Disappointing loss after disappointing loss

Nov. 16, 2013

The Spiders succumbed yet again to the always-feisty Gold Rush after goalie McCormick was taken out of the game after being steamrolled in the first period.

After taking two weeks off in the customary November bye week far too early in the AHA season, the Spiders returned to Richfield for a Saturday matinee with the undefeated, 2012–13 C3 Champion, 2013 Fall Tourney Champion (and 2011–12 D1 runners-up) Gold Rush.

The Spiders started off on the right foot (skate), scoring early and stunning the Gold Rush, as Mike Johnson capitalized on the opening faceoff, scoring just 12 seconds into the game, assist to Pellicci, for his first of the season. (Not a Spiders record, which still sits at 7 seconds into the first, on Feb. 8, 2009.)

Halfway through the first, Rush captain Olk tried to split the D right down the slot. After getting a shot off, he seemed to decide to follow up to get any rebound, and freight-trained right into a butterflied McCormick, who was violently forced backwards into his net under the full weight and momentum of Olk. Said the ref, “He didn’t even try to stop.”

After being attended to on the ice for a good five minutes by Dr. Robert, McCormick was “carried” to the far gate and helped to the room. Not a sight anyone wants to see in any hockey game, let alone an AHA game, where everyone has to go to work the following week.

McCormick will likely be out for an extended period of time, and the Spiders wish him a speedy recovery so he can re-take his net.

After the commotion in figuring out how to proceed, the remainder of the first was deemed to be set to run-time. And scorekeeper John Fleischhacker offered to grab McCormick’s gear and suit up. While heading to the dressing room, C3 Sled Dogs goalie Ken Youngdahl, who was just leaving the room after playing in net for the C2 Bulls, instead offered to sub, and returned to the room to dress.

In the meantime, the Spiders went with six skaters, with both John Pellicci and David Lavigne alternating in the net. In all, they would make three saves, and the rest of the Spiders kept the play mostly in the Gold Rush zone. The effort paid off just 33 seconds into the second period, with Mike Johnson again scoring on the first shift, assist again to Pellicci and to Dr. Droullard.

At 14:08 of the second, Tim Byland, in his first game of the season (on brand-new skates, no less), was called for holding in the Spider defensive zone. The Spiders called a timeout to give Youngdahl a chance to finish dressing. But with no sign of him, play had to continue. The PK did its job though, and by the first whistle in the PK, Younghdahl took the net and took a bow to the cheers of the Richfield crowd.

The cheers were louder though when the Gold Rush scored on Youngdahl at 11:35, about a minute after he came in the game. Tie game, and that’s where it would stay for the second, despite the Spiders’ best efforts to score, putting up a whopping 18 shots on goal in the second period, to the Rush’s six. (The 18 is also not a Spiders record, which is 24 in a period on Feb. 12, 2006.) In total so far, the Spiders had outshot the Rush 27–8 after two.

The third period would prove to be much more even (9–8 in shots in favor of the Gold Rush), and as had been the case all season so far, the Spiders downfall.

First, Grotbeck went to the box for roughing(?), after the Rush’s Kuperman decided the whistle was merely a suggestion to stop hacking the goalie. (Did those two additional “shots” after the whistle count on the shot tally?)

The PK was up to the task again, and soon after, Farner got his first of the season, unassisted, and putting the Spiders up 3–2. Then both Johnson and Berman each also almost made it 4–2, Johnson on an open net for which he asked for a do-over, and Berman on a screened snipe in the high slot that missed by just an inch to the top corner.

Instead, momentum inevitably swung the other way, with the Rush tying the game at 3 at 9:30. After the game clock was switched to run-time at the 5-minute mark due to the lengthy delay in the first, momentum continued to swing, or at least the Rush’s #28 T. DeBleeckere continued to swing, with a two-handed chopdown of a Spider defenseman at the Rush blueline after he was beaten to a puck along the boards, knocking himself down while trying to interfere with said defenseman. The refs of course were more focused on the resulting 3-on-1 because, well, it’s exciting hockey, and apparently weren’t focused on why there was a 3-on-1. Gold Rush 4–3 at 2:50.

With the clock draining fast, the Gold Rush wisely just kept icing the puck, allowing them not only a whistle and a line change, but precious seconds to tick off the clock while the refs retrieved the puck and sauntered back to the far faceoff dot. With no timeout to use, the Spiders pulled Youngdahl at around 1:25 after an icing. Another ice and faceoff as the clocked passed 21 seconds as the Spiders tried to desperately hustle the puck back down to the Rush zone. More DeBleeckere antics, uncalled again, prevented the Spiders from retrieving a loose puck, and instead, a final icing at 9 seconds locked up the comeback win for the Gold Rush.

The loss drops the Spiders to 1–2 on the season and 7th place, with the Gold Rush cruising to 3–0, and C3 East first place all alone, thanks to the Fighting Piranhas tie with the ShameonIce Friday and the Fighting Saints tie with the IceDogs on Saturday.

Total shots for the game were 35 for the Spiders (9, 18, 8), and 17 for the Gold Rush (2, 6, 9), but those were split up shots against as:

• McCormick: 2 (1 GA)
• Empty net (i.e., Pellicci and Lavigne): 3 (0 GA)
• Youngdahl: 12 (3 GA)

So with the Rush’s GWG coming against Youngdahl, he officially takes the loss on his “record.”

The Spiders are grateful for Ken Youngdahl coming in to sub, as well as to John Fleischhacker for offering to sub. And to all the Spiders who rallied around Bill to help him get off the ice, to Dr. Rob for attending, and especially for Farner for getting him home safely.

The Spiders will regroup with a sub goaltender next week, back at Richfield, against the 2–0–1 second-place Fighting Saints.