Spiders hold off Thunder Chickens with late goal

Feb. 11, 2013

Neither slushy roads nor an injury to a key player nor a late scare from a good Thunder Chickens team could keep the Spiders from a win on Sunday night.

The Spiders took a 6-2 win over the Chickens earlier in the season but no one believed it would be easier the second time around. Not even an obviously short bench for the Thunder Chickens had the Spiders feeling overly confident.

Mark Bortnem got the scoring started at 6:56 of the first period to stake the Spiders to a 1-0 lead. The Chickens struck back minutes later. The period ended at a 1-1 tie but the Spiders controlled play, outshooting the Chickens 13-5.

The second period brought more of the same as goals by Matt Adelmann and Doug Thorson extended the lead to 3-1 with the Spiders comfortably in the lead.

Content to just let the clock run out, the Spiders decided there was no need to skate to the puck or play smart hockey. The Chickens apparently didn’t get the memo that the game was over as two goals in a minute tied the game at 3-3. Netminder Brian Dow was forced to make a several key saves before the team re-grouped.

With the clock ticking toward OT, Cory Vandenberghe scored the go-ahead goal with a shot from the left circle. As Vandenberghe remarked after the game, the way in which he scored was rare for him. Normally his goals come from poking home loose pucks or swatting in rebounds, generally ending with him lying on the ice covered in snow.

In the last seconds of the game, one particular Chicken decided he’d had enough of his run of mill slashing and kidney shots so he started dishing out elbows and cross checks. Penalty king Jim Maietta, never one to back down, decided to place said Chicken on his back. Amazingly the refs saw none of the cluckers transgressions and only called Maietta. Two minutes well earned if you ask me. Final score 4-3.

The one low point of the night was an injury to defense stalwart Tim Stalpes early in the game. Stalpes gingerly left the ice with a lower body injury. Spider’s medical director Dr. James Andrews stated Stalpes is expected back before the playoffs.

The win moves the Spiders to 10-2-1 and 1-1/2 games clear of the Sled Dogs for first in the C1 East. The Spiders will take on those same Sled Dogs on Saturday, February 16th. St. Louis Park east rink will be the host with a 9:45pm face off.