Spiders come from behind to stop Troopers 4–1

March 4, 2021

Victory puts Spiders in temporary tie for first place, and locks in playoff berth.

The last time the Spiders and Troopers met, way back in November to start the 2020–21 Winter Season “1” (now just ... winter season) — the Spiders got down early to the Troopers, got into deep penalty trouble, mounted a comeback, but despite a late-game power play, succumbed with 18 seconds on the clock to a shortie.

The script for tonight’s game at SLP was largely the same, but for one small detail.

Troopers score first? Check.

Spider comeback? Check.

Spiders in deep penalty trouble? — Double Check.

Troopers turn the tide? Well, they had plenty of chances in the third, as the Spiders seemed allergic to the puck all night. But Josh Gesch made sure tonight’s result would be different.

Just as in the first game, #4 Harry Long was first to get whistled, this time on the very first shift, before the three fans in attendance at SLP were barely able to take their seats. On the power play, it took just 17 seconds for the Troopers to cash in, on a high right slot shot that skipped under a defenseman’s stick and found its way into the net. 1-zip for Troopers.

On the ensuing faceoff, D-man Mike Schroeder finished his shift, but immediately left the game with a “lower-body” injury. He thankfully stuck around to coach (or shake his head in wonder as to why the Spiders forgot how to pass all night).

Through the first, the Spiders had plenty of chances, outshooting the Troopers 11–6, but sub goalie Jenn Stone stopped them all, including two with her facemask. The second was much of the same, until a rush up the ice with Campbell, Sommerness and Krough combining to get the Spiders back even with 5 and change to go in the period.

On the next shift, following a stop in the Troopers’ zone. The “easiest assist ever” set play (the only play in the Spiders’ playbook) by Mike Johnson to Dave Schuster gave the Spiders the lead with 4:29 to go in the period. Mike then earned himself a two-minute rest, ending his bid to win the AHA Honorary “Jason Freed” Lady Byng trophy this season.

In the third, Kevin Ronneberg followed suit, first sitting for a questionable tripping call in front of the Spider bench, followed by a not-at-all-questionable tripping call on his first shift back after his two-minute rest. Mike then bookended the penalty log sheet with another tripping call. That means in the third, the Troopers had a full six minutes of power play time. Combined with the Spider PK’s inability to clear pucks, including some key zone blocks by the ref, the Troopers had plently of Grade A chances, including one perfect back-door-wide-open net opportunity. But this time the Trooper forward tripped himself, and the puck skittered to the corner. Comeback narrowly averted.

With just under two minutes to go, the Troopers called a timeout to eventually pull their goalie. But instead of tying up the game, Andres tied up the puck, and reprising his 200-foot “missed pass” from the Strange Night At Woog, nailed the Troopers’ empty net dead center from the Spider goalline corner, and was subsequently mobbed (albeit socially distanced) in celebration. Assist to Gesch, his first point of the season.

The Troopers pulled their goalie again after the faceoff, leaving the net open for Krough to flip the puck from the Spider blueline, also dead on center, with 7 seconds on the clock.

Final score: Spiders 4, Troopers 1.

So with the win, the Spiders and Troopers even up the season series as well as the franchise series, dating back to last season, 2–2.

Standings watch

The win also locks in a playoff berth for the Spiders, something the Spiders haven’t done (on their own ... discounting the season-ending tournament last fall) since March 2014, capping the team’s six-season playoff appearance run at the time.

The Spiders also clinch a tie for first place in C3 West by matching records at 7–2–1 with the Pines. But thanks to tiebreakers, the 1–0–1 head-to-head record for the Pines will give them the edge regardless of points. And of couse the Spiders lose handily on the fourth tiebreaker, leading all of C3 in PIM with 83 (and second overall in the entire AHA behind the C2 Norsemen, with 92 PIM). So the fourth-place Knights would have to upset the Pines next week to give the Spiders a chance at the division title. That of course means the Spiders would also need to do their part next week against the Blade Runners.

The Blade Runners sit in last in C3 West, after their Cinderella run in the 2019–20 playoffs, where they went through the C3 brackets undefeated until the Royals shut them out in the final for the C3 hardware. The Blade Runners are backed by Gold Rush/Spiders/Nordeasters/Wolfpack summer Saints goalie Kirstel Carlson, and have beat the Fighting Loons and Knights this season. This will be the first meeting this season with the Spiders, but the series dates back to the 2014–15 season, and sits in favor of the Blade Runners 2–3–1–2. The last matchup with the Blade Runners was last February, the “emergency call-up” game where Chris O’Connor filled in Bill’s net while Brandon Hofer scrambled his way to Highland.

Puck drop on the last regular season game will be Wednesday, March 10, 9:45 p.m. at Braemar W.