Spiders redeem their post-season chances, edge Nighthawks 3–2 in close pre-dawn game

April 14, 2012

The Spiders dragged their soggy gear bags back to Bloomington before sunrise for Round 2 of the C3 Round Robin playoffs, and came away with a 3–2 victory despite more penalty troubles.

Thanks to a maintenance snafu, the BIG 3 ice was in no better condition than it was the night before, i.e., sandpaper. But the bouncing pucks off the speed bumps went the Spiders’ way this morning, as the Spiders skated away to a 3–2 victory over the Nighthawks, a team that owned the Spiders during the regular season. The biggest surprise of the morning: there were actually 7 people in the BIG 3 stands for the 7:45 puck drop.

The game started out even on both ends, shots 9 to 8 in favor of the Spiders. The Nighthawks got on the board first, with a single-handed round-the-horn play by defensemen #34 Zeitz. The first-period backbreaker buzzer-beater came though in the final tick of the clock, as a streaking Vandenberghe waited out the Nighthawks’ netminder Stone, and beat her top shelf right before the buzzer. Tie game. Assists to Byland and Johnson.

In the second, the Spiders outshot the Nighthawks 12–3, and at 9:43 got a goal from Freed, who put the Spiders up by one, assists to Grotbeck and LaCosse.

Then, just 38 seconds later, George Farner got what would be the game winner, putting the Spiders up by the dreaded two-goal lead, assists to Pappone and Schwinn, and half a game left to protect the lead.

In the third, the refs — same crew as last night, of course — found their whistles, when they weren’t busy tossing Pettengill from the faceoff.

Most of the penalty trouble was directed to David Lavigne, who sat three separate times in the third, albeit taking C3 admin and Nighthawk Heather Wood with him after a neutral zone scrum. But on his next sit for roughing, the Nighthawks got within one, a Power Play goal for McDonald from Zeitz.

Despite more chances, on both ends, including a four-Nighthawk scrum in, around and on top of McCormick, with two minutes to go, that’s how the score would stay: 3–2.

Total shots for the Spiders were 28 (9, 12, 7), including some that Pettengill and Berman would like another chance at. And McCormick saw 18 (8, 3, 7) his way, and held on for the win.

With the win, the Spiders sit with a 1–1 record in pool play, same as the Wingmen, who lost to the Fighting Piranhas 4–0 on the BIG 1 sheet. And the Mintalar Moose handled the Puck Hounds 7–4 in an offensive flurry. That leaves two undefeated teams for round 3: The Moose and Fighting Piranhas. Meaning one team will leave undefeated, and one will end up 2–1. So the results of this afternoon’s games (Spiders vs. Puck Hounds and Wingmen vs. Nighthawks) will determine who advances to the C3 final tomorrow, and who goes golfing.

Head back to Bloomington — soon — to catch the Round 3 action, puck drops on Spiders/Puck Hounds at 2:45 on the big BIG sheet. It’s win or go home, or depending on AHA math, win and go home, for the Spiders.

Game media

The BIG 3 ice ... before the game.