After a two-month hiatus, the primary travel squad of the St. Chux Derby Chix (SCDC) returns to action Saturday night for its home finale in what should be considered, arguably, its most important game of the season as it contains playoff implications.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
The St. Charles County-based “Pack In Black,” currently ranked #47 internationally by the Women’s Flat Tack Derby Association (WFTDA), faces #57 Oklahoma Victory at Matteson Square Gardens in St. Peters (3051 Industrial Park Place). First whistle blows at 6 p.m.
St. Chux (2-6) last played during the weekend of its self-hosted “Skate to Thrill” invitational in early April, where the team played in four high-octane games. In fact, all eight contests the team has competed in this season were performed during a six-week sprint.
That was a sizable workload. The last two months provided the opportunity for the Pack In Black to rejuvenate, both physically and mentally.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
“We had several bouts really close together, including two invitationals at the beginning of the season,” said St. Chux captain Pixie Dust-ruction. “So, yes, a break was exactly what we needed. We have all had time to refocus and I think it’s been very beneficial to all of us.”
The stakes are high Saturday as the battle with Oklahoma Victory will be the squad’s final sanctioned game prior to the WFTDA’s final release of calculated rankings, which will determine post-season placement. At #47, SCDC is currently classified by the governing body as Division 2, earmarked for the international leagues ranked #41 through #60.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
Jamming will be paced by Jedi Knight-N-Gale, who has posted a triple-digit scoring performance earlier this season as well as wily veteran GI Jamie and Sugar Shock. Also potentially in the mix is 50 Shades of Pink, who re-joins SCDC after tenure with St. Louis-based Arch Rival Roller Girls.
Blocking will be propelled by the aforementioned Dust-ruction as well as Whip L’Ash, Big Red, Blue Collar Brawler, Zombie F-Bomb,Tara Eyes, Zo D. Ax, Jane Error, Lisa Frank-n-Stein and Slaughterhaus.
The team the Pack In Black faces Saturday night also wants to keep its respective future alive in the WFTDA post-season. Right now, they sit near the bubble and can ill afford a huge setback.
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
#57 Oklahoma Victory (2-3) dropped eleven positions in the latest set of calculated rankings. They did notch a 178-104 victory over #90 Northwest Arkansas on June 6, but the final differential against that team might have hurt its future plans, as WFTDA calculated rankings take into consideration an opposing team’s overall strength.
Long story short, the downward-trending Oklahomans need to win, or stay close, if they want to be one of the twenty squads eligible for the Division 2 post-season. The factor of the unknown between the two leagues is going to be a narrative Saturday night.
“We have never played OKVD before, so we don’t have any experience with them,” said SCDC’s Dust-Ruction. “We know they will be a tough team.”
Photo Credit: Jeff Higgins
Tickets for Saturday, which includes a B-team contest between SCDC’s Hell’s Belles and Oklahoma Victory’s Battle Squad, are $10 at the door while children 12 and under get in free.
The Pack In Black would love to see a packed crowd at Matteson to help vocally aid its quest for WFTDA playoff solidification.
“We would just like to say a huge thank you to our fans for all of their support this season!” said Dust-Ruction. “We can’t wait to see you all on Saturday!”
Save $2 on tickets by purchasing them in advance online by going TO THIS LINK.
For more information on the St. Chux Derby Chix, go to stchuxderbychix.com.
