Spiders skate to first win of the season over Royals

Nov. 5, 2011

Despite some some untimely defensive gaffes, including the unwelcome return of Jim Marshall to the Spiders lineup, Spiders held on to win 5–3 over the Royals.

The Spiders and Royals faced off at SLP West at 5:45 p.m. in the second game of the 2011–12 season, both squads looking for their first win. The Royals lost last week to the Diablos, and the Spiders in OT to the Wingmen. The Spiders would prevail this time, in a game filled with great chances, a slate of drawn penalties, epic defensive breakdowns, Koivu-esque faceoff tosses, pot roast recipes, and all backstopped by netminder McCormick.

This evening’s game was also the season debut of Tim Byland and George Farner wearing the Spider red. Last-minute scratch Pellicci ended his GP streak for the season at one. And as is customary every November, the rest of the Spiders were busy sniping in deer stands instead of on the ice.

Scoring for the Spiders:

• A highlight reel-worthy power play goal from the hashmark by Grotbeck, newly up at center tonight, put the Spiders on the board first. Assists to Pappone and Schroeder.
• Late in the first, a stretch pass from Litton to a camped Farner, whose shot was rebounded by the goalie right to the stick of Pappone, who snapped it in, to put the Spiders up 2–1.
• Jason Freed showed for the second week in a row he still has the nose for the net, and Schuster showed he can still get assists while laying on the ice, as he set up Schwinn after being tripped in the corner, and Schwinn glided back to hit Freed on the doorstep, with the goal coming on the delayed penalty.
• A beautiful Schroeder blast from the left point found its way through the tangle of traffic to the shelf, helper to blueline partner Rick Fritz.
• And again, the passing of the Schwinn line, a setup from Schwinn to Freed to Schuster, who notched his first goal of the season thanks to the perfect flex, appropriate lie and custom curve of his brand-new, Spider-branded Base hockey stick [sponsored].

Scoring for the Royals:

• The Royals first goal came directly off the stick of none other than a Spider jersey-wearing Jim Marshall, as Litton tried to get a stick on a slot shot, and instead partially deflected it straight past McCormick. It’s Litton’s first goal of the season.
• The Royals second marker was courtesy of the Spiders forecheck, as a four-on-one the other way gave the Royals a tic-tac-tac-toe opportunity.
• And finally in third, on Mike Schroeder’s penalty for a vicious hook in the corner, the Royals PP unit clicked and was able to convert.

On the penalty front, David Schuster drew call after call by the Royals, effectively killing the Royals’ defensemen’s bid at the AHA Lady Byng trophy. The best-looking draw of the night goes to Andy Schwinn, who went flying off a cross-check while camped out in front of the slot. Schroeder’s hook late in the third was the Spiders’ lone penalty, earning himself a whopping 10-second sit in the bin for his efforts.

And in the faceoff circle, centericeman Chris Pettengill was tossed no fewer than 17 times by the officials, mostly because he just wasn’t winning the draws.

Shots against McCormick totaled 22 (9, 5, 8), including a few solid chances in the final minute after the Royals pulled their sub netminder, who saw 28 shots (9, 9, 10) from the Spiders in his 50 minutes of TOI.

The Spiders and Royals franchises have a history going back to 2005, when the Royals routinely and effortlessly routed the Spiders. But with this win, the lifetime record finally evens up, now at 6–6–1. The two teams last met in March, which concluded the season sweep for the Spiders.

Next up for the Spiders, yet another Saturday evening matchup, this time with the Nighthawks, whom the Spiders last faced — and tied 1–1 — in the 2011 Fall Tourney in September. The Nighthawks and Spiders also have a long-running history going back to the 2005–06 season, where the first game between the two teams represented the Spiders’ first-ever Winter season win.