Spiders cap unbelievable season, crowned D1 Champions!

April 5, 2009

Highlights:

Post-season by the numbers:

Four games in 45 hours
Scoring: Spiders 18, opponents 5
Final post-season record: 4–0–1
Shutouts: 2
PIM: 46
Average shots on goal per game: 29.6
Average shots on goal against per game: 20.2
Average number of skaters per game (beginning of game): 12.8
Average number of skaters per game (at end of game): 11.8

See full post-season stats.

Diablos vs. Spiders

Sunday, Apr. 5, 2009,
2:00 p.m. – BIG 1

Game 25

Diablos final score:: 0
Spiders final score:: 5

Final – 04/05/2009
Team	1	2	3	F
Diablos	0	0	0	0
Spiders	2	1	2	5

vs.

The drained Spiders put their soggy gear on one more time this weekend, to face the D1 Diablos, the D1 Pool B champions, for the D1 crown at BIG this afternoon. Playing their fourth game in under 48 hours, both teams’ legs were sure to be jelly.

The Diablos dressed 18 skaters (with the injured former Spider Dave Schaefer playing bench coach) to try to get past the weekend’s fatigue. The Spiders, however, were down to its last 13 skaters, with Bruce Gustafson getting the nod over center Chris Pettengill, who left the previous evening’s game to join the already crowded DL.

Even though heavily outnumbered, the Spiders would somehow find a way to play through the weekend’s exhaustion, bumps and bruises, and prove they really wanted that trophy.

The Spiders controlled much of the game, setting a pace to put the Diablos back on their heels in their zone. And after 1 period, the Spiders were up 2–0, on scores by Aaron Bedessem on a slapper from the point, assist from Baker, and from Nick Ungaro at 3:29, also on assist from Baker. In all, the Spiders landed 13 shots on the Diablos’ netminder Latterner, with 6 coming through to Amber Obermoller. A penalty by each team (the Spiders’ to Flannery for hooking; the Diablos’ checking call drawn by Hilden) gave each PP/PK unit a time to warm up.

The second period’s first penalty, by Claypool of the Diablos, expired at 9:39. With no power play success, the full-strength situation was the signal for the Spiders to drive the offensive zone. A Baker-style knuckle-baller from the right D Litton bounced right off the goalie’s blocker and onto the waiting stick of Gustafson. Spiders up by 3 halfway through the game. Another Spider penalty, this time by Flannery, for standing up at the blueline, closed out the second.

Halfway through the third, yet another Spider got called for a penalty, this time Chris Flannery, for tripping. At 8:27, the Diablos’ Eckman went off for checking, and Bedessem went off for falling down from the check (slashing). 17 seconds later, it was Brian Armagost who got called for a high stick, and put the Diablos on the power play. With the clock, and the season, ticking away, the Diablos pressed their luck. However, their PP unit pressed a little too hard trying to chase down a loose puck just inside the point, and the Diablos’ D1 East PIM King Cory Steinbach got called for a body check on Litton’s head, much to the crowd’s, and apparently Steinbach’s, chagrin. Litton had no comment.

Back even at 4-on-4, the Spiders had some room to stretch out and enjoy the deteriorating ice to its fullest. And they enjoyed it most when they broke the zone, a pass from Litton to Mike Johnson to Hilden, and into the net, putting the Spiders up now by a four-goal lead and just over 6 minutes to play.

In full lockdown mode, the Spiders’ sagging legs were saved only by short shifts, as they turned away Diablo chances. Eventually mounting 11 shots on goal for the third frame, the Diablos couldn’t solve Obermoller’s goaltending. And the Diablo press meant turnovers back the other way for the Spiders. One such turnover with three minutes on the clock had Mike Johnson sneaking through the neutral zone and down the left side of the slot, only to be stopped cold by a Fricke cross-check. Determined to be OK, Johnson returned the Spiders bench, which was getting ready for another power play.

With just over a minute and a half left, Eric “Quadrathlon” Ackermann chased down a puck and poked it back in the offensive zone, but the Diablo backchecker immediately turned it over to Armagost, who generously freed Fricke from the bin by nailing a point shot, putting the Spiders up by an improbable five-goal advantage with a minute and a half remaining.

And that’s how it would remain until the capacity BIG 1 crowd leapt to their feet to celebrate the Spiders’ 5–0 shutout and D1 championship!

The crowd — at least those armed with cameras — spilled onto the ice, which by now felt like a gravel driveway after a hailstorm, to capture the moment as the AHA’s Pete Morrow conducted the D1 Championship trophy ceremony.

Three stars of the game (and post-season), presented by the Greater Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau:

3 – The defense. Not just the blueliners, the whole team played as a unit, supporting the puck, breaking out (when our legs would allow), and shutting down the opponent to keep the Spiders in the game.
2 – The offense. From the slot to the corners to the blue line, the Spiders played smart in the offensive zone throughout the series, and had the puck luck when it counted.
And the #1 Star:

The goaltender. She’ll be the first to say it was the defensive play in front of her that gets credit. But the defense knows that they couldn’t have done it without stellar goalkeeping behind them. With two shutouts in the post-season, and a .951 save percentage, Amber Obermoller is the #1 star of the post-season.

In all, an improbable conclusion to an improbable season. Way back in October, the Spiders and the Diablos scrimmaged together to prepare for the season. Five months later, the two teams met again to close out the season. The Diablos are good group of guys (and gals), and the Spiders look forward to seeing them again next year.

Moreover, the Spiders wish speedy recoveries to the teammates who suffered season-ending injuries and couldn’t skate with team. It was a long season, and we all got here together. Plus, you better heal quickly, as there is a mandatory team practice is tomorrow at New Hope. Early.