GateKeepers lose two close ones and end up with 4th place at the MRDA Championships.

It was suppose to be a weekend of celebration, the GateKeepers had worked all year for this moment and felt confident going into the tournament that they were prepared. They knew they were going to take the best shots of the teams they faced. Since Spring Roll the GateKeepers were marked men. All of the other teams in the MRDA were gunning for them and they were in for the fight of their lives.

(#1) GateKeepers vs. (#4) Puget Sound Outcasts

This is the match-up everyone expected to see. A rematch from Spring Roll in which the GateKeepers trounced the Outcasts by a score of 201 - 78. Puget Sound was coming into the bout having just beat up Pioneer Valley by a score of 225 - 64 and they were looking to avenge their worst loss ever. Simply put, Puget Sound brought it. They played physical and the addition of new players Speed Dealer and Stan da Side made an immediate impact.

On the first jam of the game, Short Knocks broke a truck and passed the star to Magum P.I.M.P. who then put a 10 spot up on the board. The GateKeepers would rack up a 31-7 lead after the first six jams and seemingly took control of the bout. However, Puget Sound hung around. The GateKeepers never led by more than 27 and Puget Sound keep clawing and fighting. At the half the GateKeepers were up 68-51.

The second half saw more of the same. The GateKeepers would score some points and then Puget Sound would answer. Puget Sound had a couple of golden opportunities about midway through the second half when Bat Wing and Short Knocks both were sent off within just a couple jams of each other, but Puget Sound was unable to capitalize on Bat Wing’s trip when Thunderstruck was sent off for a major track cut after only scoring eight points. Puget was also only able to score eight points during Knocks’ trip to the box. Then the GateKeepers imploded with penalty problems as they had numerous four on two packs in favor of Puget Sound and Puget put the clamps down going on a 32 - 1 run. Puget trailed for all but six minutes of the bout, but those six minutes would be all they needed to pull off the stunning upset and move on to the Championship to face the New York Shock Exchange who had dispatched Magic City earlier in the day by a score of 139 - 131.

Scoring:

GateKeepers: Short Knocks - 34; Debaucherous Prime - 24; Magnum P.I.M.P. - 23; Bat Wing - 18; Gnat King Kill - 7

Puget Sound: Speed Dealer - 34; Thunderstruck - 33; Scott Slamilton - 26; Stan DaSide - 24; Hollywood “Chuck” - 6

(#1) GateKeepers vs. (#3) Magic City Misfits

The GateKeepers thought they might face off against the Misfits in this tournament, but they expected it to be in the Championship bout, not the consolation bracket. Magic City was coming off of a nail-biter against New York that came down to the last couple of jams and the GateKeepers were coming off of a heartbreaking loss.

The bout started with a 0 - 0 jam followed by a 2 - 2 jam as the teams got a feel for each other. Magic City had already played two bouts and the GateKeepers were only an hour removed from their bout against Puget Sound, but that didn’t seem to affect the physicality of either team as they were beating each other up in the packs. Bodies were literally flying everywhere and by the time the dust settled at the end of the first half, Magic City held a 23 point lead with the score of 92 - 69.

In the second half the physical play continued and the GateKeepers would hang around in striking distance. I wondered if we would see the GateKeepers do to Magic City what Puget Sound did in the previous bout and strike right at the end, but that strike never came as Magic City held on and won by a final score of 170 - 145.

Scoring:

GateKeepers: Gnat King Kill - 48; Bat Wing - 47; Short Knocks - 34; Debaucherous Prime - 16

Magic City: Calkinballs - 53; Streak - 51; Drew Peacock - 33; Johnny Longhare - 21; Buster Muffinhaf - 9

Final Thoughts:

It was a heartbreaking weekend. The team came in feeling good and seemed ready to go, but when it came time to take care of business, they didn’t do it. I spoke to Magnum P.I.M.P. to get his thoughts on what happened and he said the following: “The GateKeepers play lacked the fire and determination that earned us the #1 ranking. It wasn’t that we played awful. It was that we didn’t have anyone play great. It was like we were waiting for someone to step up and make a big play and no one did. We had two very close bouts and played two extremely talented teams. We didn’t bring the best game we had and lost because of it. We weren’t outmatched, we were outplayed.”

With that, the 2011 season comes to an end. While it didn’t end on a high note, a lot of great things happened this year for the GateKeepers that have laid the groundwork for many great seasons to come. We will be having our awards ceremony on November 13th and I will have a write up shortly thereafter. You can also expect my “Year in Review” write up in mid-December.

Keep a close eye on our webpage as I’m sure we will be announcing our 2012 Turf Wars schedule very soon.

See you at the bouts!

Star-Spangled Hammer

Star-Spangled Hammer is the announcer for the St. Louis GateKeepers.

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