Family Fun Night at SLP

Jan. 24, 2015

The dozen-plus fans who gave up their Saturday night to watch adult rec hockey got their money’s worth. The game had practically everything: mini-mites warm-up act (including commingled locker room), tilted ice, a dramatic comeback, creative (and confusing) officiating, a game ejection, a penalty shot, bonus hockey, and in honor of the NHL All-Star skills festivities that took place in Columbus tonight, a clinic put on by C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz.

Starting with just 8 skaters, the Blade Runners appeared to be pacing themselves as the game opened. The Spiders, at 12 skaters, notched an early goal by Paul Berman to put the Spiders ahead, assist to Johnson. A minute later, the officiating confusion began in earnest, as Schroeder ended up in the box for an incidental collision with another player. Soon the ref changed his mind about who should be penalized, and the Spiders got the first power play of the game, which of course went the full two minutes with nothing doing except late whistles ticking away precious power play seconds.

By the 10-minute mark of the first, the first odd-man rush for the Blade Runners ended up in the back of the net, after McCormick made the initial save.

It took less than a minute for the Spiders to retake the lead, with Scott Bredael banging it in from the front, from Freed. And with a minute to go, Bredael got another, from the same spot on the ice, assists to Schuster and Droullard.

In the second, reinforcements began arriving for the Blade Runners, with their bench looking a little less roomy. By this time, the Spiders had perfected the tape-to-tape turnover that has plagued the team all season, and sure enough, the puck ended up in the back of the Spiders net, closing the lead to one. C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz had also taken the ice to begin his clinic, and tied up the game at 3 on the first of many Hail Mary’s in the game.

A high-slot shot through the five-hole and back out — signaled by the instantly recognizable dull clang of the pipe — late in the second should’ve given the Spiders the lead again, but the stripes had a different opinion.

With a minute to go in the second, Sutton was called for interference after C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz chased him down from a zone away to steal the puck. The ref secretly awarded Sutton an extra two for unsportsmanlike conduct, signified by 4:00 going up on the board despite any explanation, giving the short-benched Blade Runners four minutes of cone drill time.

The Spiders’ offense reemerged at 9:30 of the third, with Sean Murphy nailing a backhander, assists to Droullard and Henke. Spiders up 4–3.

Exactly a minute later, Litton was checked from behind at the offensive blue line on a dump-in, sending the Blade Runners’ Stoll (eventually) to an early shower, with a 2+10. On the ensuing power play, D Droullard made a perfect takeaway, to set up a play to Litton, to Schuster, to Farner, who put the Spiders up 5–3.

But at 5:44, it was C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz, again, stealing a puck and calmly firing a 40-foot whistler top shelf past McCormick. A minute later, the in-shock Spiders responded, with Freed from Schuster’s Office™, assists to Murphy and Johnson, Spiders 6–4. But at 4:01, it was, of course, C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz dancing around five red and white cones for his natural hat trick. Spiders 6–5.

On the ensuing faceoff, C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz won the draw to himself, left one defenseman skateless in the slot, and deked around another at the crease, but was in too tight and tripped over McCormick’s goalstick as he got the shot off. The puck deflected up and into the netting, though the ref at the far corner didn’t whistle the puck out of play. It would’ve been a perfect time for the Spiders to take a penalty as C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz was having his way in the offensive zone. That is, if the Spiders could catch him. Nonetheless, the ref agreed it was a perfect time to assess a penalty and wandered around looking for volunteers. The lottery winner was Henke, who was, during the play, at the far right blueline after the faceoff. Somehow, in between putting Henke in the box and reporting to the scorekeeper, the ref had decided that the Blade Runners should be commended for such an improbable comeback, and made the game “interesting” by changing the call to a penalty shot.

The confused SLP crowd could be seen digging in their purses and backpacks for their USA Hockey rulebooks, which states:

616(B): A penalty shot/optional minor penalty shall be awarded to the non-offending team anytime a player is fouled from behind, or diagonally from behind (beyond the fouled player’s peripheral vision), and is denied a reasonable scoring opportunity during a breakaway.

As everyone at SLP, except the ref in the far corner, saw, the C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz was not fouled from behind, nor denied a scoring opportunity, nor was he on a breakaway.

The SLP crowd was also confused by Henke still sitting in the box even though a penalty shot had been awarded. Eventually, the ref figured out at least this error of his call.

With the already hatless crowd on its feet, the C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz did what everyone expected, added the “Texas” to his natural hat trick, drawing McCormick to his right and nailing it behind him. Tie game with 3:50 to go. (Editor’s Note: the editor had to actually look up what a natural hat trick + 1 is called, since it’s never happened in 11 years of Spiders hockey in the AHA.)

A (actual) breakaway by Farner late in the third almost gave the Spiders the difference, but the goalie was ready. Eventually, regulation ran out, at 7:33 p.m. As the ice time had run out at 7:30, one ref announced the game was over, the Zamboni door opened, and the players headed to the ice to begin the handshake. But again in a differing opinion, the other ref succumbed to the swelling “let them play” chants, and called for the five-minute run-time overtime.

The Zamboni crew had only an 18-second smoke break though, as that’s how long it took the Blade Runners to finish their improbable comeback, winning 7–6.

Blowing a pair of two-goal leads, let alone putting the outcome in the hands of officials rather than taking control early, the Spiders have perfected the Green Bay Giveaway.

In the shots department, the tilting of the ice meant Dramamine all around, starting out 16–6 for the Spiders, but 13–7 in the second for the Blade Runners, and 10–8 in the third for the Blade Runners. The two in overtime meant the final was 31–31 in shots.

The Spiders continue the path to .500, ending a two-game winning streak, and sit at 6–5–0–1, with lucky-13 points. The Blade Runners take the two points, and improve to 7–5, 14 points. Stat-wise, while the Spiders had shut C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz down in the first matchup in November, winning that game 5–2, C3 leading scorer #9 J. Nitz has had two months to set the parity bar for C3, now with 16 goals and 19 points in 12 games played, including three hat tricks.

The three-game homestand at SLP continues next Saturday, same time, same place, hopefully not same result. It doesn’t get any easier though, as the Spiders face the first-place Gold Rush again. The Gold Rush sit atop C3 East, at 7–3–2, with 16 points. They also, as usual, sit atop the PIM column, though to be commended, their goalie has yet to face the disciplinary committee this season. The previous game was a Gold Rush win 7–2 in November.

Puck drop is again 6 p.m. on Saturday at SLP E.