Spiders downed by Wingmen 3–2

April 5, 2013

The large afternoon crowd at BIG 3 got their money’s worth with today’s game 2 playoff tilt between the Spiders and Wingmen. Exciting until the final “horn,” the Wingmen won 3–2 despite giving the Spiders plenty of chances to tie it up late.

A Bloomington scoreboard glitch caused the game to start late and with a manual game clock. By the time the scoreboard was repaired, the Spiders were already down by 1, and requested in vain for the game to just start over.

Instead, the Spiders’ offense got started at 11:40, with a goal by Johnson from Freed that slowly snuck under the Wingmen netminder Latack. Scorekeeper Fleishhacker dutifully blared the requested Shark Tank fog horn over the arena PA.

The goal celebration wouldn’t last long, 11 seconds to be exact, as a bad poke check on a 2-on-1 by D Litton put the puck right on the trailing forward’s stick, and in the back of the net. Wingmen up 2–1, which is how the first period would end. Except for Lavigne getting his customary first-period two-minute rest.

The lone goal of the second period was a highlight-reel play (DVD available in the lobby. Yes, really...), Schroeder to Henke to Pappone, tying the game at two. And the lone penalty was drawn by Schroeder in yet another potentially dangerous play from behind against the boards. Twice in three games now for Schroeder.

The third got interesting, with the playoff-tradition parade to the penalty box started Wednesday night. After a Wingmen call, the Spiders sat three consecutive times, putting a strain on the PK unit. After Lavigne sat again, Litton went for tripping after trying to clean up his own mess in the defensive zone, and McCormick got his second call of the playoff week for getting his stick stepped on after the net came off. The Spider bench, as well as one of the officiating crew, assumed the whistle was just the net stoppage. Nonetheless, the Spiders went back on the penalty kill, though this one only lasted 12 seconds, as the puck found a waiting Wingman on the doorstep, who roofed it over a diving McCormick. Wingmen 3–2 with just two and a half minutes remaining.

At 1:30, the Spiders called timeout to plot their strategy, and after the faceoff was controlled, added a sixth attacker. After a few good looks with plenty of passing room on the Olympic-sized sheet, the Spiders’ strategy got a boost from a Wingmen penalty, with the goaltender called for delay of game for pouncing on a puck too far out from the crease. The 6-on-4 got some even better looks, with a couple of “sure-fire” shots that ended up on the back boards. Add another Wingmen penalty with 16 seconds to go, but the Spiders couldn’t convert. And with no overtime in the round robin, the Spiders went down in defeat 3–2.

Shots for the Spiders were slightly improved over Wednesday’s game, totaling 21 (10, 7, 4), while the Wingmen generated 29 (11, 7, 11).

Not as many penalties for Fleishhacker to enter today, still 8 minutes aside, meaning the let-them-play adage in the playoffs wasn’t in the officials’ pregame briefing.

Playoff standings

The earlier game on the BIG 3 sheet was the other C3 Pool A game, where the Moose got their first win of the playoffs 2–1 over the Gold Rush. With the Wingmen, and the Gold Rush’s victory Wednesday, that gives all teams in the C3 Pool A a win … except the Spiders.

Meaning unless there’s some exceptional AHA math on Saturday, not to mention a Spider win over the Gold Rush, the Spiders will be looking to make tee times on Sunday, if the April snow ever lets up.

Next up

Spiders vs. Gold Rush, 11:30 a.m. tomorrow morning on the BIG 1 rink.