Spiders hold back Buccaneers in OT, 3–2

Dec. 29, 2013

The Spiders faced off against the last-place Buccaneers (0–5–1–1; 2 pts.) in the final game of 2013, Sunday, Dec. 29 at SLP E.

The game saw the return of veteran goaltender Bill McCormick, after missing four games due to the “lower-body injury” suffered in game 3, back on Nov. 16 vs. the Gold Rush.

(Incidentally, that very same Gold Rush team lost its goaltender, Kevin O’Connor, for the season earlier this month, after some second-period antics against the Ak Bars earned him a matching set of Game Misconducts and five-minute majors. Much like a certain Spider goalie alumnus, he won’t be seen for quite some time in an AHA game.)

The Spiders have not played the Buccaneers since way back in the 2006–07 season at D2, when the Spiders tied one 8–8, and won the second meeting 8–5. That Buccaneers team featured none other than current Spiders Dr. Droullard and Bill McCormick, as well as former Spiders Chris Pettengill and Nick Ungaro, who just returned from AHA semi-retirement this season to rejoin the Bucs, after hanging up his Spider jersey after the 2010–11 season.

From the archives: March 10, 2007, D2 Spiders vs. Buccaneers, with Bill McCormick (1) in net, Nick Ungaro (5) at left defense, and Rob Droullard (9) at left wing.

No game video this week, so Spider fans can just assume that the Spiders played lights-out offense and defense, or as usual, forgot-to-turn-the-lights-on offense and defense to allow the Buccaneers to claim a point.

The Buccaneers got on the board first early, and the Spiders had to wait until the second to answer back, Pappone from Vandenberghe.

Just over a minute later, the Bucs got it back, but then wanted to keep it interesting by testing the Spiders’ anemic power play. Going to the bin twice for the Bucs was Ungaro, so he could catch up with the Spiders chit-chat from the penalty box.

The Spiders though, as usual, should’ve declined the man-advantage, as it was on full strength that Dave Schuster tied it up late in the second.

That’s where it would stay through regulation, as the Spiders couldn’t capitalize on opportunity after opportunity, hitting pipes more pipes than Coloradoans will next week, and missing wide-open nets.

The Spiders’ first overtime of the season didn’t last long, with Eric Grotbeck sealing the game on the first shift into OT.

Spiders win their third in a row, 3–2.

The Spiders almost doubled the Buccaneers in shots 29 (9, 5, 14, 1) to 15 on McCormick (5, 5, 5, 0).

And for the second time this season, the Spiders had zero penalties (called). The Bucs made up for it, going six separate times.

Standings watch

In the standings, the Spiders remain tied for third with the Fighting Loons, both with a 5–3 record (10 pts.).

After the new year, the Spiders resume play against the seventh-place Ak Bars (3–4–1; 7 pts.). The cowbell-toting Ak Bars lost this weekend to the Fighting Ice Fish 4–3.

Lifetime, the series is about as even as it can be, with the Spiders’ record vs. the Ak Bars at adding up to 3–3–1–1, starting with an 8–2 drubbing in November 2005.

Puck drop is 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5, at the State Fair Coliseum. Don’t miss Pronto Pup hockey!

End of an era

And incidentally, this will be the last opportunity to play in that barn, as the Minnesota State Fair announced last week that the Coliseum’s ice rink will be permanently returned to cowboy dirt after this hockey season. The annual tradition of hockey on stick will come to a close.

The Spiders have fared well at the Coliseum, going 8–5 over 13 games, including some very memorable (and forgettable) games. The low point came in the 2007–08 season with a three-game stand, and three consecutive drubbings. And certainly a high point was last season’s upset of the first-place Moose to get back in the playoff hunt.

Hockey on a stick, by the numbers