Spiders celebrate Hockey Day Minnesota with record-setting victory

Jan. 21, 2017

The annual statewide celebration of the sport of hockey culminated Saturday night in the Spiders’ rematch with the winless Scarlet Rebellion. The previous matchup in November was a 6–1 Spider victory. That game set a few team records itself. Saturday’s game added to the record log.

The Rebellion’s goalie E. Miishka has had to withstand a shot barrage in practically every game this season, and tonight was no different. But she has proven way more than capable, and kept this game very close into the third period, making save after impossible save.

The Spiders opened the game with a first-shift goal just 26 seconds in, Farner from R. Elling. Four minutes later, Fritz from Pappone gave the Spiders the dreaded two-goal lead. But for the next period and a half, it was the Miishka show, with the Spiders peppering the net, with no results. Finally breaking the logjam on a shorthanded attempt, the goal was eventually waved off by ref Winters due to a player in the crease (despite, as the non-working video replay would show, that player entering the crease was long after the goal.).

Back to the drawing board and back to the Spiders bench wondering whether their goalie was warm enough to stop the next shot, having seen only four shots in 34 minutes. Sure enough, immediately after the goalie’s attempt at keeping loose during a far-end faceoff, a scrum in front of the Spiders’ crease found its way into the net, making it a one-goal game.

The Rebellion got considerably more chances in the third, but Bill was awake for all of them, and the Spider offense finally solved the goaltending at the other end, with Pappone scoring on the power play halfway through the period, assist to Schroeder.

And on the final faceoff of the game, Johnson drew, and passed from his immediately prone position to Vandenberghe, who top-shelfed the puck to put the Spiders up by three, with six seconds to go. Much-needed assist to Mike Johnson.

Final score: 4–1. And in the shots department, by the time the final numbers were tallied by Ryan Zollman, the Spiders had set a new team record for most shots in a game at 66. That tied the most number of shots the Rebellion had seen this season, as the Black Ice had done the same in the opening game of the season.

The previous Spider record for shots in a game was 60, against the Ak Bars on March 19, 2012.

The 24 shots in the first period also tied the Spiders’ record, which had stood alone since 2006, against the Nighthawks, on Feb. 12, 2006.

The win keeps the Spiders at least in the running for the middle of the C3 West pack, just a game and a half out of fourth place. But there are at least four other teams also vying for what will likely be the fourth and final playoff spot (we’ll find out in February at the AHA captains meeting).

Next up, from last to first, it’s the first place Les Etoiles Du Nord, who hold a commanding lead over C3 West with a 9–0–1–2 record.

The previous game in November was all LED Nord, despite a drastically short bench, who won 4–1.

Puck drop is 7:15 Sunday at New Hope, again. Victory beers afterwards at Pub 42, again.