Excitement filled the Fernie Memorial Arena this past Saturday, as the Avalanche City Roller Girls (ACRG) played their first home game of the 2014 season. The game was a battle of the Kootenays' best derby, matching the Nelson KillJoys (holding the 2013 West Kootenay Championship) against Fernie's Roller Girls (the 2013 East Kootenay Champions).
Having been on the road for the past three months, ACRG were excited to play in front of a home crowd at the Fernie Memorial Arena. This was the first time these teams had met, and the intensity showed throughout the game. The Nelson team was skating strong, as they had not lost a game in the past two years. ACRG were confident leading into the game against Nelson, having faced some of their skaters earlier this year when they played the Kootenay Kanibelles, the West Kootenays travel team.
ACRG hit the ground rolling, taking the lead from the get go, and never looked back. The Fernie team put their well practiced strategies into place with solid defensive blocking, and stopped the KillJoy jammers in their tracks. The action came to a standstill halfway through the second half, calling for an injury time out. Paramedics were quick to assist the Nelson skater who later walked away with no serious injuries.
The teams regrouped for the final push, but ACRG's 11 skater line-up was just too strong for the West Kootenays Championship team. Avalanche City Roller Girls defeated the Nelson Killjoys, 284 to 149.
Earlier in the day, Avalanche City's junior team, the bombsQUAD, faced the Windy City WipeOuts of Lethbridge. Playing in their second ever official game, this was a chance for the bombsQUAD to put their skills into practice and they certainly rose to the challenge. The teams were evenly matched as the lead changed several times throughout the game. In the end, the Windy City WipeOuts were victorious over the Avalanche City bombsQUAD 168 to 147.
ACRG will settle into their home season here in the Elk Valley with the next game coming up on Saturday, June 7. To learn more about the Avalanche City Roller Girls team, schedule and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.fernierollerderby.com.