Spider scoring surge results in rain of hats

Jan. 26, 2013

The crowd of 20 for the matinee rematch of the Spiders/Diablos at SLP E saw a Hat Trick showcase, with Spiders on top 9–3.

The end result was both a Spider win, one the team desperately needed after its standings free fall. And it was one for the record books, with Dave Henke’s Natural Hat Trick paired with the other Dave’s “regular” Hat Trick heading into the Spider annals. The nine goals was also the high-water mark for the Spiders offense this season.

While the Spiders won the previous meeting in December 2–1, according to the Diablos, their goalie Nordin was fresh off the birth of a new baby, and left his jersey in the diaper bag. And the Spiders took advantage of his late-afternoon nap, putting up a four-goal second period and putting the game out of reach.

The game started out close – with the Diablos scoring (after the whistle on a covered puck) to get on the board first just 2:40 in. That was the wake-up call for the Spiders, who controlled most of the rest of the game. Lavigne potted two in a row at 8:55 then with 38 seconds left in the first to close out the period at 2–1, first goal assist from Schroeder, second goal assist from Schwinn. The only other scoresheet activity was Henke and his dancing partner heading to the box midway through the first, after Henke was dumped in the crease by a Diablo after the whistle, got up to thank him for the effort, and was promptly accosted by a third-man-in Claypool (yes, third man in in the AHA), and both went for roughing.

In the second, the real fireworks began, just 38 seconds in, Henke from Grotbeck. Next shift, 2:12 later, at 14:10, Henke from Farner and Byland. And on the next shift, at 10:37, Henke from Farner and Lavigne. The Spiders first Natural Hat Trick since Chris Flannery did it Feb. 14, 2010, vs. the Nighthawks, and the third all time for the D2/D1/C3 Spiders (the only other was current C1 Spiders captain Dave Schliesman on March 11, 2006, vs. the Bruins.

Not to be outdone, on his next shift, at 8:57, Lavigne finished what he started in the first period, notching his third of the afternoon, assist from Schroeder, thus tying the Spiders record for multiple Hat Tricks in a game, last done vs. the Knights (3/28/2010), and previously vs. the Nighthawks (2/14/2010) and vs. the Knights (1/10/2007).

To close out the second, the Spiders were too busy celebrating the hat tricks to notice Ice Sager Mike Lobitz in the slot, who added a goal to the Diablos, putting the score to 6–2.

In the third, it took just 26 seconds to get back to the Spiders’ show, with Paul Berman from the top of the circle from Schwinn. Then, at 12:51, after an ill-advised faceoff move by D Litton, the Spiders neutral zone game finally recovered, and ended up pressing into the offensive zone to go up 7–2, Schwinn from Lavigne and Litton.

A minute later, a perfect backside slot deflection gave the Diablos their third of the game.

The icing on the proverbial cake came at 8:39, with Brad Sutton, giving the wing a try for the first time, capitalizing from the right faceoff dot, assist to Byland.

While the scoring was done of the day, the fireworks still weren’t over, as #23 S. Nelson on the Diablos paid Paul Berman back for (allegedly) holding his stick by demonstrating some WWF moves across the entire slot, making sure that if his first two punches to the back of Paul’s head didn’t get him noticed by the indifferent refs, the final headlock certainly would.

Despite a few more chances either way, including a wide-open goalmouth for Mike Johnson that he’ll be seeing in his dreams, that’s where the score would end, 9–3 for the Spiders.

In the shots department, the Spiders put up double digits in all three frames, 16, 11, 16, for a total of 43 on sleep-deprived Nordin. Wide-awake McCormick saw 22 (5, 8, 9), including denying some sure things through traffic multiple times to Diablo sharpshooter Losey. And coming out to play a breakaway puck and didn’t take a page from the Backstrom playbook.

With this win, the sixth of the year, the Spiders pull themselves off the ice and back into the playoff race, in a three-way tie in points with the Sled Dogs (5–5–1–1) and the Ak Bars (6–7), all vying for the fourth and final playoff spot, though the Dogs have a game in hand.

Despite having an 11-day break since the Fighting Saints game, the Spiders now have two in three days, facing the Ak Bars Monday. The Ak Bars had the upper hand in the previous meeting, 6–4.

The Ak Bars are coming off an unexpected 4–1 run over their last five, including 4–0 upset of the Fighting Saints, to insert themselves in the playoff race. What was expected though was that their center P. Zakharov would re-claim his stake on the PIM leader list, now sitting comfortably atop C3 with 26 minutes in the bin, after starting out the season (following his two-game suspension) like a saint. He has only seven games left to earn 14 more minutes to match his high-water mark last season. Can he do it?

Brave the rush-hour traffic to make it to VMCC in Inver Grove Heights by 7 p.m. to see the Spider/Ak Bar rematch.

Game media

The SLP crowd enjoys first-period action up close.

Henke about to score his first of the afternoon.

Henke capping the Hat Trick.

Another chance for Henke and Farner.

The ref instructing Johnson on the AHA’s policy of visitor stick down first in faceoffs.