Short-benched Spiders finally have Mastodons’ number, but magic number now at zero

March 6, 2016

Having gone 5 games in row against the Mastodons without a W dating back to 2012, what was left of the decimated Spiders’ roster claimed a 3–2 OT win. But a less-than-magical-number win by the Ak Bars closed the door on the post-season for the Spiders.

It’s that time of the season where every team struggles to put a full roster on the ice, due to spring break, injuries, travel, team bus flu, new grandchildren* (that’s a new one for the Spiders — congrats Dave Henke!), etc., and that long list left just 11 skaters for the Spiders. But it was the same numbers for the Mastodons.

The Spiders got out in front early in the first, Freed scoring with a wrist shot from the top left circle, assist to Droullard; followed up early in the second by Byland on the power play, for his first of the season, with his patented seeing-eye slapper from the left point. Spiders up by two and almost two full periods to go. The Spiders have seen this movie before ... often.

Right on cue, the Mastodons’ first goal came halfway through the second on a swarm of black jerseys against a valiant Bill who just missed a puck lifted over his glove (he had no chance but almost got it).

Then halfway through the third, the Mastodons’ tying goal was basically a 3-on-0 after the Spiders defense tried to hold the puck deep in the offensive zone, but a sudden turnover back to the neutral zone led to a Mastodon stampede the other way. Bill came charging out, and a deke or two later, the puck was softly tapped into the completely empty net.

Off to OT for the second game in a row. Only this time it only lasted 38 seconds of runtime, with Schroeder nailing a 7-inch-high slapshot off a nice juicy, flat puck between the high slot and blue line that Freed had thrown out from behind the net in desperation. It bounced around the goalie’s “five hole” for a moment before deciding enough was enough and slipped on through.

Spiders win 3–2! First overtime win of the season, and first win over the Mastodons since 2012 (lifetime record now 2–5; 3–9–2 with summer squads)!

While the Spiders added to their increasingly respectable point total for the season (7–10–1; 15 points, ... and still in 6th place), and matching last season’s wins total (7–10–2–1) with two games to go, it’s a good thing the Aldrich Next-Game-In-Town scoreboard wasn’t up and running tonight. With the Spiders’ magic number at 1 (as in, one lousy point by the Ak Bars or anyone else in C3 hovering around 19 points), the struggling Ak Bars held off the last-place Northern Horde 2–1 on the Aldrich ice following the Spiders/Mastodons tilt, in yet another Ak Bar PIM-fest.

(The Ak Bars have SIX players in double-digit PIM territory, one nearing the 40–60–80 cutoff, and hold five of the top 10 slots of the C3 South leaderboard. At 156 PIM on the season, that’s 68 PIM more than the next highest team in C3 South.)

But enough about the Ak Bars ... despite a valiant comeback from the C3 South basement following the Nov./Dec./Jan. Swoon™, the Spiders can finally book their nonrefundable tee times in April. And given the unseasonable summer weather in the Twin Cities, may not have to wait that long.

The rest of the C3 South playoff and C3 Wildcard races narrow. In the South, the Les Etoiles Du Nord can clinch a playoff berth by beating the Ak Bars next weekend. While the Ak Bars and C3 East Hooligans still hold the top two (and only) wildcard slots, the other six remaining C3 teams still in the hunt will need some big-time help from AHA math.

Next up for the Spiders, the second-to-last game of the season, next Sunday against the 7th place Fighting Loons (4–13–1; 9 points). The Spiders have split the season series, with the Loons winning 6–5 in November, and the SPIDERS WIN! in January. It’s back to “home ice” at New Hope, and a family-friendly Sunday 6 p.m. puck drop.