GateKeepers Take Silver At MRDA Championships

(TACOMA, WA) The St. Louis GateKeepers concluded the Men’s Roller Derby Association (MRDA) 2014 Championships with a second place finish following a 172-139 setback to Your Mom Men’s Derby (Des Moines, IA) in the title game at Tacoma Armory Sunday night.

Photo Credit: Knight-Glider

Your Mom (10-0) hoists its third consecutive MRDA title by erasing a 40-point halftime deficit with a 63-1 second-period sprint.

The GateKeepers (12-1) cultivated a lead within the first five minutes. After Magnum P.I.M.P. collected a 15-point game-opening jam, Debaucherous Prime followed with a four pointer to extend the lead to 19-0. After a scoreless rotation, Screecharound knotted a three-pointer with 24:40 left in the period to extend St. Louis’ edge to 22-0.

Your Mom sliced into the margin with a 15-4 run over the next two jams, whittling the GateKeepers’ lead to 26-15 at the 22:30 mark.

St. Louis’ Shane Bower collected three non-lead points in jam seven to push the score to 29-15. YMMD’s Frank Not So Hotra responded with four on the next rotation to narrow the gap to ten points, 29-19.

Photo Credit: Knight-Glider

The GateKeepers posted twelve points on the next two jams. P.I.M.P. netted an eight-point power strike in jam nine and Prime followed with four to push the lead to 41-19 with 17:50 left.

St. Louis’ lead blossomed as the period progressed with stellar blocking by Percy Controll, Wrecking Bill, Stark, Spin Diesel, Gnat King Kill, Double Excel, Inquadable Hulk, Bane-ana (On Skates!) and The Saint.

Multiple GateKeeper power jams also widened the differential to the intermission break. Accented by two 10-point strikes from Prime and Kill, respectively, St. Louis built an 84-44 lead at the half.

But just as things seemed clean and in control in the first frame, the title game took an unfortunate turn for the GateKeepers in the first eight jams of the second period. By capitalizing on eight straight lead jams and four power jams, Your Mom posted a 63-1 run and a subsequent scoreboard flip.

Photo Credit: Knight-Glider

Following a 4-1 period launch by YMMD jammer Rollomite, B. Stang followed with three points to narrow the gap to 85-51. Not So Hotra followed with scores of five and 14 on the power jam to whittle the St. Louis’ lead to 85-70 with 25:35 remaining.

YMMD continued the rally as Rollomite and Stang posted back-to-back four pointers and narrowed the championship game to single digits, 85-78 with 23:35 left.

Your Mom flipped the scoreboard in its favor on the next rotation following a 10-point power jam from Not So Hotra, resulting in an 88-85 lead change. Rollomite concluded the 63-1 stretch with a 19-point power jam scored at 20:45 to widen the YMMD lead to 107-85.

St. Louis’ Prime stopped the scoring drought with an 8-6 score in jam 9 to cut the gap to twenty, 113-93 with 18:15 left.

Your Mom proceeded to widen the distance with more power jams that netted 40 points uncontested. Rollomite collected 19 in jam ten and Stang posted 21 two jams later to push the defending champs’ lead to 153-93 with 13:00 left.

Photo Credit: Knight-Glider

St. Louis posted a 39-13 run over the next four rotations. Punctuated by Kill’s 20-point power jam with 4:50 left, the GateKeepers narrowed the margin to 166-132.

Unfortunately for St. Louis, Your Mom effectively maintained the differential to the final whistle. Outscoring the GateKeepers 128-55 in the second period, YMMD collected its third straight MRDA title with the 172-139 win.

Prime and Kill paced St. Louis scoring with 39 points apiece while P.I.M.P. added 37. Rollomite topped Your Mom with 71 points.

For more information on the St. Louis GateKeepers, go to www.stlgatekeepers.com.

UNOFFICIAL SCORING

ST. LOUIS GATEKEEPERS (139): Debaucherous Prime 39, Gnat King Kill 39, Magnum P.I.M.P. 37, Shane Bower 17, Screecharound 10.