Spiders celebrate Hockey Day/Weekend In/Across America by losing in typical fashion

Feb. 22, 2015

The 2014–15 Spiders have a knack for scoring early, but not often enough. The Maroons outlast a third-period Spider comeback to win 5–3 and remove any doubt the Spiders would sneak into the playoffs.

On the coldest game night of the year, the Spiders never thawed from the frigid Breck ice (and dressing room) conditions. Less than three minutes from the puckdrop, the Spiders took the lead on a beautiful setup from the corner by Paul Berman to Eric Grotbeck on the far side of the slot, banged back door. Then went into hibernation in their own zone.

The Maroons answered back at 7:50 with their own beautiful back-door play. They added another at 3:34, despite the puck being kicked in from the crease by Maroons speedster #21 Hawkins, who beat the Spiders’ defense every time he had the puck in the Spider zone. The lack of AHA video review crew would doom the Spiders again just a minute into the second, when a point shot was deflected downward from above the net crossbar height in the slot. But AHA ref Scott Hutchings, who clocks in at about 6′ 5″, was certain the goal looked good from his downhill vantage at the blueline. Not that waving off any of these goals — including another #21 Hawkins breakaway, and another disputed goal late in the second that reportedly instead hit the post and went out — would’ve helped the Spiders. The entire game was spent in the Spider zone. After two periods, the Maroons had more than doubled up on the Spiders in shots, with goaltender McCormick having to bail out his team, turnover after turnover, breakaway after breakaway.

Finally in the third, the Spiders began chipping away at the dreaded four-goal lead for the Maroons. First it was Berman, who finally didn’t score first in the game, from Bredael and Grotbeck, at 12:38 remaining. Then, on a delayed penalty after Bredael was hogtied in the slot, he got the Spiders to within two, assists to Grotbeck and LaCosse. But as the remaining minutes ticked away, the chances were few, and with just over a minute left, McCormick came to the bench for the extra attacker. But most of the play was in the neutral zone, or being fired at the Spiders’ empty net; the Spiders never got close to an offensive zone chance.

The 37 shots against McCormick (15, 10, 12) aren’t the season high (that was 43 by the Gold Rush last November), but the meager 17 shots (6, 5, 6) on the Maroons’ Fabrizio are the season low-frozen-water mark for the Spiders. In fact, the last time the Spiders had 17 shots was the 2012–13 season, putting 17 on the Sled Dogs’ Ken Youngdahl (though the Spiders won that game). Even in the playoffs last spring, the severely shorthanded Spiders managed to get at least 20 in all three games.

Playoffs??

While AHA math has done the Spiders significant favors the last three seasons, those editions of the Spiders were actually able to win games to stay in the playoff hunt. All three of those seasons, it required at least 10 wins (and 22 points) to get the beer ticket roll at BIG, brought to you by Summit.

• 2011–12: 10–7–2–1; 23 pts; 6th place
• 2012–13: 11–9–0–0; 22 pts; 4th place
• 2013–14: 12–7–1–0; 25 pts; 3rd place

Not to mention favorable tiebreakers landing the Spiders way. But with only four games remaining in the season, the Spiders would have to win out just to get to 10 wins. Which is no guarantee to break the top 5, considering all other teams in the clogged C3 East have a game in hand, more wins, and most of the tiebreakers. While no C3 East team is mathematically eliminated yet, three of the top 5 spots are likely a lock with those teams reaching 20 points. Meaning 8 other teams will be vying for the remaining two.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier, however, as the Spiders now have an 11-day hiatus to build up enough rust to take on the now-in-first-place Fighting Ice Fish (9–4–2–0; 20 pts). The Fish leapfrogged the Gold Rush and Mastodons, and take over first, tied with the Gold Rush and Maroons but a game in hand.

The previous meeting with the Ice Fish in late December had the Spiders in a holiday spirit, losing 5–2.

Puck drops back at Breck next Thursday, March 5, at 7:45 p.m.