The NRDL - a Roller Rumble dynasty

[JonInMiddleGA]

Some incredible individual performances of late

Garcia sets the single-game women's scoring record with 22 points in Game 30 ... McGuire matches it in game 31.

That in turn robs Jensen of a POTG honor, she had 18 pack points vs L.A.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just a note for the readers ... for at least the next several games I'm going to try going back to doing the recaps the way I used to do them: in retrospect, after the game is completed.

Since I resumed play after the looooong hiatus, I've been doing them "live", typing up each period after I roll it. Feels to me like they're coming out a little too long that way and, to be honest, it feels like it's slowing me down on the actual playing too.

I'd kinda like to pick up the pace a little bit, so I'm going to at least give this little change a try.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Game 32
New York (1-6) at L.A. T-Birds (5-2)

Chiefs starting lineup:
W- O'Brien, Harrison, Dunn, Read, Forbes
M- Skull, Heminger, Atkinson Jr, Mallory, Robertson

T-Birds starting lineup: (McCorkell out injured, Robles suspended)
W- Heldon, Garvey, Mitchell, Miller, Sanchez
M- Hall, Washington, Reilly, Valadares, Rains

L.A. looks to win at home over the league's worst team

-- One of the ugliest periods ever played, only a single point scored but four players warned for rough play. L.A. leads.
-- A blindside hit by Skull sends Hall crashing into the infield, he's hurt (out 4 games) & headed to the locker room. Reilly scores five and the shutout remains intact. 8-0 L.A.
-- The lead stretches to 16-1 before New York gets a late deuce from O'Brien. It's all T-Birds so far, 16-3 after three
-- Atkinson, Jr grabs a helmet for the final jam of the period, racks up five points to make things much closer. 16-10 L.A. at the half.
-- Heldon's four points late in the period pushes the lead to 20-11
-- Valladares scores four to open the period, Atkinson again jams for five to close it. 25-18 T-Birds
-- Sanchez extends the lead to 9, O'Brien cuts it back to 6. T-Birds in front 27-21 with one period to go
-- Tsunoda gets three on the opening jam to make things uncomfortable. Robertson & Atkinson are both skunked in the final two jams, L.A. holds on for a win that shouldn't have been so close

Score-by-periods

Chiefs---0-0-3-7-1-7-3-3 = 24
T-Birds--1-7-8-0-4-5-2-0 = 27

Chiefs scorers:
O'Brien 5, Sasaki 2
Atkinson Jr 10, Tsunoda 5, Russell 2

T-Birds scorers:
Sanchez 6, Miller 4, Heldon 4, Murrell 1
Valladares 6, Reilly 5, Marshall 1

Penalties/Minutes:
Chiefs: Dunn 1/1, Quilici 1/1, Heminger 1/1, Tsunoda 1/1, Russell 1/1 = 5 for 5 minutes
T-Birds:Mitchell 1/1, Murrell 1/1, Whitman 1/1, Reilly 1/1, Rains 1/1, Johnson 1/1, Washington 1/2 (ejected) = 7 for 8 minutes

Injuries:
Chiefs: 7th Robertson (by Rains), 8th Read (infield)
T-Birds: 2nd Hall (by Skull), 6th Johnson (by Atkinson, Jr)

Players of the Game:
Chiefs: Maureen O'Brien & Buddy Atkinson, Jr
T-Birds: Gwen Miller & Ralphie Valladares
Next game: Philadelphia (5-2) at Bay Bombers (3-4)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Game 33
Philadelphia (5-2) at Bay Bombers (3-4)

Warriors starting lineup:
W- Scott, Mitchell, Arnold, Clay, Vega
M- Brown, Miller, Trotter, Terrigno, Morgan

Bombers starting lineup:
W- Saunders, Tucker, Baker, Cochu, Meyer
M- Cook, Donovan, O'Connell, Roman, Smith

