Wingmen take one from the Spiders in OT

Jan. 17, 2009

Highlights:

Quote:: “We lost.” — Rob Droullard
Out of the room first:: Lee Martini (who else)

Spiders at Wingmen

Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009,
9:00 p.m. – Biff Adams

Game 12

Spiders final score:: 2
Wingmen final score:: 3

Final – 01/17/2009
Team	1	2	3	OT	F
Spiders	1	0	1	0	2
Wingmen	1	1	0	1	3

It was the third annual Hockey Day Minnesota, where seven games and 10 hours of television coverage somehow omitted the hallmark ticket from their schedule: the Spiders vs. the Wingmen. But although FSN chose the team of 18,000 just down the street from the Biff for their prime time broadcast, it turned out that fans at both rinks would be disappointed.

In their second meeting of the season (the first resulted in the Spiders’ first win), the Wingmen hit the cold Biff ice with all jets firing, showing they meant business by being led by famed coach Rob Little, who manned the bench. Unlike the last matchup, where the Wingmen had a sub in net, this time the Spiders would have to try to solve the Wingmen’s S. Maloney in, above and all over the crease.

The Spiders did get out ahead with just under 5 minutes remaining in the first, when a flip-up from Jeremy Litton (-2 on the night) was worked deep by center Ryan Herman and put away by Bruce Gustafson. But half a minute later, the first of the Spiders’ penalty trouble was called. And it took the Wingmen 55 seconds to wear down the Spiders’ PK, getting bodies to the slot and beating Amber Obermoller to tie the score.

The only highlight in the second went to the Wingmen, as they took the lead with 9:30 remaining. And a not-so-highlight, Luke Baker into the bin for interference.

At 2:17 into the third, however, defenseman Jay Hilden sniped one to put the Spiders back in the game. The Spiders saw this as inspiration to march to the penalty box … three consecutive times. Unable to summon the video-review crew in Toronto to plead their case, the Spiders played most of the third shorthanded. First, a bad change by defenseman Jeremy Litton, who just a moment earlier on the bench had said, “no penalties,” caused the Spiders to get a bench minor for too many on the ice, served by a generous Cory Vandenberghe. Two minutes later, after having said it again when the Spiders got back to full strength, Litton got called for holding after getting beat in front of the crease by the crashing Wingmen. Returning to the bench, Litton said it one more time, just in time for Aaron Bedessem to get called for interference (from the bench, no less), when a forechecking Wingmen player against the boards at the Spiders’ bench caught an unsuspecting Bedessem under the arm with his stick and yanked back. The ref saw what he saw, and gave Bedessem the gate. And Litton stopped talking.

Then, 8 seconds before Bedessem’s time in the bin would expire, the Wingmen’s #10 Waterhouse, wondering if the Hockey Day festivities meant there would be scouts in the Biff bleachers, culminated his evening of elbows with a final pair of hits on the Spiders’ defensive pair. Since the ref just saw what he saw, center Ryan Herman saw the whole episode, and let him know this was D1 hockey, for which he got a 5-minute major for cross-checking, while Waterhouse got a minute for each elbow. The Spiders would spend remainder of regulation with just four skaters, including a brief 4-on-3 at 4:10, and back on the PK with 2:10 remaining, finally evened up at 4-on-4 again when the Wingmen copycatted by getting a too many men bench minor themselves.

But the Spiders still found plenty of offense throughout the third, throwing seven additional shots at the Wingmen netminder, but Maloney had an answer for everyone of them. Five-hole … stopped. Top shelf … stopped. Glove side … stopped. And to cap it off, with just 28 seconds left in regulation, Jay Hilden, in a highlight back-to-front move, hit the right pipe, a ding he’ll hear for weeks to come. And, not wanting to make Jay feel bad, left winger Mike Armel found the same pipe on the rebound.

Into the runtime extra frame, which was still 4-on-4 until Herman and the Wingmen’s bench server exited the cooler at 50 and 55 seconds, respectively, into OT, had a lot of chances, playing it conservative (or tired … you choose…). Following a whistle at around 2 minutes remaining, a streaking Wingmen line crashed the net again, beat the defense again, and sniped Amber, who did get a blocker on it, but just not quite enough. And at 1:22 of the OT, the Spiders’ undefeated season came to an end, with the final 3–2. At least the L goes in the OTL column.

Amber, who did everything she could despite the sluggish team in front of her, saw 21 shots (3–10–7–1). The Spiders put up 29 (8–12–9–0).

The Spiders add a point, now at 21 (9–0–2–1), five ahead of the Diablos, at least for tonight, as the rest of the D1 East teams unfortunate enough to not get the Hockey Day Minnesota billing will face off tomorrow. The Wingmen break .500 with the win, at 6–5–1–0, and also for tonight, jump from tied for 6th to tied for 4th with their 13 points.

Next up for the Spiders, the schedule change game, late next Sunday against the Yellow Jackets (5–4–2) at Aldrich. In the two teams’ previous meeting, the Spiders won 7–2. And, interestingly, the Yellow Jackets held off the Wingmen last week 6–5.

GM updates

Update (1/19): Ryan Herman was assessed a post-game GM for the five-minute cross-checking major in the third and will sit a one-game suspension for the upcoming Yellow Jackets game Sunday. Because the AHA does not allow USA Hockey’s five-minute major penalty for cross-checking, a retroactive 10-minute game misconduct was applied by rule. When reached for comment, Herman commented, “You know what the old saying … A moment on the stick, a week on the bench.” Or something like that.

Update 2 (2/19): Herman’s GM is reversed on appeal. The five-minute major for cross-checking and the 10-minute game misconduct will be removed, and replaced by a 10-minute “game ejection” infraction. When reached for comment, Herman could only add: “I was just trying to make sure that LaCosse doesn’t end up winning the LaCosse Award for most PIMs again this year.”

For details, see the box score and game summary.