Spiders play solid two periods of hockey, then got Marooned in the third to lose 3–2

Nov. 19, 2011

The final score was much closer than the play on the ice in the third period.

After a short Spider bench last week led to a third period clobbering, the Spiders were more than happy to hear their short bench this week (12 skaters) was facing off against an even shorter Maroon bench (11 skaters).

The first period was evenly matched as both teams paced themselves to try to last the full 51 minutes. Nine shots, two penalties, zero goals, on both sides. Both Spider calls went to sin bin veteran Paul LaCosse, playing in his first game this season.

The score was still at a stalemate through two periods, with only the penalty box getting any action. Two for each team. But the Spiders were dominant in the offensive zone, putting up a nine-shot differential (12–3) over the Maroons. But their veteran netminder Jonathon Filter had an answer for every one.

Opening up the third, John Pellicci got the Spiders on the board first, assist to Rob Droullard. And from there, it was all downhill. Backcheck breakdowns, breakout giveaways, badly executed changes with too few men on the ice, and very bouncy pucks all led to a sudden 3–1 lead for the Maroons. And while the refs had their whistles at the ready all game long, they suddenly decided to let the game go in the third to keep the late-night SLP crowd of one entertained. A post-goal discussion by the refs after the Maroons’ second goal revealed that the net was off before the goal, but the goal was already set in stone on the scoresheet.

A power play for the Spiders, from the only penalty of the third period, probably did more to stuff the Spiders’ momentum than the 5-on-5 play.

By 1:45 remaining, the gassed Spiders, still down 3–1, called a timeout to figure out when to pull netminder Bill McCormick. After winning the defensive-zone faceoff, a sixth attacker hit the ice. After another giveaway, the Spiders finally set up in the Maroon zone, and with 12 seconds on the clock, Pellicci got his second of the night and moved the Spiders to within one, assist to Mike Johnson.

But that was all she wrote. Maroons win 3–2. The Maroons smartly paced themselves in the second, resting up (in the penalty box) for their barrage in the third.

The Spiders did set new TOI records, with more than enough penalties to go around, the 12-man bench saw plenty of ice time.

But in the end, the also-short-benched Maroons had the puck luck, and were able to notch up three unanswered goals in the third behind the Spiders’ lack of defense, and put the game away.

Total shots against McCormick were 26 (9, 3, 14), and the Spiders put 31 (9, 12, 10) on Filter.

Spiders record drops to 1–2–0–1, and their place in the standings drops from 7th to 9th, with the Maroons taking the Spiders’ place in 7th.

Next up, it’s some post-Thanksgiving hockey, and the first non-Saturday night game of the season. And having now dropped two in a row, the Spiders will face the undefeated, first-place Fighting Saints and their netminder, former Spider, Eric Anderson, coming off a 2–1 win over the Diablos.

Lifetime, the Spiders have dominated, winning all six matchups, with the first meeting back in 2007, an 8–0 win.

Puck drops early at Richfield, 5:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27.