Bombers need a win, Warriors try to stay in front in the East

-- Cochu scores six over two jams, Bombers lead 6-2 after one
-- Hosts score early but the Warriors score late, it's 11-7 Bombers after two
-- Clay is put out of the game by a big hit from Saunders but a slam by Ogbin (her first points of the season) pulls Philly to within two points at 14-12
-- Bombers open with four points (thanks to a power play caused by the ejection of the Philly coach), Warriors close with four of their own, it's 18-16 at the half.
-- Chippy period that sees the Bombers get the only scoring, a pair of singles that extend the lead to 20-16
-- More chippiness, penalties and physical play lead to only a single jam in the period & three points for the Bombers. Now 23-16
-- Three for Meyers and a slam by Graves push the lead to 31-16 but Ogbin delivers a slam of her own to close the gap before the period ends. 31-21 Bombers
-- After O'Connell blasted Trotter & put him out for the rest of the game, things got wild & wooly, two separate infield brawls led to four ejections (Philly reserves Stone & Kelly, Bombers starters Cook & Donovan). Warriors get three points to draw closer but time expires before they can get any more. Bombers win it 31-24.

Score-by-periods

Warriors---2-5-5-4-0-0-5-3 = 24
Bombers---6-5-3-4-2-3-8-0 = 31

Warriors scorers:
Ogbin 10, Vega 2
Terrigno 8, Miller 2, Morgan 2

Bombers scorers:
Cochu 9, Meyer 5, Graves 5
Smith 8, Roman 4

Penalties/Minutes:
Warriors: Mitchell 2/2, Scott 1/1, Clay 1/1, Sowinski 1/1, Stone 2/4 (ejected), Kelley 2/3 (ejected), Brown 1/1, Terrigno 1/1 = 11 for 14 minutes
Bombers: Baker 1/1, Cochu 1/1, Richards 1/1, Macedo 1/1, Cook 1/2 (ejected), Donovan 1/2 (ejected) = 6 for 8 minutes

Injuries:
Warriors: 2nd Clay (by Saunders), 8th Trotter (by O'Connell)
Bombers: None

Players of the Game:
Chiefs: Cindy Ogbin & Jim Terrigno
Bombers: Francine Cochu & Larry Smith

Next game: St. Louis (3-4) at Brooklyn (4-3)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Game 34
St. Louis (3-4) at Brooklyn (4-3)

Pioneers starting lineup:
W- Marshall, Young, Weston, Mateer, Hernandez
M- Stephens, Williams, Butler, Robinson, Vega

Devils starting lineup:
W- Jensen, Chavarin, Earp, McGuire, Jones
M- Scopas, Dancel, Monte, Krebs, Vasquez

Devils hope to move into a first place tie in the East with an OOC win

-- Back and forth period sees the visitors take a 6-4 lead
-- Brooklyn pulls ahead only to see Robinson & Quinn combine for 7 points on the final jam of the period, St. Louis leads 13-7
-- McGuire's 5 point power play helps draw the Devils to within 16-13
-- Krebs has a 9 point period, including a 5 point slam as time expires, giving the Devils a 24-19 halftime lead
-- Pulliam gets 5 to end the period, pushing the Brooklyn lead to 33-22
-- Robinson kills a promising opportunity by taking a penalty, the margin remains the same, now 36-25 Devils
-- Weston & Mateer combined to get St. Louis within 5 but McGuire & Jones combine for 7 late points, Brooklyn in control again at 46-34
-- Only a single point scored as the Devils stymie all St. Louis efforts. Brooklyn wins going away 47-34



Score-by-periods

Pioneers--- 6-7-3- 3-3-3- 9-0 = 34
Devils------4-3-6-11-9-3-10-1 = 47

Pioneers scorers:
Mateer 12, Weston 4, Young 3, Hernandez 2
Robinson 7, Quinn 5, Vega 1

Devils scorers:
McGuire 17, Jones 6, Pulliam 6
Krebs 11, Vasquez 3, Scopas 3, Monte 1

