Spiders take wild 8-7 win over Fighting Piranhas in playoff finale
April 8, 2017
Highlights:
Fighting Piranhas B3 vs. Spiders
Saturday, Apr. 8, 2017,
11:30 a.m. – Richfield 1
Game 23 (AHA game 10510)
- Fighting Piranhas final score:
- 7
- Spiders final score:
- 8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Piran... | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Spiders | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
Summer was in the air as the Spiders took the ice for their final playoff game of the 2016-17 season. Their opponent, the Fighting Piranhas, were in the same position as the Spiders – 0-2 and eliminated from championship contention but looking for a good result to put an exclamation mark on the season. To up the stakes, the teams wagered a couple cases of Colorado’s finest on the line.
Jay Hilden got the Spider started with a pair of goals early in the first with Cory Vandenberghe extending the lead to 3-0 at the end of the period. Jason Yancey added his 15th of the season early in the second to make it 4-0 and it appeared the rout was on. The Piranhas showed some fight and quickly answered the Yancey goal. Zach Freeman added his second of the season to make it 5-1 as the second period but the Piranhas notched two quick goals to bring the period to a close at 5-3.
The Spiders got some breathing room with Jay Hilden completing the hat trick just a minute into the third. And then the wheels came off for the Spiders… The Piranhas scored four goals in a six-minute span to take the lead 7-6 after being down 4-0. The Spiders were down but not out as Jay Hilden, continuing his heroic display, tied the game with is fourth of the night. Jason Yancey completed the comeback by roofing one over the Piranhas netminder to give the Spiders the 8-7 win.
After the game the Spiders retired to the parking lot to grill and consume their victory beverages.
The B3 championship game on Sunday pitted the Lakers against the Wild. The Lakers were the favorites headed into the playoffs while the Wild made an improbable run the title game after finishing 4th in the B3 East and having the fewest regular season points of any B3 playoff team. In a one-sided affair, the Lakers took a 5-1 championship win in the inaugural season for this version of the Lakers franchise. It should be noted the closest game the Lakers played during the playoffs was their 6-3 win over the Spiders.20170408
As the focus turns to the 2017-18 season confidence is high for the Spiders as they return essentially the same roster.
For details, see the box score and game summary.
