Spiders ride rollercoaster for 10th season

April 15, 2014

The Spiders’ 10th season in the AHA had enough ups and downs to cause team medical staff to keep Dramamine on the bench.

After a come-from-ahead loss to open the season, the Spiders found themselves without a goalie after just three games, with netminder Bill McCormick sent to the DL by the Gold Rush. By the time he returned to action a month and a half later, to face his former team the Buccaneers, the Spiders had recovered from a slow start to begin what would add up to a seven-game winning streak. By mid-February, the 8–0–1 run had the Spiders at the top of the C3 East standings.

And then … everything fell apart. The solid team play — opportunistic offense, stingy defense — that was the hallmark of the winning streak, was suddenly nowhere to be found. An 0–7 drubbing by the Fighting Loons was the first Spider shutout in five years of winter play. And it was all down icy hills from there. The Spiders scratched out two more wins in March, enough to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth year running. But as the saying goes, you want to be playing your best hockey heading into the post-season. Instead, the Spiders were doing their best imitation of orange drill cones for the other C3 East teams.

The Spiders finished the regular season in third place in C3 East, with a 12–7–1–0 record and 25 points. On the season, the Spiders finished better than 2012–13’s record of 11–9 and 22 points for fourth place.

In the playoffs, the Spiders had the drill cone act down to an artform. With barely enough skaters to cobble lines thanks to Spring Breaks, season-ending injuries, med school acceptances, and an ill-timed brush with the disciplinary board, what was left of the Spiders were stat fodder for the round-robin pool mates. The goals against started early, and came often, mercifully stopped only by the end of the guaranteed runtime third period clock. By Saturday night, the only trophy cup the Spiders were handed was of the BIG beer garden 16 oz. plastic variety, while the actual AHA hardware, including the D1 trophy engraved with the 2008–09 Spiders team name, was far out of reach.

The playoff record, the worst in the Spiders’ 10 years of AHA competition, was 0–3, with a whopping 29 goals against and a -23 goal differential.

This was the team’s seventh winning season, with 2012–13, 2011–12, 2010–11, 2009–10, 2008–09’s D1 Champion squad and 2006–07 representing the others.

Regular season standings: 12–7–1–0; 25 points
Post-season standings: 0–3–0–0; 0 points
Full season standings: 12–10–1–0; 25 points

As with last season’s recap, an abbreviated look at the Spiders season, by the numbers:

Team stat highlights

Result stats

Longest winning streak:: 7–0, Dec. 11–Jan. 26
Longest unbeaten streak:: 8–0–1, Dec. 11–Feb. 15
Longest losing streak:: 0–4, March 22–29
One-goal losses this season:: 5
One-goal games this season:: 9
Come-from-ahead-losses this season:: 4

Bench stats

Longest bench:: 16 skaters – 11/24/2013 vs. Fighting Saints
Shortest bench:: 8 skaters (new record) – 3/29/2014 vs. Sled Dogs
Number of goalies rostered:: 4 (most since 2007–08)
Average roster differential:: Regular season: +0.3;
playoffs: -3.7
Number of player-games missed/scratched:: 120 (out of 460)

Goal stats

Fastest goal for:: 12 seconds (16:48) by Mike Johnson – 11/16/2013 vs. Gold Rush
Fastest goal against:: 9 seconds (new record) – 3/28/2014 vs. Fighting Loons
Latest first goal for:: 13:12 of third period by Paul Berman – 3/29/2014 vs. Sled Dogs
Latest first opponent goal:: 5:10 of third period, 2/15/2014 vs. Fighting Piranhas
Most goals for:: 5 (11/24/2013 vs. Fighting Saints)
Most goals against:: 12 (3/29/2014 vs. Sled Dogs)
Most goals (both teams combined):: 14 (3/29/2014 vs. Sled Dogs)

Shot stats

Most shots for:: 42 (3/22/2014 vs. ShameOnIce)
Most shots against:: 42 (3/26/2014 vs. Nighthawks)
Most shots (both teams combined):: 82 (3/22/2014 vs. ShameOnIce)

Penalty stats

Most Spider penalties:: 12 (51 PIM), 3/12/2014 vs. Ak Bars (new record)
Most opponent penalties:: 7 (14 PIM), 12/11/2013 vs. Fighting Loons
Most combined penalties:: 16 (59 PIM), 3/12/2014 vs. Ak Bars (new record)
Number of games with no penalties by Spiders:: 3
Number of games with no opponent penalties:: 4
Number of games with no penalties by either team:: 2 (vs. Fighting Piranhas, 2/15/2014; vs. ShameOnIce, 3/22/2014)

Player stats

Most goals per game:: 2 (Johnson, Grotbeck, Schuster, Schwinn x2)
First Spiders season ever with no hat tricks!
Most assists per game:: 2 (Schuster, Schroeder, Droullard, Pappone, Henke, Berman x2, Freed, Pellicci, Grotbeck, Fritz x2)
Most points per game:: 3 (Grotbeck, Schroeder, Schuster, Schwinn)
Most power play goals:: 1 (lots)
Most shorthanded goals:: 1 (Grotbeck, Schuster)
Most game-winning goals:: 4 (Schwinn)
Most PIM:: 49, eventually reduced to 44 (David Lavigne)
Fewest PIM:: 0, Dave Henke, Jason “Lady Byng” Freed (fourth year running of zero penalties!), Andy Schwinn
Most penalties leading to opponent goal:: 1 (Byland, Litton, Fritz, Berman, Schroeder)
Number of goals scored via the “Flying ‘V’”:: 0 this year (almost, though!)

