Spiders prep for lateral move up to C1 in 2012-13
Sept. 26, 2012
With the agony of a 4-2 playoff semi-final loss to the hated Zephyrs subsiding, the Spiders are gearing up for the 2012-13 season.
The roster will look very familiar to die hard Spiders fans. Mark Bortnem and Doug Thorson return to the full time line up after skating as subs last season. Cody Yard is no longer an inmate (or guard, I forget which one) at the prison so his schedule now allows him to return as a sub. Brad Butalla is still recovering from a shoulder injury suffered during a game in March and will start the season on the Physically Unable To Perform list before hopefully making a mid-season return. Apart form that, it's the usual suspects, just slower, older, and fatter. I smell a championship!
After several seasons of play at a high level (by old guy standards), the Spiders always wondered when they may be asked to move up from the C2 to C1 level. This is the year…kinda.
Last year there were 30 teams in the C2 level. Parity was pretty good last season – no team had more than 15 wins in the regular season and only five teams had fewer than five wins. But the league has decided to split the division. The old C1 becomes the new B3. The upper half of C2 is now C1. The bottom half of C2 stays C2. Got it?
The preliminary C1 division includes:
| Team | 2011-12 record |
|---|---|
| Admirals | 14-5-1-0 (C2 champions) |
| Beavers | 11-7-2-0 |
| Blizzard | 14-1-3-2 |
| Bulls | 14-5-0-1 |
| Fighting Piranhas | 14-4-1-1 |
| Rack Attack | 13-3-2-2 |
| Royals | 12-7-1-0 (C2 semi-finalist) |
| Sharks | 11-6-3-0 |
| Sled Dogs | 14-4-2-0 |
| Spiders | 14-4-2-0 (C2 semi-finalist) |
| Sting | 12-6-2-0 |
| Thunder Chickens | 10-6-2-0 |
| Warriors | 9-6-2-3 |
| Yellow Jackets | 12-7-1-0 |
| Zephyrs | 15-4-1-0 |
So tighten up your chinstraps and start your off season training (better late than never, right?). There won’t be many gimmes this season.
