Recap

Rollers Stun Rush in First Match of Playoffs

Rollers Women Deliver Stunning First Game Victory

Anyone handicapping this match would have given easy odds to the Vancouver Rush to win it in the minimum four games. Someone forgot to tell the Northern Rollers they were supposed to abide by this. In a stirring first game of this 1^st vs. 8^th clash, the Rollers Jessica Kawamoto and Emma Li grabbed a lead just before the midway point and then beat the Rush’s Alex Walker and Casey Rodgers handily, by a 15-11 count.

This contest started slowly but picked up with the Rush leading 3-2. Li tied things up with a neat set up shot and then put the Rollers ahead with a wicked backhand. After Rodgers tied it with a set-up shot of her own, Kawamoto and Li teamed up to put the Rollers ahead to stay. The Rollers dominated much of the play thereafter, with Player of the Match Kawamoto all over the Pickleroll floor making stellar shots and Li shooting the lights out too.

With the score 13-11, the Rush took a much-needed timeout. However, the break worked in the Rollers’ favor as they rallied and played staunch defense to finish this one off.

Rush Men Redeem Team with Decisive Win

It didn’t look good out of the gate, but the Rush’s Brett Forsythe and Nathan Choi eventually kicked things into high gear to beat the Rollers Rob Krizmanich and Jonas Dahler, 15-10. Dahler and Krizmanich forced the Rush into mistakes with brilliant shots, but then came the turning point with the Rollers ahead 4-2.

Krizmanich smoked what looked to be the Rollers fifth point, but the referees judged the shot to be too long. That propitious break gave the Rush all kinds of steam, as they went on a big run to go ahead 9-5 and force a Rollers timeout. The Rush’s onslaught continued unabated, with Forsythe and Choi making all manner of clever shots to force Rollers into bad shots in return.

After another great Krizmanich backhand trimmed the lead to 12-8, Choi smacked an amazing counter shot to keep the five-point cushion, but then two Rush unforced errors gave the Rollers hope. Uncharacteristically, though, Krizmanich would find the Selkirk net on two straight returns, handing the Rush a match-tying win.

Rollers Crush Rush in First Mixed Doubles Tilt

In a nutshell, one bad bounce seemed to do in the heavily favored Rush in this key game. In the early stages, the Rollers Jessica Kawamoto and Jonas Dahler battled back and forth with the Rush’s Alex Walker and Brett Forsythe, with the Rollers rallying to take a 4-3 lead. However, on the next play, a Dahler return took a bad hop for a point, unnerving Forsythe, who missed it.

With that still playing on his and his partner’s mindset, it became the Dahler and Kawamoto show. After two great shots for points by Dahler, the demoralized Rush were forced to expend a timeout down 7-3. Dahler and Kawamoto showed no mercy after the break, continuing their dominance of the kitchen and forcing Walker and Forsythe into a litany of unforced errors, leading to a 12-6 cushion.

Forsythe did smack a vicious forehand to trim that lead, but Dahler answered with a resounding overhand to retain it. After Kawamoto hit net on a return to make the score 13-8, she redeemed herself with a nice set-up that a visibly shaken Forsythe put side out. Dahler, our choice for Player of the Game, finished it off with a blazing cross.

Rollers Finish Improbable Match Win in Thrilling Finale

The Rollers, who were 2-12 in the Eastern and Western Splits, sure didn’t play like the last place team. The mixed doubles team of Rob Krizmanich and Emma Li played a spirited back-and-forth contest with the 10-4 Rush’s Nathan Choi and Casey Rodgers, coming out on top 15-14.

Krizmanich and Choi asserted themselves from the first serve, both making three great winning shots for a 4-4 tie. After Li dropped a nice forehand winner, the Rush took a timeout. Li and Krizmanich, however, took that rest to forge ahead and keep the pressure on the no. 1 seeded Rush, who had a foot foul called on Rodgers to go down 10-7.

The two squads continued to trade points, with some stunning rallies punctuated by some nervous unforced errors before the Rush called a timeout with the Rollers leading 13-11. This time, the Rush came out swinging, forcing the Rollers into two straight side out shots and then taking a 14-13 lead and forcing a Rollers timeout. The two teams then battled through six straight freezes before the Rollers capped their huge win when Choi missed a crossing shot.