Spiders, Wingmen in four-overtime thriller

March 13, 2010

Well, not quite four overtimes, as Minnetonka and Hill Murray saw last night (and this morning) in the boys’ MSHSL semi-final. But the OT stalemate was fitting for these two teams tied in the standings. And unlike that 4-OT game, which had incredibly no penalties called in 86 minutes of play, the Spiders and Wingmen had slightly more than none.

Although both teams are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they both still had an extremely outside chance at that fourth and final slot if they could build a streak to close the season. But splitting the two points means they barely make a dent in the chase to fourth place.

A roster change for the Spiders tonight. As with the last game against the Wingmen, the Spiders had a sub goalie in for Amber. This time, it was Chad Jayasekera in net. Spider fans will recall Jayasekera was the only netminder to get a regulation victory against the Spiders last year. (Incidentally, the Wingmen represented the other Spider loss last year, an OT one at that.)

Onto the game. The raucous Richfield crowd saw the Wingmen get on the board first, on the Power Play following a pair of tripping calls, first Litton, then Flannery. The PK negated the 9 seconds of 5-on-3. But fresh back on the ice, Litton tangled up in the slot with a couple Wingmen, one of whom found the back of the net to go up 1–0.

Back at full strength, a minute later the Spiders would also even it up on the scoreboard, with Heitzman finding Bedessem. With the up-and-back momentum of the game being firmly established, and the Spiders letting far too many odd-man rushes coming back, the Wingmen got another at 4:11 remaining in the first. And a Herman checking penalty closed out the first.

Second period

For a good portion of the second, both teams ran the left-wing lock, minimizing chances and possession. But at 3:49 into the second, the first scoring duo would combine again, this time Bedessem to Heitzman in the high slot, who sent a skidder right through the five hole, and a tie game yet again. With momentum and chances firmly going their way, it took just 36 seconds for Johnson to give the Spiders the lead, assist to Caron. A tripping call a minute later against the Wingmen’s #36 Bullock gave the Spiders their first Power Play. And this time it took 37 seconds, featuring solid possession, crisp passing and finally, with Bedessem in the corner, he and Litton traded passes, until finally a diving Wingman toward Litton gave Bedessem a wide-open passing lane to the far point, where New Zealander Herman fired it clear in to put the Spiders up by an improbable two-goal advantage. The Wingmen got one back at 8:53, Spiders still up 4–3.

The remainder of the second, the Spiders continued to press, getting consecutive chances on the non-stand-up-style Wingmen netminder. With the period slipping away, the Wingmen stepped up their game, featuring a neutral-zone altercation retaliation by #4 J. “Who me?” Nord on Caron, featuring a fist to the face. In an AHA hockey game. While in the box, Nord let Caron know that this was his first game after clearing his game misconduct’s post-suspension probationary period. Apparently he hadn’t lost his touch.

(For reference: AHA Rule 704: “Any player receiving two game misconduct penalties within a 365-day period will be suspended from the league for one calendar year.)

A #6 Nissen cross-check drawn by Bedessem closed out the second.

Third period

Just five seconds after returning to the ice to put the Wingmen back at full strength, Nissen snuck behind the D, and broke toward the Spider zone. The Spider D made it back just in time to see a perfect Nissen point shot get deflected up by #34 Mann, glancing off Jayasekera’s shoulder and into the net. Tie game. Again.

Unaccustomed to playing at full strength, the Wingmen found themselves cross-checking Litton at 11:04, and then at 9:33, finished off a stand-up interference (uncalled) with a cross-check (called) at the blue line on a breaking Bedessem. This one was by none other than #4 J. “I didn’t do anything” Nord. Newly sprung, it took #4 J. “Come on, he came after me!” Nord just 34 seconds to land another haymaker on an opponent, this time Armel was the generous recipient, considering he didn’t retaliate. But the refs sent both to the cooler. Armel, after the game, noted, “Had I known I was going to get called anyway, I wouldn’t of just stood there and taken it.”

As has been the case all season in the third, the Spiders’ legs began to wear, and the Spider backcheckers gave #6 Nissen a free pass at 3:39, as he walked in from the redline to the left point to the circles unencumbered, and snapped it passed Jayasekera to regain the lead, 5–4.