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

Goaltending

Most saves per game:: 36 (on 40 shots), by Bill McCormick – 3/22/2014 vs. ShameOnIce
Fewest saves per game:: 9 (on 12 shots), by Ken Youngdahl in relief – 11/16/2013 vs. Gold Rush
Fewest saves per game in a loss (in full game played):: 14 (on 17 saves), by Bill McCormick – 10/27/2013 vs. ShameOnIce
Fewest saves per game in a win:: 13 (on 15 shots), by Bill McCormick – 12/29/2013 vs. Buccaneers
Most saves per game in a win:: 27 (on 29 shots), by Andrew Bauer – 11/24/2013 vs. Fighting Saints
Most saves per game in a loss:: 36 (on 40 shots), by Bill McCormick – 3/22/2014 vs. ShameOnIce
Most shutouts:: 2, Bill McCormick

Attendance:

Most games played:: 20, Rick Fritz
Most scratches:: 15, Paul LaCosse (LTIR)
Most on-ice season-ending injuries:: 5
Most on-ice non-season-ending injuries:: too many

Team records set or tied this season

Shortest bench:

8 skaters, (3/29/2014) vs. the Sled Dogs

Previous:: 9 skaters (tied), (3/1/2008) vs. the Jets, and (3/11/2008) vs. the Stars.

Quickest first goal against:

9 seconds into first period, by Fighting Loons (3/28/2014)

Previous:: 14 seconds into first period, by Fighting Loons (12/11/2013); 16 seconds into first period (tied), by Wingmen (12/12/2009); 16 seconds into first period (tied), by Jets (1/13/2008)

Most shots on goal against, per period:

20 (second period), vs. Nighthawks (3/26/2014)

Previous:: 20 (third period), vs. Jets (11/14/2007); 20 (second period), vs. Royals (3/25/2006); 20 (second period), vs. Ak Bars (11/27/2005)

Most shots on goal, per game, in loss

42 (tied), vs. ShameOnIce (3/22/2014)

42 (tied), vs. Diablos (4/9/2011)

Most PIM per game:

33, David Lavigne (3/12/2014; on 7 penalties)

Previous:: 17, Mike Derer (3/1/2008; on 3 penalties); 12, Mike Armel (10/27/2007; on two penalties)

Most penalties per game:

7, David Lavigne (3/12/2014; 33 PIM)

Previous:: 4, Ryan Herman (3/1/2008; 8 PIM); 3, David Schaefer (2/24/2008; 14 PIM)

Most PIM (season):

44, David Lavigne (on 12 penalties) (2013–14)

Previous:: 37, David Schaefer (on 9 penalties) (2007–08); 28, Mike Armel (2006–07); 26, Paul LaCosse (2005–06); 19, John “Mad Dog” Rajes (2004–05)

Most PIM per game:

51 PIM, vs. Ak Bars (on 12 penalties; 3/12/2014)

Previous:: 40 PIM, vs. Jets (on 9 penalties; 3/1/2008); 30 PIM (tied), vs. Jets (on 7 penalties; 10/27/2007); 20 PIM (tied), vs. Sled Dogs (on 10 penalties; 1/7/2007)

Most penalties per game:

12 (51 PIM), vs. Ak Bars (3/12/2014)

Previous:: 10 (tied; 20 PIM), vs. Sled Dogs (1/7/2007); 10 (tied; 20 PIM), vs. Fighting Piranhas (3/1/2010); 6 (tied), vs. Fighting Piranhas (12/2/2006); 6 (tied), vs. Moose (11/14/2006); 5 (tied), vs. Yellow Jackets (11/11/2006); 5 (tied), vs. Royals (3/25/2006)

Most penalties per game (both teams combined):

16 (tied), vs. Ak Bars (59 PIM; 3/12/2014)

16 (tied), vs. Fighting Piranhas (32 PIM; 3/1/2010)

Previous:: 15, vs. Lumberjacks (20 PIM; 10/26/2008); 14 (tied), vs. Renegades (16 PIM; 2/24/2008); 14 (tied), vs. Wolf Pack (22 PIM; 2/17/2008); 13, vs. Sled Dogs (26 PIM; 1/7/2007)

Most PIM per game (both teams combined):

59, vs. Ak Bars (on 16 penalties; 3/12/2014)

Previous:: 55, vs. Jets (on 11 penalties; 3/1/2008); 36 (tied), vs. Renegades (on 14 penalties; 2/24/2008); 36 (tied), vs. Wolf Pack (on 14 penalties; 2/17/2008); 26, vs. Sled Dogs (on 13 penalties; 1/7/2007)

Season records set in 7–0 loss to Fighting Loons on 2/22/2014: