Game 1: Pioneer Valley vs. Upper Valley
Upper Valley forfeits, Pioneer Valley advances.
Game 2: Bay State vs. Rock Coast [photos from this bout]
This was the first bout actually played at the tournament, and it was a little bit like watching Team USA play Team Canada at the World Cup. The girls from Maine brought superior speed, agility, and strategy, and just took over the track. They started off with an easy 9 points in the first jam and kept building up that lead. Each team had one power jam in the first half, but Rock Coast racked up points in almost every jam while holding Bay State steady in more than half of them. Rock Coast wrapped up the first half with a 101-20 lead over Bay State.
Despite coming into the second half with new energy, Bay State wasn't able to close the gap. They had a 20-point jam about halfway through, but then couldn't score again until there were less than three minutes on the clock, letting Rock Coast pick up more points along the way. Not even a 19-point jam for Bay State at the very end of the bout could get them within spitting distance, so Rock Coast walked away with a 170-78 win and advanced to the next round.
Game 3: Black Ice Brawlers vs. Maine Calamity Janes [photos from this bout]
This was another somewhat unbalanced bout. The Brawlers had a few skaters who were bouting for the very first time, while the Janes brought more seasoned players, and that experience showed on the track. The Brawlers got first blood with a single point in the first jam, but Maine answered with 24 in the next jam, and that set the point gap trend for the rest of the bout. Maine only let the Brawlers pick up points in the first, second, third, and final jams of the first half, wrapping it up with an 88-21 lead at halftime.
Second verse, same as the first. Jam 4 was a good power jam for the Brawlers, but they got stuck shortly after that and could only watch as the Janes racked up points in almost every jam. The Brawlers had a last gasp 12-point jam at the very end, but it wasn't nearly enough. Maine finished up the bout with a 139-55 win and moved up to the next bracket.