Though they had lost the lead, the Spiders hadn’t lost their confidence. And a classic breakout from deep in the Spiders’ zone got the puck up the ice to Pellicci, who brought it low, and a chance by Armel caused the typical low-slot scurry, and Tuttle finally banged it through, re-knotting the score at 5 apiece with 2:17 remaining. The Spiders did get a couple of chances in the remaining two minutes of regulation, but the buzzer went off with the score still tied. However, the Wingmen were called for too many men at that buzzer, meaning the Spiders would start the run-time extra frame with an extra man.

Overtime

The Spiders opened the OT with a couple more chances, but for the most part, couldn’t control even on the Power Play. But, they’d get some additional help just 52 seconds in, following a vicious check on Tuttle into the boards by Nissen. #4 J. Nord commented to the Spider bench, “Hey, at least it wasn’t me this time!” Now at 5-on-3 for a minute, the Spiders’ Power Play looked even more anemic, as giveaway after turnover after wasted stretch pass earned the Wingmen a second chance back at full strength by 2:07 remaining. That two minutes featured mostly neutral zone exchanges, with the Spiders tallying three shots in OT, to the Wingmen’s 1.

As the buzzer signaled the expiration of the runtime OT, the final neutral-zone exchange came as #4 J. Why-is-he-still-allowed-on-the-ice? Nord attacked Bedessem, grabbing his head and neck and trying to get in his third punch of the night. In an AHA hockey game. That Richfield crowd must’ve been full of Federal League scouts, as Nord seemed to be putting on a demonstration reel on what is not allowed on the ice by the AHA and USA Hockey. The refs detangled the mess, and sent Nord home with a 10-minute misconduct (though not a game misconduct) in his gear bag. With Nord finally off the ice, the Wingmen tentatively lined up for the shake, and finally, this game was over.

Final score:

A tie, 5–5.

Shots by the Spiders were 30 in regulation (7, 14, 9) and three in OT. Jayasekera saw 26 in regulation (6, 8, 12) and one in OT.

The Spiders’ special teams, allowed one PPG on three chances, totaling 4:19 of Power Play time, including 9 seconds of 5-on-3. The Wingmen also allowed one, on six chances, totaling 10:21 of Power Play time, including 1:38 of 5-on-3.

Post-season hopes?

With the Wingmen’s total of 26 PIM, pushing their season total to 164, the AHA tiebreaker rules may, at least for now, give the Spiders a jump to fifth place in the standings (7–8–1; 15 points), just one place out of a coveted playoff slot. That placement depends on what happened in tonight’s other D1 West key matchup, between the currently-in-fifth-place Maroons (7–8; 14 points) and the fourth-place Fighting Ice Fish (9–6–1; 19 points). The Maroons are in the best position to steal a game and keep their chances alive, as a win moves them to three points out and a game in hand to the Ice Fish.

Either way though, the tie tonight probably puts the lid on both the Wingmen and Spiders’ chances, as they each gain just a point, to tied at 15 (7–8–1), two improbable games behind the Ice Fish, as of now.

Update (3/14): The Maroons reportedly upset the flat-footed fourth-place Fighting Ice Fish 9-2 Saturday night. That gives the Maroons sole ownership of fifth place, sitting just a game and a half out of the fourth and final playoff spot, with a game in hand on the Ice Fish. With that, based on tiebreakers, the Spiders will likely remain in seventh, as the Wingmen have the advantage in the season head-to-head record, the #3 tiebreaker, rendering their 164 PIM a non-factor.

Next game

Next up, the Spiders head back to New Hope to face the ninth-place Sled Dogs (5–9–1), in another Saturday night game.

One for the record books

Back to the numbers, lifetime against the Wingmen, 2–0–1–1. More telling, lifetime PIM in the four Spiders/Wingmen games is Spiders 40 to Wingmen 46. While tonight’s 36 PIM total doesn’t break the single-game combined record (ignobly 55 vs. the Jets, on 11 penalties; 3/1/2008), the 26 PIM by the Wingmen does set the record for most PIM per game by opponent, previously at 20, held by both the Wolf Pack (on 6 penalties; 2/17/2008) and the Lumberjacks (10 penalties; 10/26/2008). Congratulations, Wingmen!