Spiders fall 2–1 on late shortie to Arctic Wolves in last game of season

March 19, 2016

Largest crowd of the season comes out to Richfield, but sluggish Spiders can’t quite contain C3-leading offense.

An early Saturday-evening game at Richfield drew a season-high two dozen spectators, one shy of the total number of players on both benches. C3 tier admin Jon Filter also came out to enjoy the festivities, or more likely to get an up close and personal look at the no. 1 and no. 2 scorers in all of C3. (No, they aren’t on the Spiders.)

The Spiders got their own up close and personal look at Rosenau on a late shorthanded goal he orchestrated, clinching a game the Spiders were in for 49 minutes. Instead, the shorthanded goal, the fourth given up of the season by the Spiders actually matches the total number of power play goals the Spiders had this season, thus giving Spider special teams a final grade of 0 percent.

The Wolves got the scoring started with just 10 seconds left in the first, on a Spider D pinch that resulted in a turnover and 2-on-1 back the other way.

The Spiders responded throughout the second, getting good chances on the Wolves netminder, the first time the Spiders have seen Ottum this season, as he was subbed for by the Northern Gators’ Matt Gottsch most of the season. With 2:54 left in the second, the Spiders finally got on the board, in a play everyone thought was Schuster, but it was Pappone scoring from Schuster’s Office, past the goalline, and sent on net and squeaked in off the goalie’s stick through the five-hole. Assists to Droullard and record-setting-for-a-Spider-goalie Bill McCormick, who had a career game in net, as well as occasionally out of his net.

Halfway through the third, the Spiders got their first power play, drawn by Rag Doll on a check from behind. The Spiders got some chances, but couldn’t find the back of the net. With just over two minutes to go, the Spiders got their second power play. And as all AHA C3-level fans know, late power plays are the kiss of death for the team with the man-advantage. And sure enough, within 17 seconds, the Arctic Wolves had potted a shorthanded goal (fourth SHG against the Spiders this season ... which is not a team record; 2005–06, 6 SHG). Thanks to a bouncing puck off the faceoff uncorralled by the D at the offensive blueline, the C3-leading Rosenau was off to the races and around to Gretzky’s Office behind McCormick, where he was able to set up a dancing partner in the crease, who somehow poked the puck into a narrow gap by the post next to McCormick’s pad (yes, the Spider D had a very good look at this; the guy scoring didn’t even know the puck went in).

With less than 2 minutes remaining, down by one, and a man advantage for most of the rest of the game, the Spiders pulled McCormick for the extra attacker, though it took some time to figure out how to get that sixth man on the ice. But despite some solid chances, including an almost sure-thing by Droullard, the Wolves held on for the win.

Final score: 2–1.

Both goalies played lights-out games, with McCormick getting 33 shots against (11, 12, 10), and Ottum seeing 30 (8, 11, 11).

The loss wraps up the Spiders’ 2015–16 campaign with a 8–11–1 record, 17 points, and with the Mastodons (8–9–2–1; 19 pts) beating the Northern Horde (4–16; 8 pts.) 8–4, drops the Spiders back to sixth place in C3 South. It’s the second consecutive season the Spiders have missed the playoffs, after having gone six in a row making the post-season.

The Arctic Wolves meanwhile improve to 14–5–1 and 29 points, but still in second place — by just a point — behind the Royals (13–3–4; 30 pts.), the only C3 team thus far to reach 30 points, who tied the Les Etoiles Du Nord (11–3–5–1; 28 pts.) 2–2. With that lone point, the final C3 South standings are locked in, and the Royals end up with the C3 South crown. Congrats to the Royals, who missed the playoffs by a single point last season.

With the last games still going across C3, the full standings and final playoff seedings are still in flux, but the wildcard picture is now set. The Nighthawks had controlled their own destiny, and needed just a single point to get in. Instead, they racked up three consecutive losses to finish the season, capped by a 3–1 loss to the Stars, taking themselves out of the wildcard race. In their place, the Blade Runners, who were celebrating Saturday night at the same local establishment as the Spiders post-game, will get in on the PIM tiebreaker over the NIghthawks, who are probably regretting having two players in double-digit penalty territory, including usual suspect John McDonald.

Speaking of double-digit penalties, the other wildcard spot goes to the Ak Bars, who have run the sin bin table in C3, with the top five C3 South PIM leaderboard spots all sporting the trademark red and green. The Ak Bars finish the regular season on a 5–1 win over the Fighting Loons, at 10–7–2–1, 23 points, and 174 PIM. That’s 78 more PIM than the next highest C3 South team. With five players over 20 PIM, including usual suspect #47 Zakharov (though he came in second place this season), the Ak Bars at least have the benefit of resetting their 40–60–80 thresholds in the post-season.

The playoffs get underway in two weeks, sufficient time to accumulate skate rust, with the first C3 games on Monday, April 4, concluding with the C3 Championship late Sunday, April 10 at BIG.

Next up for the Spiders, golf. But the Spiders will head back to Richfield Friday night to cheer on their lone representative — Eric Grotbeck — in the C3 All-Star game, Friday, March 25.