Spiders overshadow Diablos in Groundhog Day matchup

Feb. 2, 2012

Of any opponents in the Spiders’ franchise history, it’s the Diablos games that can — and do — seemingly go either way.

For the second time this season, the Spiders arrived at the arena to a throng of fans, noise and media coverage. Had thousands shown up at South St. Paul’s iconic Wakota Arena to witness the latest chapter of the C3 Spiders vs. Diablos, who last met in the 2010–11 D1 playoffs, and long ago met for the D1 championship? Had Budweiser arranged another adult hockey Flash Mob to surprise the two teams? Or did they just want to see an exciting, crisply played, fast-paced brand of C3 adult hockey, the only game on the C3 schedule tonight thanks to the Super Bowl Sunday avoidance policy? Of course not. The Spiders/Diablos were the late-night encore to the South St. Paul Packers/Tartan Titans varsity game. And surprisingly, exactly zero fans stuck around for the encore, leaving the lone AHA fan her choice of prime bleacher seating.

The warm-up act at Wakota.

Kudos to the Wakota rink manager, who diligently made the ice surface playable after the gouge-fest that is varsity hockey, even if the dressing rooms were less than open. The Spiders humbly request that the AHA suggest the BIG facilities folks take a field trip over to South St. Paul before April.

Onto the game. Tonight’s game represented the first time former Spider Ryan Herman, who joined the Diablos this season after a stint with the C2 Sharks, would face his old team. (The other recent Diablo acquisition was former Spider Michael Armel, who was scratched for the evening.) Long-time Diablo (and one-time Spiders) center David Schaefer was returning to the ice after suffering an upper-body injury earlier this year. For the Spiders’ bench, scratched full-timers were Cory Vandenberghe, who is reported to be seeking a Lone-Star hockey contract, and John “Who?” Pellicci, as he continues to hold out during negotiations in his contract year.

And for the Spiders’ post-season chances, tonight’s game represented a turning point, coming off two losses in the last three games, the C3 Top 6 is getting tighter by the week, and the Spiders’ less-than-stellar play last week sacrificed precious points in the standings.

The first period opened with a number of Spiders’ chances, all blocked in the slot by Schaefer, who was credited with at least six blocked shots on the night per Elias. Finally, late in the first, the Spiders broke the stalemate on an Andy Schwinn breakaway, who was off to the races thanks to a Byland feed. Spiders 1–0 after one.

Though it was the Spiders who would spend the most restful minutes in the Wakota bin, the Spiders’ rarely effective power play, was capitalized on with an even more rare power play goal, Chris Pettengill from Droullard and Schroeder.

Next in the second, in a play reminiscent of yet another former Spider Jake Cison, defenseman Mike Schroeder pushed the puck deep into the Diablo zone, and was set up with time and space at the goal line, though a less than stellar line of sight to the net. But tonight the puck had eyes, and found a gap behind the goalkeeper. Assists to Droullard and Pettengill.

Following a Fritz gate call, which would’ve usually had the Spiders trying to figure out what a “box” was, instead turned into a two-on-one at the Spider blueline, with David Schuster finally getting his goal for the night, his team-leading 10th of the season, thanks to the setup of Mike Johnson, and the breakout of Freed who got his assist for the night, his team-leading 10th of the season. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the first shorthanded goal for the Spiders in the 2011–12 season.

The nightcap came from Jon Pappone, returning from a one-game scratch, assisted by Schwinn and Byland, and put the game out of reach for the Diablos.

And in the “almost” column, Berman will be seeing his third-period breakaway in his dreams for at least the next 48 hours.

On the defensive end, the Spiders’ woes in their own zone continued like they were playing in Punxsutawney, with a blue-line turnover leading to the Diablos’ Schaefer notching his first goal of the season, which he very much appreciated the gift wrap from the Spiders, assist to Herman. And their other marker, snapped off the stick of Diablo usual goal suspect Jarick Losey, who capitalized on a two-on-one around a drill-cone defenseman Litton.

While the Diablos registered a respectable 18 shots on McCormick (7, 6, 5), including a couple on absent whistles, the Spiders generated a whopping 31 (10, 14, 7) on the Diablos’ Nordin, not to mention the dozen or so blocked shots in the slot.

But it was the Spiders’ prowess for entering the penalty gate that most reared its head from its Pennsylvanian burrow. First, and most often, in, veteran D-man Paul LaCosse, doing his best imitation of the AHA legend Paul “Cooler” LaCosse and reclaiming his stake as the top PIM getter for the Spiders, a distinction he hasn’t held since 2009–10. Spider fans will recall that he actually won the Spiders’ Lady Byng in 2010–11 thanks to a clerical error! Best-looking penalty of the night, which had the Spiders’ bench cat-calling for a penalty shot, was Pettengill’s sliding takeout in the slot of a Diablo breakaway.

In the standings

The much-needed win for the Spiders means a temporary third-place jump in the standings, as the rest of the week 13 C3 results will be flowing in throughout the the next week, as the league made up for the absence of Sunday games by filling in with Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday ice times. The Diablos will stay in 10th, four points out of a playoff spot.

The lifetime franchise record for the two teams now tilts slightly in favor of the Spiders, 4–3–1.

Next up

Next up for the Spiders, the schedule starts over, as the slate of 13 C3 opponents ended with the Diablos game. So, it’s back to the top, literally and figuratively, with the second-place Wingmen, who are a point out of first, with 19 points, 9–2–0–1. The last game on the Wingmen books was last week against the Diablos, where the Wingmen came out on top 4–2, and longer benched, in a third-period penalty-fest. They next face the Ak Bars, who got themselves of the donut two weeks ago over the Fighting Saints, and got their second — and second-consecutive — win over the now-in-the-basement Fighting Ice Fish.

The last meeting between the Spiders and Wingmen — the 2011–12 season opener — ended with an OT win for the Wingmen, and an OTL and single point in the standings for the Spiders.

Puck drops Sunday, Feb. 12, 9:35 p.m., back at SLP East, the Spiders’ unofficial home arena this season (five games).

Game media

Game photos

The House that Housley Built.

Losey (9) in all alone … for a change.

Lobitz (68) enjoying the view from the screened-in porch.