Spiders* mauled by Sled Dogs 12–2 in final playoff game

March 29, 2014

What was left of the Spiders’ decimated roster obliged to pad the Sled Dogs’ stats in the C3 Toilet Bowl Tournament.

With plenty of room in the BIG 2 dressing room, the Spiders — all nine of them, including the goalie — suited up to play for one thing: post-game beer tickets. With both the Spiders and Sled Dogs having gone winless thus far in the C3 playoffs, there was nothing riding on the game except the Summit-sponsored beer garden festivities.

The entire Spider squad, searching for the oxygen tank.

After two season-ending injuries suffered in the Fighting Loons game Friday night, plus another Spider coming down with the team bus flu, the already short roster became even shorter. Just eight skaters remained available for the game, plus goaltender Bill McCormick, who was determined to play through his own flu bug. That’s the shortest bench ever to start a game for the Spiders. The previous low attendance mark came in consecutive games in March 2008, with nine skaters on (3/1/2008) vs. the Jets, which ended in a 13–3 rout, and (3/11/2008) vs. the Stars (3–1 Stars). The Jets game did finish with just eight skaters, and no goalie.

So, the Spiders hit the ice expecting a blood bath, and were not disappointed. The Sled Dogs kept up with the early-goal theme that had plagued the Spiders all week, though they at least held out until the second shift of the first period to put the first puck in the net. After 17 minutes, it was 3–0 Dogs, after two it was 6–0. And then the Spiders got really tired.

The Dogs had free rein in the Spider zone, camping two at either goal post and tapping in any rebound they chose. The refs were actually getting tired of begging the scorers who should be credited for the assist, surprising considering the Dogs must’ve only been looking to pad stats. In the run-time third, the Dogs put up another 6 markers.

The scorekeeper’s hand apparently cramped up.

The Spiders did erase the looming donut in the third, at 13:12 remaining, as Brad Sutton, well rested from being a healthy scratch on Friday, had legs enough to go coast to coast, fire wide (intentionally) with the rebound put away by Paul Berman. And added another with 6:25 remaining, with another play by Sutton to set up Grotbeck for his team-lead-tying 12th of the season. But otherwise, even the half a dozen sure things the Spiders had in the second period were stonewalled by the Dogs’ netminder Ken Younghdal, who had subbed two-and-a-half times for the Spiders earlier this season for the injured McCormick.

With just 14 seconds to go, the Dogs couldn’t help themselves to one more trip to the buffet, and the runtime clock mercifully ran out. When it was all said and done, the Dogs had three hat tricks, including two with four goals apiece.

Spider goalie shows off the team’s Toilet Bowl Trophy.

Final score: Sled Dogs 12, Spiders 2.

The 10-goal margin ties the previous Spider record for a playoff game set on Wednesday vs. the Nighthawks. And put the total goals against in the playoffs at 29, with a -23 goal differential.

Needless to say, the Spiders will not be playing for the C3 Trophy on Sunday. But they were awarded the All-AHA Playoffs Toilet Bowl Tropy.

C3 Pool Watch

The only game that meant anything on Saturday for the C3 level came on the BIG 2 sheet after the Spiders/Dogs game. And the crowd was slightly more numerous than the Spiders game. The raucous, Summit-fueled crowd cheered and jeered the Nighthawks/Fighting Loons game (and refs) from start to finish. The Fighting Loons, down 1–0 most of the game, and outshot 28–12, mounted a comeback for the ages in the third to go up 2–1, and took a page from the Spider playbook by going on the PK in the final minutes, to hold on for the Pool Title and advance to the Championship on Sunday.

The Wingmen, already shoo-ins as of Friday, beat the also-winless Fighting Piranhas 3–1 for good measure. And the Ak Bars got their second win of the playoffs, beating the short-benched Maroons 5–2, while Ak Bar usual suspect Zakharov got his hat trick in penalties, and hitting the 40 PIM mark on the season yet again, his 20 minor penalties on the season again gives him the C3 crown (and held off the overall PIM lead by the Spiders’ own Lavigne, though that was on only 12 penalties).

The C3 title and trophy will take place Sunday at 6 p.m. on BIG 2 for the Wingmen and Fighting Loons. The game will also be broadcast on ahahockeynetwork.com.

Game media

Plenty of room on the bench.