New-look Spiders, same-old result

Nov. 1, 2020

The 2020–21 winter season 1 edition of the Spiders took the ice Sunday night, and took home the L.

After being guided to the wrong dressing room at Eden Prairie, the Spiders eventually got dressed and onto the ice on EPCC 1. While the mini-mite bench was certainly fuller than the last time the Spiders took the ice, the Spiders started to look gassed thanks to DST as the game wore on.

The Troopers got on the board first, thanks to a rebound and cleanup out front of the crease. The Spiders answered back soon after, with Paul (Falls) Berman, to Todd Krough dishing to George Farner out front to tie the game. Spider goaltender Josh Gesch held off the Trooper shot barrage the rest of the period, a 13-5 margin, while the Spiders could barely sniff the offensive zone.

#28 P. Falls

In the second, the Spiders tilted the ice, outshooting the Troopers 11-5, and the lone goal from Shawn Campbell from Schuster’s Office™, assist to Andres.

The lead didn’t last long into the third period, with the Troopers captain tying the game back up. That was followed by two different #87s heading to the penalty box. In all, the Spiders were whistled five times, including the occasional questionable call, while the Troopers were only noticed for rules infractions once. But once was enough. With 49 seconds to go, the Spiders got their first power play of the season. And 31 seconds later, gave up the first shorthanded goal of the season, on a two-skater breakaway.

The Spiders won the ensuing faceoff, pulled the goaltender, but couldn’t convert a last-second shot, and the game ended in a 3–2 defeat, to drop to 0–1 to start the shortened winter season 1.

Next up, the Pines — a team the Spiders have never faced, next Sunday at Richfield, as they try to get the first W of the season.