Penalties/Minutes:
Pioneers: Young 2/2, Hein 2/2, Quinn 1/2, Robinson 1/1 = 6 for 7 minutes
Devils: Pulliam 1/1, Vella 1/1, Dancel 1/2 (ejected, ref abuse), Krebs 1/1 =
4 for 5 minutes

Injuries:
Pioneers: Williams (6th, by Monte), Willis (8th, by Boyd)
Devils: None

Players of the Game:
Pioneers: Joanie Weston & Ronnie Robinson
Devils: Judi McGuire & Eddie Krebs

Next game: Texas (2-4) at Chicago (3-4)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Game 35
Texas (2-4) at Chicago (3-4)

Outlaws starting lineup:
W- Hardman, Rossner, Kadrmas, Sims, Moreland
M- Cattell, Maroff, Parker, Gonzalez, Miller

Hawks starting lineup:
W- Laszlo, Kazmerski, Calvello, Garcia, Bowers
M- H.Jackson, Rupert, Shaddock, Drew, Saunders

The league's two most violent teams collide

-- Garcia opens with 7 points as the Hawks races to an 8-0 lead, back comes Texas to tie period at 9-9
-- Chicago opens play very physically but the momentum shifts when Cattell sends Harold Jackson flying over the rail, leaving him shaken up & headed to the locker room. Things slow down from there but Texas comes away with a 12-10 lead
-- The Hawks ladies take control with a 9-0 period, pushing Chicago in front 19-12
-- Short-handed Chicago keeps the period even, it's 24-17 Hawks at the half
-- Texas turns the tables, Moreland has a pair of 5 point slams en route to a 10-0 period and a sudden 27-24 Outlaws lead
-- The arena roars as Mr. Mean Harold Jackson joins the team in the infield, spurring Drew to a single point jam that had looked rather hopeless ... The arena explodes when Jackson skates onto the track, clearing the way for a 4 point jam by Saunders and a 29-27 lead for the Hawks. Texas answers with authority however, Bad Boy Gonzalez gets five and it's 32-29 Outlaws as the period ends
-- Garcia gets a point to pull Chicago within two but Moreland closes out the period with three points of her own. Outlaws lead 35-30
-- Drew scores one for Chicago ... Texas in control of the next pack with Gonzalez looking to score big, when the whistles suddenly blow. Maroff's cheap shot has Rupert down & out on the track, killing the scoring opportunity ... Mr. Mean tries to give the Hawks one more lift and succeeds, clearing the way for a 5 point slam by the backup Del Gebbio, it's 37-36 Chicago with time ticking down ... Drew has a slight edge on the final jam and wisely calls it off before Miller can get anything. Chicago rallies for a thrilling win at home.


Score-by-periods

Outlaws-- 9-3-0-5-10-5-3-0 = 35
Hawks----9-1-9-5- 0 -5-1-6= 36

Outlaws scorers:
Moreland 13, Sims 5, Cho 4
Gonzalez 11, Miller 2

Hawks scorers:
Garcia 12, Bowers 6, Decker 1
Drew 7, Del Gebbio 6, Saunders 4

Penalties/Minutes:
Outlaws:Kadrmas 1/1, Parker 1/1 = 2 for 2 minutes
Hawks:Garcia 1/1, Decker 1/1, Saunders 1/1, Del Gebbio 1/1 = 4 for 4 minutes

Injuries:
Outlaws: None
Hawks: H.Jackson (1st, by Cattell), Rupert (8th, by Maroff)

Players of the Game:
Outlaws:Cathy Moreland & Leroy Gonzalez
Hawks: Stephanie Garcia & John Drew

Next game: Texas (2-5) at Cincinnati (5-2)

[tarcone]

Great stuff. Entertaining to read. Im rooting for St. Louis. But they dont seem to have it this season. Even with the big upset.

Have fun playing and posting.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Great stuff. Entertaining to read. Im rooting for St. Louis. But they dont seem to have it this season. Even with the big upset.

Thanks.

