Spiders notch second consecutive shutout, beating Warriors 5-zip

Jan. 13, 2018

First back-to-back donuts since 2014

The Spiders first road trip (for some of them) to Inver Grove Saturday night had a raucous crowd to cheer on the proceedings, even getting the wave going in the third period.

Those cheering for the Spiders had plenty to choose from, whether it was the five goals put up, the at least five more that should’ve been in the net, the epic defensive breakdowns by the Spiders that should have made their way into the Spiders’ net, only to have their hide saved by sub goalie Dan Schultz. But the Spiders stuck to their game plan, including a late penalty to allow for free icing, and the Spiders locked up their second consecutive shutout.

The last time the Spiders double-dipped on donuts was back in 2014, beating the ShameOnIce 2–0 on Jan. 12, 2014, followed by the Icedogs 3–0 on Jan. 19, 2014. It’s only the fourth such back-to-back, with the first two coming in the Spiders’ then D1 championship season, with Amber Obermoller getting a pair of shutouts in the regular season (Feb. 22, 2009, vs. Wolfpack 9–0 on Feb. 22, 2009, and Feb. 28, 2009, vs. Stars 4–0) and to cap off the post-season Cinderella story (D1 semi-final Saturday night, April 4, 2009, vs. the Ice Gators, 3–0; and Sunday afternoon in the D1 final vs. the Diablos, 5–0).

The game’s scoring included John Andres’ first of the season (and as a Spider), in the first; Schuster from Vandenberghe, then Vandenberghe from Schuster and Litton, followed by Bredael from Andres and R. Elling in the second, with the final tap-in by Grotbeck from Farner in the third.

Shots were heavily in favor of the Spiders 39–17, with sub goalie Dan Schultz making his third appearance with the Spiders, advancing his record to 2–1. And according to math, the Spiders apparently missed 34 of their 39 shots.

The win gives the Spiders a lock for the time being on fourth place in C3 East, jumping ahead of the crowded middle of the pack again, and up from .500 to 5–4–1–1 and 12 points.

A big test coming up next week, with Star billing on the Hockey Day in Minnesota schedule. The Spiders take on the second-place Les Etoiles du Nord (8–3; 16 pts.).

The Nords are coming off a Saturday night loss to the first-place Fighting Loons, 4–2, including a 41–16 shot imbalance.

The previous meeting with the Nords had the Spiders excelling at drawing the refs’ ire (and whistle), heading to the box eight times, giving Les Stars almost 51 minutes of power play time.

The Nords have had the Spiders’ number (and game pucks) since their C3 debut, with the Spiders’ record of 1–4–1 since 2015–16.

The full Hockey Day in Minnesota schedule:

Head to Breck for the Hockey Day In Minnesota nightcap, puck drop at 9:30 p.m.