Short-benched Spiders come up just short
Dec. 26, 2017
Fighting Loons vs. Spiders
Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017,
8:50 p.m. – Phalen
Game 9 (AHA game 11514)
- Fighting Loons final score:
- 6
- Spiders final score:
- 5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Loons | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Spiders | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
The Spiders lucked into just one of the seven games across the AHA on the day after Christmas.
The 10 and 2/3rds Spiders who stayed in town for the holidays did their best to take down the as-yet-undefeated-in-regulation first place Fighting Loons.
And they came close, putting up the most goals against the Loons as any team has all season. But that was one goal shy of the Loons’ total, giving the Loons their eighth win of the season, and the Spiders their second consecutive loss.
The Spiders got on the board first, with a power play goal by Pappone just a minute into the game.
It took a whole period for the next horn to sound at Phalen, with Bredael scoring a minute into the second. That opened the scoring floodgates, with the Loons getting on the board a minute and a half later, answered again by Bredael on the next shift. Another Loon marker closed out the second, with the score 3–2 for the Spiders.
In the third, it was the Loons’ turn to score in the first minute of the period, tying the game, then adding another halfway through to take the lead.
The Spiders pulled sub goalie Dan Schultz to try to pull back into the game, and ended up trading goals through the final minute of the game. Final score: 6–5 for the Loons.
The short-benched Spiders weathered the Loon shot barrage, getting outshot 38–18, including a 12–3 margin in the first before the Spiders’ second wind arrived.
Standings watch
| Team | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Loons | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 36 | 19 | 28 |
| Les Etoiles du Nord | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 35 | 16 | 18 |
| Nighthawks Gold | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 27 | 27 | 76 |
| Wolf-Rayets | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Leafs | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 25 | 23 | 96 |
| Blade Runners | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 42 | 34 | 68 |
| Maroons | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 22 | 44 |
| Spiders | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 34 | 32 | 60 |
| Hooligans Green | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 27 | 42 | 58 |
| Minnesota Warriors | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 51 | 48 |
The Loons’ win adds to their stranglehold on the C3 East top spot, a game and a half over the LED Nord. The loss sinks the Spiders below .500, with a 3–4–1–1 record, and nearing the C3 East basement. Yet, the Spiders are only one game out of third place, thanks to the typical traffic jam in the middle, with six of the 10 C3 East teams all sitting within a game of each other.
Next up, the Spiders turn the schedule — and the calendar — over, taking on the Wolf-Rayets, the season’s first opponent, a week from Saturday at New Hope. The first game of the season went the Rayets’ way in overtime.
Post-New Year puck drop is at 7:45, Saturday, Jan. 6.
For details, see the box score and game summary.
