Spiders’ first game comeback dashed in overtime

Oct. 27, 2017

The Spiders knocked off the rust and found their legs in the second period, only to have the comeback on the Wolf-Rayets falter late in overtime.

The puck dropped on the AHA winter season, with the Spiders and three other AHA teams opening the entire winter season Thursday night.

The Spiders took on a new opponent, the Wolf-Rayets, who went all the way to the C3 final in their first season at C3 last year, only to lose in overtime in the championship to the now-at-C2 Northern Gators.

The 2017–18 Spiders hit the ice — early and often — in the first period, where it seemed the rust built up on the skates meant the Spiders could barely stay on their feet. The first goal by the Wolf-Rayets featured a prone Spider defenseman making snow angels on the Breck ice.

The Wolf-Rayets owned the entire first period, including the Spiders’ only power play of the game, where the Spiders could barely hang onto the puck. After 1: 2-zip Wolf-Rayets.

Finally, three minutes into the second, Paul Berman put away the result of a pretty passing play to cut the lead in half. But the Wolf-Rayets’ Resch Ringer #21 did his thing and danced around all the red-n-white orange cones to retake the two-goal lead for his second of the night. Resch from Resch and Resch.

Thus began the Parade to the Penalty box portion of the evening for the Spiders, with the refs also not quite knocking the rust off the rulebook, calling Rich Elling for shooting the puck. (He did appreciate getting on the scoresheet though.) A Vandenberghe hook closed out the period, 3–1 Wolf-Rayets.

Midway through the third, Kevin Noreen started the comeback, assists to Johnson and Droullard (and plusses for Farner and Schroeder).

Finally, after numerous breakaway attempts in the third, one finally found the net, with Johnson streaking and scoring to tie the game with 7 minutes to go in regulation.

Another penalty against the Spiders, this time new Spider Sommerness for “tripping” after a faceoff in the Spider zone, put the Spiders on the PK for the rest of regulation and into overtime.

On their heels for most of the overtime, even back to even strength, and got swarmed by blue sweaters deep in the zone, with a partially blocked Wolf-Rayet shot trickling through a Spider stick and into the near post, ending the comeback with 1:45 remaining in overtime.

Final score: 4–3, and a point for the Spiders.

Next up, the Spiders play a rare Friday night game, against another unknown opponent, the Minnesota Warriors. That team went 6–12–2–0 in 2016–17, finishing in eighth place in C3 North.

Puck drops 9:30 p.m. Friday at Richfield.