The problem for St. Louis thus far seems to be that they're a bit of a tweener team, not awful at anything but not great at anything. The division is still very much up for grabs however, as it's hard to imagine that Cincinnati will continue to play over their heads for a full year (i.e. the Royals have the second least talented roster in the NRDL, only New York is worse). That means that it could come down to the Pioneers vs Chicago for a division crown and they've split home-and-home thus far.

St. Louis also needs to find consistent scoring from someone on the men's side other than Robinson (58% of their men's points). Vega is trying but he seems more like a 3rd option than a 2nd option, Quinn has managed only one good game all year but maybe that'll be what gets him going.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Game 35
Texas (2-5) at Cincinnati (5-2)

Outlaws starting lineup:
W- Hardman, Syverson, Moreland, Sims, Cho
M- Cattell, Parker, Pound, Gonzalez, Miller

Royals starting lineup:
W- Green, Brown, Peterson, Lynch, Carr
M- Jackson, McPherson, Quarles, Gammon, Lewis

Texas may need an upset to start salvaging their season

-- Moreland's 9 point jam sparks Texas to an early 12-5 lead. Unusual event as Maroff was ejected before the men even skated, for starting an infield brawl with West.
-- Outlaws dominate physical play, with two injured Royals sidetracking them enough that Texas builds a 17-5 lead. Adding insult to injury (literally), McPherson is ejected after basically losing his mind at the officials
-- Peterson scores four of her team's five points to pull Cincy closer at 17-9
-- Another period, another injury that leaves the Royals shorthanded. Texas closes strong and leads 22-10 at the half
-- Finishing strong is again the Texas strategy, the lead grows to 26-11
-- Royals cut the lead to single digits ... and then Jackson gets ejected, Texas scores late in the period to make it 30-18
-- Carr gets five of her team's six points, closes the gap to 30-24
-- Pound notches a single for Texas but Gammon has an answer, a five point slam that makes it 31-29. Gonzales then adds Hesson to the list of injuries, helping tick away enough time that Texas pulls off the upset win on the road.

Score-by-periods

Outlaws-- 12-5-0-5-4-4-0-1 = 31
Royals---- 5-0-5-1-1-6-6-5 = 29

Outlaws scorers:
Moreland 12, Sims 4
Gonzalez 9, Miller 2, Melano 2, Parker 1, Pound 1

Royals scorers:
Carr 10, Peterson 5, Wong 2
Gammon 6, Littles 4, Lewis 2

Penalties/Minutes:
Outlaws: Syverson 1/1, Sims 1/1, Cattell 1/1, Miller 1/1, Maroff 1/2 (ejected - fighting) = 5 for 6 minutes

Royals:Wong 1/1, Jackson 2/3 (ejected - ref abuse), West 2/3, McPherson 1/2 (ejected - ref abuse), Quarles 1/1, Littles 1/1 = 8 for 11 minutes

Injuries:
Outlaws: None
Royals: Quarles (2nd, by Cheedham), Littles (2nd, by Cattell), Jackson (4th, by Pound), Hesson (8th, by Gonzalez)

Players of the Game:
Outlaws: Carolyn Moreland & Jerry Cattell
Royals: Mary Ann Carr & Mike Gammon

Next game: Texas (3-5) at L.A. T-Birds (6-2)

[JonInMiddleGA]

NRDL Standings (after 8 of 24 games)
(with W-L, GB, +/- pts)

Western Division
LA T-Birds 6-2, --, (-5)
Bay Bombers 4-4, 2, +37
Texas Outlaws 3-5, 3, (-27)

Central Division
Cincinnati Royals 5-3, --, +5
Chicago Hawks 4-4, 1, (-4)
St. Louis Pioneers 3-5, 2, +4

Eastern Division
Philadelphia Warriors 5-3, --, +1
Brooklyn Red Devils 5-3, --, +37
New York Chiefs 1-7, 4, (-48)

[JonInMiddleGA]

NRDL Scoring Leaders (after 8 of 24 games)

Women
---------------
Judi McGuire (Bkln) - 16.0 ppg / 8 games
Francine Cochu (Bay) - 11.6 ppg / 8 games
Stephanie Garcia (Tex) - 11.4 ppg / 8 games
Bobbie Mateer (StL) - 9.0 ppg / 8 games
Sonja Sims (Tex) - 7.4 ppg / 7 games


Men
---------------
Larry Smith (Bay) - 10.4 ppg / 8 games
Ronnie Robinson (StL) - 10.4 ppg / 8 games
Tony Roman (Bay) - 8.8 ppg / 8 games
Leroy Gonzales (Tex) - 8.5 ppg / 8 games
Jim Terrigno (Phl) - 8.4 ppg / 8 games



NRDL Penalty Leaders (after 8 of 24 games)
Women
-------------
Barbara Baker (Bay) - 6/7 mins
Ruberta Mitchell (Phl) - 6/7 mins
Judy Sowinski (Phl) - 6/7 mins
Joanie Weston (StL) - 5/6 mins
Sandy Dunn (NY) - 4/6 mins

Men
-------------
Bob Woodbury (Chi) - 7/10 mins
Rick West (Cin) - 6/9 mins
Darnay McPherson (Cin) - 6/8 mins
Frankie Macedo (Bay) - 6/7 mins
Jim Jackson (Cin) - 5/8 mins

[JonInMiddleGA]

Around the NRDL (after 8 of 24 games)

A quick check of notes from around the league ...

-- LA T-Birds (6-2, 1st in the Western Division) --
Somehow, some way, the T-Birds find themselves with the best record in the NRDL. The women seemed to be finding themselves only to have the lineup hit hard by the injury to McCorkell, which forces Miller to spend time at pivot instead of jamming. Right now the men are in "different hero every night" mode and that may have to carry them for another 4 game cycle.

-- Brooklyn (5-3, tied for 1st in the East)
The Judi McGuire show continues, helping the Devils' women to a ridiculous +81 for the year. The men however have managed the second fewest points in the league and badly need to find a consistent second scoring option to help Krebs (6.8 ppg)

-- Philadelphia (5-3, tied for 1st in the East) -- Dropping three of their last four games after a 4-0 start drops the Warriors into a first place tie. They need to improve defensively (3rd most points allowed) on both units and finding a banger or two might be on their wishlist

-- Cincinnati Royals (5-3, 1st in the Central Division)
Still 8th in scoring but 2nd in scoring defense, it's hard to complain about the Royals start, the loss to Texas notwithstanding. That loss did show some of the cracks in the lineup at times, but still an impressive start to the season for a team that barely formed in time to join the NRDL's inaugural campaign

-- Bay Bombers (4-4, 2nd in the West)
Cochu & Meyer join Smith & Roman as perhaps the league's best pair of scoring duos. Pack play has improved in recent games but there's still a sense that this team isn't doing as much as the talent on paper says it should. It's the cause of plenty of headscratching & no one is sure they've got the answer.

-- Chicago Hawks (4-4, 2nd in the Central)
Chicago has won 3 of 4 and is playing better than they did at the outset. Physical play is their style but one has to wonder if perhaps, the men in particular, they wouldn't benefit from dialing it back just a notch. Suspensions have left only 2 starters making all of the first 8 games and that means they've been playing shorthanded more than most clubs.

-- St.Louis Pioneers (3-5, 3rd in the Central Division)
From first to third in a span of 4 games. The best defensive women's team in the league so far, but with the exception of Robinson, the men have struggled on offense and lack a clear second or third option. Another team that might be looking to find some help from outside the organization if they stay in contention but if they stumble for another few weeks then you might see them become sellers instead of buyers.

-- Texas Outlaws (3-5, 3rd in the West)
The addition of Moreland has made a big difference for the Texas women. The men meanwhile need to get more production out of veterans like Parker & Pound if the club is to stay afloat in the standings.

-- New York Chiefs (1-7, 3rd in the East) -- The defense has picked up in the past few games but the offense (9th in points scored) has not. Not even the recent roster shakeup seems to have helped and it may simply be a long season for New York.