Spiders Gut Out 3-2 Win Over Warriors

Dec. 12, 2011

Riding a two-game losing streak, the Spiders desperately needed a win against the Warriors on Saturday night. Additionally, the Spiders, Warriors, and Zephyrs were all tied for second place in the C2 North behind the dominating M’s.

The Spiders started struck early with Brian Armagost getting a goal off a scramble in front of the net less than two minutes into the game. Controlling the puck and playing tight defense, the Spiders dominated play through the first half of the opening period. The lead was extended to 2-0 when Brad Butalla put home a rebound off a shot from the point.

The second period featured the Warriors gaining momentum and some of the most inconsistent officiating ever seen in the AHA. Apparently USA Hockey has reversed their previous emphasis on calling interference, hooking, and holding consistently and these officials were a prime example.

The Warriors closed the gap to 2-1 midway through the period as a bouncing puck short-hopped past Brian Dow with the Spiders on the kill. Another random penalty on the Spiders resulted in the Warriors knotting the score at 2-2 with a fluke goal. A Spiders skater got knocked down in front of the net and the puck ended up underneath him. While trying to swipe the puck away, it got knocked into the net.

The game turned physical in the third period as the officials lack of a coherent perspective on the game resulted in players taking matters into their own hands. The Spiders were on the receiving end of many of these calls and one of the officials even recommended we “learn to skate better.” He apparently believes he is at a much higher level than us lowly C2 skaters but everyone else on the ice would disagree.

The ice again tilted in favor of the Spiders and they were able to get the winning goal late in the third period. On the penalty kill, Matt Adelmann beat the defense up the right wing, let a shot go from the circle, and put his own rebound past Warriors sub netminder David Homel. Two late Warriors penalties and smart puck movement by the Spiders brought the game to an end with a 3-2 Spiders win.

The win keeps the Spiders in second place in the C2 North by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Zephyrs. The Zephyrs did the Spiders a solid on Sunday as they beat the previously undefeated M’s by a 3-1 score.

The Spiders next take the ice on Sunday, December 18th against the Roadrunners. The Roadrunners feature former D1 Spider stars Jake Cison and Travis Fransen.