Who own the Spiders?

Feb. 23, 2019

“Owns. Owns.” The short-benched Spiders owns themselves in 11–1 rout by Maroons.

The optional runtime third period couldn’t come fast enough for the Spiders as they gave up (or put in) seven goals in the middle frame. What started as a relatively even affair in the first period went downhill faster than a waxed toboggan on the freshly snow-covered Theodore Wirth sliding hill just to the east of Breck Saturday night, as the wheezing short-benched Spiders began helping the second-place Maroons with their stat-padding, deflecting or redirecting at least four Maroon shots into the Spider net.

Not that the Maroons needed any help. While mother nature set the Twin Cities record Saturday night for most snow in a month since the infamous 1991 Halloween blizzard, the Spiders set the record Saturday night for most goals allowed since the pair of 2013–14 playoff shellackings when the Nighthawks (11–1 on 3/26/2014) and Sled Dogs (12–2 on 3/29/2014) both put double-digits on the Spiders, or what was left of them through post-season attrition, and most allowed in a regular season game since 3/15/2008 when the Royals blanked the Spiders 10–0. (The top goals-against record, 15-zip vs. the Jets on 1/13/2008, is still intact. For now.)

In a game of lowlights, the bright spots:

• Eric Grotbeck, who hustled down highway 100 to get to his second game of the night on time (or the Spiders would’ve had to start the game with one centericeman), got the Spiders’ only marker, assists to Berman and Andres.
• The first period was competitive, even though the Maroons outshot the Spiders 15–4.
• Goaltender Bill McCormick made 25 saves with absolutely no help in front of him, including more 3-on-1’s than a Minnesota Wild overtime. Plus, the “saves of the game” came in the third when at least a minute of mad scramble of loose pucks in front of, next to, behind and over the Spider net that somehow stayed out until a wheezing Mike Johnson cleared the puck via icing.
• The Spiders outshot the Maroons 10–6 in the runtime third period, perhaps due to the Maroons’ boredom, but generated solid chances against the Maroons goalie. That kept the puck in the Maroons’ zone long enough for McCormick to try to stanch the goal flood by “improvising” with his net for the final odd-man rush.
• The Spiders held three players on the Maroons’ scoresheet to zero points, though one was a game-time scratch, apparently injured during the 12-minute warmups after stepping on a puck and dislocating his shoulder. Maroons’ defenseman John Fleischhacker was disappointed to find out Doc Rob was off the Spider roster this year, as he tried to help the injured player.
• No hat tricks, and no shorties!
• And finally, in a first in franchise history for the Spiders, a dog was the game soundtrack. There have been D-Fence cheers, cowbells, cowbell-synchronized DJs, megaphone-amplified loon whistles, rodeo horns, and of course plenty of bear roars, but this was the first with a dog. No, not the dog that saved Charlestown from the 1938 flood. But someone’s actual dog was wandering unaccompanied around the Breck bleachers and arena floor, including the player benches, chanting the chorus from Who Let The Dogs Out. (And this probably explains why the dressing room floors were so moist...)

In the end though, at least it was over. By the time the Breck horn mercifully sounded, the Maroons had scored a goal for every Spider on the ice.

Standings Watch

The Maroons improve to 8–0–4–3 and 23 points, with their no-regulation-loss record keeping them in second.

The Spiders add Lucky 13 to the L column, at 1–13–1 and 3 points.

Next up, the Spiders head outdoors for the first time in team history, with eight of the 10 C3 East teams getting their turn at the SLP Outdoor rink on Saturday. (Ak Bars/Icedogs is indoors at SLP E.)

Starting at 2 p.m., the Arctic Wolves and Wildcats kick off the C3 East outdoor schedule, followed by the LED Nord/Royals at 3:45 p.m., the Moose/Maroons at 5:30 p.m. And for the Knightcap, the Spiders take on the only team they’ve beat this season, the Knights. The Knights are 6–7–1–1 and 14 points in 7th place, still in the playoff race in the crowded middle-of-the-pack C3 East. They are coming off a 3–2 OT loss against the Arctic Wolves. The last Spider/Knight matchup on the pre-holiday weekend, had the Spiders holding on for a 3–2 win. The Knights have gone 3–3 since then. While the Spiders have a little more lopsided record.

Head to the great and likely snowy outdoors next Saturday, March 2, at 7:45 p.m. for Spiders vs. Knights at SLP Outdoor.