The Terminal City Rollergirls championship is generally more heated than regular season bouts, but Saturdays fifth annual finale was a scorcher that nearly set the Kerrisdale Arena ablaze.
The undefeated Faster Pussycats and rookie-fuelled Public Frenemy battled for a frenetic 60 minutes, each proving to be equally worthy of hoisting the championship Mercury Shield.
When the smoke clearedor maybe it was reduced to kitty litter dustit was the Faster Pussycats who emerged victorious 131-114 in a bout that saw epic lead changes, a frenzy of huge hits and deftly executed strategy from both sides.
After the first seven jams, things were spiraling for the Pussycats as they went down 46-12 and were shut out for four consecutive jams. They rallied and tied the score with both teams leaving for the locker room at halftime with 69 points a piece.
As they usually do, the Pussycats methodically added to their lead in the second half, quickly taking a 82-64 lead. Frenemy fought right back and threatened to regain the lead. With eight minutes remaining the score was 110-107 for the Pussycats. Frenemy tried everything in its explosive arsenal to recapture the lead as the clock ticked down.
With one jam left, the crowd explodedsome prematurely celebrating the Pussycats first championship victory while others rallied behind Frenemy for a final comeback that ultimately didnt materialize.
