Post-season puck drops tonight

April 5, 2011

The Spiders take on the fourth-seed Chaos tonight in the first game of the round-robin series in the 2010–11 playoffs.

The puck drops early tonight, a 7:15 p.m. start on the big ice of BIG 3. It marks the third consecutive post-season appearance by the D1 Spiders. It also marks the fourth consecutive appearance by this Chaos squad, which each time has ended in a hardware ceremony (Beginner 2007–08; D2 2008–09; D1 2009–10).

While the Spiders took home their own hardware in 2008–09, they were sent packing in 2009–10 thanks in large part to a partly self-induced 3–1 Chaos drubbing in the first game of the round robin.

That season, the Chaos owned the Spiders, winning all three matchups in decisive fashion. They finished the regular season 17–2–1 and 35 points and went into the post-season with a first-seed head of steam. The Spiders, on the other hand, snuck into the playoffs on tiebreakers in the final week of the regular season, stealing the fourth seed from the Fighting Ice Fish and representing the lowest point total of any playoff-bound D1 team (22), finishing 10–8–2.

The Chaos finished out that playoff week with a Sunday win over the Diablos for the D1 championship.

This season, the tables seemed to have turned — so far — as the Spiders opened the regular season with an OT win over the Chaos, and haven’t stopped since. Including an 11–2 shorthanded victory and a regular season Chaos series closer a 5–1 win, the Spiders have taken the Chaos’ place atop D1 West, amassing an improbable 19–0–1 record along the way. The Chaos in the meantime enter the post-season with the lowest point total of any D1 team (21), with their 8–7–3–2 record.

In a mirror image of last year, the #1 seed Spiders take on the #4 seed Chaos to open the playoffs.

But the playoffs offer a whole new season. Can the Spiders continue their roll, or will memories of past Chaos domination come back to haunt the Spiders? Find out tonight at BIG 3!