumbledore
St. Louis, seeded second in the eight-team bracketed tournament, moves to the “Maritime Mayhem” Sunday semifinal game set for 11 AM Pacific (1 PM, St. Louis time.) They face third-seeded New York Shock Exchange, 275-75 quarterfinal victors over #6 Mass Maelstrom, for an opportunity to reach the weekend’s title tilt.
Tied 49-49 with 12:00 left in the first period, the GateKeepers (11-0) utilized a stifling defense that resulted in a 91-4 stretch run over the remainder of the frame. Magnum P.I.M.P.’s period-ending, 25-point power jam accented a 58-0 streak in the last four jams, and St. Louis held a 147-58 lead at intermission.
A 20-0 GateKeeper sprint began the second period. Shane Bower’s 14-point strike two jams in gave St. Louis its first triple-digit lead of the quarterfinal, 161-58, with 27:50 left in the game.
Photo Credit: Rumbledore
The GateKeepers widened the differential as the period progressed. Screecharound’s 14-point non-lead power jam with 21:25 remaining pushed the score to 181-67.
Meanwhile, the Gatekeepers maintained pressure defensively. Paced by blockers Bled Zeppelin, Double Excel, Percy Controll, Stark, Spin Diesel, Inquadable Hulk, The Saint, Bane-ana (On Skates!), Wrecking Bill and Gnat King Kill, St. Louis held Southern Discomfort second-period scoring to nine points midway through the frame.
The GateKeepers outscored London, 139-29, in the second period, to pick up the 201-point quarterfinal win.
Photo Credit: Rumbledore
P.I.M.P. paced St. Louis scoring with 102 points, unofficially, while Bower collected 84.
Southern Discomfort, the first European entry in the MRDA Championships, was topped in scoring by Mr. Furieux’s 40 points.
UNOFFICIAL SCORING
ST. LOUIS GATEKEEPERS (288): Magnum P.I.M.P. 102, Shane Bower 84, Screecharound 67, Debaucherous Prime 34, Gnat King Kill 4.
Live, complimentary coverage of the MRDA Championships is available online at wftda.tv by going to THIS LINK.
