Spiders revert to form, fall to Mastodons 4–3

Feb. 25, 2013

Disappointing loss after Spiders give up two-goal lead.

With a four-game winning streak on the line, the Spiders took on the second-place Mastodons Monday night at Charles Schulz Highland Arena in front of four dedicated fans. Those four were no doubt shocked after the first 17 minutes, as the Spiders came out of the gate controlling play and the scoreboard, with the Mastodons on their collective heels.

The first included goals by Grotbeck from Henke and Farner, and a wide-open-goalmouth pot by Vandenberghe from Schwinn, for Cory’s first C3 goal of the season. “If I missed that, I’d have nightmares,” said Cory.

The four fans’ shock of the first period turned to nods of I-told-you-so’s by the middle period when, after the curse of the Spiders’ Power Play turned a seeming upset into a close game. Apparently, the Mastodons were just “softening up” the Spiders’ resolve.

From the puck drop of the second period, it was all Mastodons, who not only controlled the puck when they had it, they convinced the Spiders to pass it tape-to-tape to them as well.

After a pair of noneventful power plays for each team, an eventful penalty behind the Spiders’ net put a Mastodon in the box (twice) along with Sutton. Though the refs should’ve placed an additional Mastodon in the box per rule 402(f), the Spiders were nonetheless awarded with a two-minute Power Play. They should’ve declined. Just 18 seconds into the man-advantage, the Mastodons’ #19 Parker took a turnover all the way back and pulled the Mastodons to within one.

The Spiders got that one back at 6:24, with a power play goal by Freed from Johnson regained the two-goal difference. But the Mastodons now had momentum.

Under a minute later, the officials apparently couldn’t find their whistles during a Spider zone turnover, created by a body check from Mastodons’ #2 Carlson on Rag Doll pulled the Mastodons to within one again. Carlson did get whistled at 3:12 for interference, but again, the Spider Power Play had nothing doing.

Back at full strength, the second-period almost-highlight came with the almost-return of the Flying ‘V’ — as a final-tick rush by Schwinn and Vandenberghe nearly beat the buzzer.

The third period was all Mastodons, helped along by two key Spider penalties. Though the scoresheet shows their two markers as full strength, both came just two seconds after the penalties expired.

A couple more penalties, including a goal-saving crease clear by Schroeder was all that went up on the scoresheet.

With a post-icing timeout at 1:33 remaining in the third, the Spiders put out six skaters to try to get back in the game. But after an early chance, most of the offense came from the Mastodons, who controlled the puck through the neutral zone numerous times, though never clinched the empty netter. And the gamed ended at 4–3.

Standings watch

The good news? The Sports Club Stats oddsmakers assumed the Spiders would lose the game anyway, and slotted their playoff chances accordingly, down just 6.1% from last week to 82.9%. And with the Sled Dogs’ regulation loss to the Fighting Saints Sunday, the only beneficiary in the standings is the Fighting Saints, who clinch their first playoff appearance since 2007–08, when they lost in the D2 final to the Yellow Jackets.

Since then, the Fighting Saints have been on the doorstep every season, only to get eliminated in the middle of the pack, more often than not by the pesky Spiders.

• 2011–12 (C3): One game out, eighth place (top 6)
• 2010–11 (D1 West): 2.5 games out, sixth place (top 4)
• 2009–10 (D1 East): One game out, fifth place (top 4)
• 2008–09 (D1 East): 5.5 games out, seventh place (top 4)

For the Spiders, the loss clips the winning streak at four games, and ends in a 9–8 record, still in fourth place and clinging to the fourth and final playoff berth. With three games left on the schedule, the Spiders need to find their winning ways again to stay ahead of the Sled Dogs, who are 8–7–1–1, tied in 18 points, but the Spiders have the tiebreaker. That only benefits the Spiders if they stay tied. Another loss with a Dogs win and the Spiders will find themselves where the Fighting Saints have been every April for the last four years: playing golf. The Sled Dogs face the Ak Bars, who have just a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs.

The Spiders’ next game is vs. the last-place Ice Dogs (1–15–1–0; 3 pts., but leading the division in PIMs at 140). Though the Spiders can take nothing for granted, as Cory and the first-place C1 Spiders learned in the late game Monday night, falling to the last-place Rack Attack 7–5.

Plus, it’s a Spiders/Spiders Doubleheader Saturday at Breck, with the C1 squad facing the Puck Hounds at 4:15 p.m. at Breck, then stick around for the C3 Spiders/Ice Dogs tilt at 6 p.m. Special all-Spiders Family section seats available for the early start times.