The thrill of victory!!! Spiders beat Nemesis 2-1

April 6, 2013

After going down 1-0 midway through the first period the Spiders showed heart by battling back for a 2-1 win over the Nemesis on Friday night.

The Nemesis got on the board first, scoring from a sharp angle after a shot deflected to the side of the net. The Nemesis had the better opportunities early as the Spiders took some time to get their feet underneath them. Late in the period the Spiders dump and chase game started working as they pinned the Nemesis in their own end and cycled the puck.

By the start of the second period the Spiders were controlling play but Nemesis sub netminder Bobby Stewart made numerous big saves. The Spiders created several scrambles in front of the net after loose pucks but the Nemesis D or Stewart were there to clear the puck or make the save.

A Nemesis interference penalty late in the second period gave the Spiders a power play to start the third period. After an odd man rush nearly led to a goal, the puck came out to Josh Cagle at the right circle. Cagle found Dave Schliesman open between the circles and the Schliesman beat the Nemesis goalie over the glove side shoulder to tie the game.

Both teams were desperate for a win and were pressing late as a tie would kill championship hopes for either team. The Nemesis nearly scored the go ahead goal in the last five minutes with the Spiders killing a penalty. A pass from behind the goal got through cleanly to a Nemesis defenseman at the top of the circle. The shot was heading into the upper corner before Jay Hilden stepped in front to deflect it over the net.

With just over two minutes to play the Spiders cleanly won a faceoff in their own end. Matt Adelmann picked it up and had a head of steam coming out of the zone before making a pass to Jim Maietta on the wing to make it a two-on-one. Maietta carried it up the wing before making a beautiful pass across to Adelmann on the far post, who knocked it home. The Spiders bench and sizable crowd erupted as the Spiders championship hopes were resuscitated.

The Spiders efficiently killed off a late penalty and an extra attacker to take a much needed 2-1 win.

Not only was the win huge but the level of play against a very good Nemesis team also adds confidence going forward. The Avengers beat the Beavers 2-1 in the late game, keeping the Spiders alive for a berth in the championship game.

The Spiders face off against the Avengers at 3:30pm on Saturday at Richfield. A win coupled with a loss or tie by the Beavers against the Nemesis will move the Spiders to the championship game on Sunday.