Spiders, Fighting Saints skate to tie, win streak over

Feb. 5, 2014

The Fighting Saints ended the Spiders seven-game winning streak in a typical last-minute offensive surge.

The Spiders entered the game having shot up the C3 East standings on a seven-game winning streak that began in December. The Fighting Saints, last season’s C3 runner-up (lost to the Gold Rush in the C3 final), have been keeping in the playoff picture, at 7–4–1. This season’s first matchup went the Spiders’ way, 5–2, in November.

Tonight, the Spiders’ bench was depleted by the team bus flu, with just 12 skaters lacing up, with one returning from IR after three games out.

The game plan got off to disappointing start, as the Rethwisch brothers “scored” just 1:44 into the game. However, the wishful-thinking AHA goal-review video crew would show the puck never crossed the goal line and was trapped securely under McCormick’s pad, despite the “watchful” eye of the ref from the top of the circles 25 feet away from the net. Saints 1–0.

The Spiders answered back with an actual goal, in the back of the net, with the checking line of Grotbeck, Fritz and Schroeder putting it away to tie the game. That same line extended its shift, and just 24 seconds later put the Spiders up by 1.

With under 6 to go in the first, the Rethwisch brothers struck again, squeaking it through McCormick’s blocker to tie the game.

Halfway through the second, another Rethwisch got another goal thanks to a Spider defensive turnover up the gut, and sniped it top shelf from the high slot. Saints 3–2.

In the third, the Saints put the Spiders on the power play, after Pappone was tackled by #66 M. Terres into the corner boards chasing down a dumped puck. (This play seems to be part of the Fighting Saints typical strategy.) Terres got an extra 10 for blaming it on his dog eating his homework.

The Spiders’ Power Play took just a minute to capitalize and tie the game, with Pappone’s “pass” ricocheting off a skate and landing on Schroeder’s stick at the blue line, who threaded the puck to Grotbeck who put it away for his second of the night.

Three minutes later, Sutton forced a turnover in the neutral zone and dished up to Schwinn, who put the Spiders up by 1, with 8:45 to go.

Could the Spiders hold onto a late-game lead? History says … not likely. Of the three Spiders losses so far this season, two have come on late third period goals.

First page of the playbook: go shorthanded. Sutton volunteered, and was flagged for interference at 3:12 remaining, though despite the ticky-tack nature of the call late in a close game, the refs debated whether to call #35 Seitz for the follow-up slash, but instead put the Spiders on the PK.

The tiring legs of the Spiders’ PK were able to keep the Saints out, but only until the penalty was killed off, as just five seconds after Sutton returned to the ice, a crowd around McCormick’s net somehow got the puck into the back of the net. Tie game. And the refs continued their grand marshaling of the parade to the penalty box by suggesting McCormick tone down his celebration of the goal against.

So the remaining minute, and another minute into overtime, the Spiders were killing instead of shooting. Despite a meager chance in the rest of the overtime, including one almost-sure-thing, the Spiders spent most of the extra frame backchecking on the pressing Saints. But nothing would go in. The Spiders gained possession deep in the zone with 10 seconds to go, but were tied up, and the buzzer sounded, locking in the stalemate at 4 apiece.

The tie ends the Spiders’ 7–0 run that started mid-December, and puts in jeopardy the tenuous hold on C3 East first place. The other games in C3 don’t take place until this weekend, so for now, the Spiders remain in first. And the Fighting Saints stay in fourth at 7–4–1. The lifetime record for Spiders vs. Fighting Saints is now at 9–3–1.

The seven-game run ranks the third best in Spiders’ franchise history. In 2010–11, the then D1 Spiders went an impossible 19–0–1, tying Brad Sutton’s former team, the Puck Hounds in the second-to-last game of the regular season. And the D1 champion 2008–09 Spiders went on a nine-game streak, as well as a six-game streak, and finished 16–1–2–1 in the regular season.

With seven games left on the schedule, the Spiders are assured at least a 9–10–1 record, as well as avoiding matching the franchise longest losing streak, of eight games, set in 2004–05 and 2005–06 (twice). Last season, it took 22 points (and some puck luck help) to make it to the post-season. At 19 points right now, the Spiders look like they should be assured of a playoff spot. But stranger things have happened in the AHA.

Speaking of losses, next up for the Spiders, the second-place Fighting Piranhas (8–2–2–0 and a game in hand). The Spiders last loss was a 4–3 defeat to the Fighting Piranhas back in early December. The Piranhas face the Gold Rush this weekend to determine whether they can leapfrog the Spiders in the standings. Update: the third-place Fighting Loons lost 3–2 to the surging IceDogs, to stay stuck at 8–5 behind the Piranhas.

The skate rust will have a good chance to accumulate before the puck drops, with yet another 10-day break. The Spiders and Piranhas face off Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:20 p.m. at the historic Aldrich arena in Maplewood.