Gatekeepers-NYSE Final jam

Without the benefit of a rolling game clock or seeing the scoreboard in general, we have to establish a few things. For all intents and purposes, this is the last jam of the game. The St. Louis Gatekeepers have a15 point lead against New York Stock Exchange. NYSE is skating with the 3-1 pack advantage with both jammers in play. They choose to take knee down start to optimize the amount of time Jammer Jonathon R can score against St. Louis' Batwing.


The Jam officially starts at 0:23 into the video and the Jammers are released on the No Pack call. Jonathon R gets to the front of the pack and around the lone Gatekeepers defender for lead jammer, while Batwing gets stuck behind a 3-wall. Jonathon R earns Lead Jammer at 0:32 in the video. Batwin escapes the pack but is called for a penalty at 0:42, less than 19 seconds after the jam is started. Again, we don't have the benefit of seeing all the action, so I'm speculating that it was initiating contact in the air, a Misconduct, setting a Power Jam in motion for New York. In the meantime, a Gatekeeper blocker returns to play from the penalty box, but not before Jonathon R earns an easy 5 points at 0:48.


At 0:53 NYSE's No. 2 makes a distinct motion that looks like it could have been called for Destruction of the Pack, but again we can't see the proximity (or lack of it properly). Both teams do make an attempt at forming the pack/keeping the pack formation. At 0:58 Jonathon R hits the pack for his second scoring pass, just as NYSE blocker No. 42(??) initiates a block against a Gatekeeper blocker, and proceeds to suicide stop as the two Gatekeeper blockers skate forward to block Jonathon R. A Gatekeeper blocker comes out of the penalty box and is instantly trapped by a NYSE three-wall putting the two lead St. Louis blockers out of play. Jonathon R earns another 5 points. At some at about 1:05 a whistle is blown for what I'm assuming was a Major (maybe for Destroying the Pack) against an NYSE blocker, as Gatekeepers now have a 3-2 pack advantage.


At 1:10, NYSE No. 2 initiates a legal block with the assist of 42, who then pulls him back, just as Jonathon R hits the pack. This action illegally creates a No Pack situation (i.e. Destroying the Pack) as JR addresses the St. Louis three-wall at the top of the pack. At 1:13, a whistle is blown and a referee issues a Destruction of the Pack penalty to NYSE. Jonathon earns another 5 points at 1:17 into the video.


The camera gets a little ahead of the action at 1:19 and we can't see everything but there does look to be effort on the part of the Gatekeepers to maintain a pack. But they get a little spread out and JR earns another five points.


The fourth Gatekeepers blocker returns to the track at 1:26 into the video, ahead of JR, and tries to initiate a block just as he enters the engagement zone, but allows the NYSE jammer to shuffle by. JR hits the pack and gets stuffed by a STL three-wall at 1:33 and again the camera is a little ahead of the action. A NYSE blocker delays getting on the track just a fellow blocker is exiting for a penalty, intentionally preventing a pack from forming. JR pushes through some more than passive Gatekeepers blocking, drawing some Out of Play Blocking penalties against St. Louis at 1:37. JR finally exits the pack, thusly scoring another 5 points, and a NYSE blocker is distinctly seen at the back of the track not making an attempt to reform the pack.


JR hits the pack again at 1:52, with what looks like one lone NYSE blocker taking the slow, outside line, letting his jammer try to draw the 2 remaining Gatekeepers Out of Play. At about 1:54 an NYSE blocker exits the penalty box, skates what looks to be against the legal direction making intentional contact with a STL blocker to push him out of the way to free JR. The referees I believe call the offending NY blocker on the penalty, as another Stock Exchange blocker returns to play from the penalty box.


The call from the mike is that Bat Wing returns to the track 2:04 into the video just as JR springs through for another 5 point score pass and calls the jam off.


This is going to be one of the videos that skaters and refs will scrutinize over for a few months, as there were multiple times a No Pack situation was created both legally and illegally. NYSE definitely used the rules to their advantage (or more to the disadvantage of the Gatekeepers) and manipulated gameplay enough to eek out a victory.


In the words of Conan the Vegetarian, this is why we can't have nice things.

Web hits for April 2012

Thanks to a well-times blog on Wild Cherry's departure from Gotham to Atlanta, fivepointgrandslam.com saw some tremendous traffic, barely surpassing the previous hit record set in September.


In April 2012, the site picked up 523 hits, 7 more than the September 2011 hit total. After a bit of a lapse (and lack of good posts) after Regional/Championship season, I'm starting to pick up the blogging again.


Hopefully we'll have a few more posts for this month and we'll soon be heading into the summer seasons.


April 2012 - 523 hits
March 2012 - 273 hits
February 2012 - 170 hits
January 2012 - 211 hits
December 2011 - 229 hits
November 2011 - 445 hits
October 2011 - 328 hits
September 2011 - 516 hits