Spiders eventually shake off off-season rust, rally to beat Sled Dogs 5–3 in season opener

Oct. 28, 2012

A little rust is to be expected, but down 3–0 in the first period, the SLP E crowd could be forgiven if they thought they were in for a long night of one-way hockey.

A bad Spider change due to a turnover early in the first gave the Dogs the first goal. A 3-on-2 highlight-reel passing play gave them the second. And an ill-aimed clear at the end of the Spiders first PK of the night gave them the third.

Though shots were about even (13 to 11) in the first, the Dogs’ netminder had everything in sight.

But with a minute left in the first, the Spiders got a little puck luck, as Dave Lavigne, after falling at center ice and drawing a bit of blood, broke across the blue line, fired a shot along the ice that seemingly had no chance to get past the squeezed goaltender, but somehow found its way in along the post. Assists to Pellicci and Johnson.

Getting a little life for the second, that rust began to shake off, and the Spiders began to capitalize.

While the Spiders spent most of their first Power Play trying to remember how to pass, with the final two seconds of the man-advantage, Dave Schuster, along the goal line low, found the back of the net. Dogs still up by one.

The puck luck continued when a wraparound by Lavigne found its way between a defender and the goaltender’s skate and into the net, for the tying goal.

Tonight’s Mr. Clean Cleanup go-ahead goal of the night goes to John “Who?” Pellicci, who had numerous chances at a loose puck in the crease, and eventually flipped it in, after a scrum down low with Schwinn and Lavigne getting the assists.

The nightcap — and putting the Spiders up by the dreaded two-goal lead with too much time left in the third — came shorthanded by Andy “Redbox” Schwinn.

One department the Spiders had no rust in exercising was the skate of shame to the bin. Penalty trouble, early, late, and often, put the Spiders on the short end of the ice five times, including 1:14 of nail-biting 5-on-3, especially as two of the three defenders got stuck in the corner, leaving Pappone to defend against three crashing forwards. But Bill McCormick made a number of highlight reel-worthy saves, especially the one that had the Sled Dogs celebrating a goal, despite the puck being safely wrapped up in McCormick’s glove.

And in the Not-in-the-Stats-But-in-Your-Dreams category, late in the second, a perfect setup pass to Farner, who tried to redirect the puck into an open net, instead found the back boards. Close but no cigar.

But the one that takes the cake, of course, was the lone breakaway in the waning seconds of the game with an empty Dogs net staring back at Lavigne, just asking for a Hat Trick. But instead, he couldn’t corral the puck in time and it went wide. With the six-on-five, it was still a good clock-management move. But Dave will never live that one down.

He was the recipient of the time-honored AHA tradition, however: the AHA Gordie Howe Hat Trick. Since there’s no fighting in the AHA, the AHA Gordie Howe Hat Trick is defined as a goal, an assist and a penalty. After trading recipes with the Dogs goalie in the third, and offering the same recipe to the ref, Dave got a courtesy escort to the box, notching the trick.

In the shots department, after the rough start with no defensive help, McCormick got the Spiders back in the game, playing two periods of shutdown goaltending. In all, he saw 25 shots (11, 4, 10). The Spiders put 33 the other other way (13, 14, 6).

In all, an impressive comeback for the rusty Spiders, to notch the first win of the winter season.

Next up, the Spiders take on the Moose, last year’s C3 champs. The Moose handily beat the Ak Bars tonight 7–1. Game is Sunday, Nov. 4, 9:30 p.m. at New Hope.