Thunder Chickens fly over Spiders 7–5

March 14, 2007

Highlights:

Two goals:: Jim Maietta
Two penalties:: Ryan Herman, Paul LaCosse, Jim Maietta
First out of the dressing room:: Lee Martini

Thunder Chickens vs. Spiders

Wednesday, March 14, 2007,
9:15 p.m. – Richfield East

Game 18

Thunder Chickens final score:: 7
Spiders final score:: 5

Final – 3/14/2007
Team	1	2	3	F
Thunder Chicke...	4	1	2	7
Spiders	2	2	1	5

The Spiders’ post-season hunt came up empty against the second-place Thunder Chickens tonight, spotting the solid Chickens a four-goal lead. Despite mounting comeback, penalties and the Chickens’ solid team play kept the Spiders from sealing the deal.

The Spiders previous matchup this season with the Thunder Chickens showed the Spiders could skate with then first-place Chickens, spotting them early goals, but mounting a third-period comeback. Would the Spiders break the habit tonight? New lines, due to the unhealthy scratches of captain Carlos Eberhardt and some other defenseman, would put the Spiders to the test.

An early Spiders penalty for too many men led to the first goal for the Chickens, at 13:51. Tasting blood (or feed), the Chickens knocked a flurry of goals in the next minute and a half, gaining a 3–0 lead by 12:34. Following a friendly exchange of penalties, the Chickens added another at 2:59, and the Spiders were staring at a four-goal deficit with just over two periods remaining. But Brad Caron, on a feed from Dave Schliesman, got the Spiders into the game, at 2:43.

A Chickens penalty with a minute left in the first period gave the Spiders a man advantage, and Jim Maietta capitalized, at :46, and brought the score to 4–2. A couple more penalties would close out the first.

And like the first, the second would see more penalties, but the Spiders were able to hold off the Chickens offense until 8:44, when the Chickens added to their lead, now 5–2. At 6:35, Dave Schliesman would find the back of the net, bringing the Spiders to within two again. And to close out the first, a highlight-reel play: a scramble down the left boards by defenseman Brian Armagost, working his way around two Chickens defenders, flipped a pass to a waiting but turned center Jim Maietta, who flung the backhander top shelf, beating goalkeeper Ken Kirkman, and closing in on the Chickens by one goal, 5–4.

Click to view larger version. Brian Armagost’s pass to Jim Maietta and Jim’s backhand goal.

In the third, the Chickens added another at 14:42, regaining the two-goal lead. Then, at 7:18, on assist by Paul LaCosse and Bruce Gustafson, Doug Thorson deked and beat Kirkman, slipping the puck in, to bring the score to 6–5.

The near-capacity Richfield arena crowd was on their feet, wondering whether unlikely Spiders would be able to take over the third yet again. However, with five minutes remaining, a scramble in front of the Spiders’ net somehow led to a Chickens 7th and final trickle-in marker as well as a hooking penalty on Jim Maietta. Back on the ice, with just under two minutes remaining, Maietta carried in alone, beating two Chickens defenders but got tied up just beyond the net, and got called for high-sticking. Not wanting to see Jim have to sit alone in the cooler, Lee Martini got a roughing call at 1:32. Now facing a 5-on-3 for the remainder of the game, the Spiders had no choice but to conservatively kill off the rest of the game.

The final: 7–5 Thunder Chickens. And the win puts the Chickens back in first place, over the tied-for-second Buccaneers (who the Spiders beat last week) and Sled Dogs (who the Spiders face this Sunday).

Scoring summary:

First period:
- Brad Caron, from Dave Schliesman
- Jim Maietta, unassisted, on Power Play
Second period:
- Dave Schliesman, unassisted
- Jim Maietta, from Brian Armagost
Third period:
- Doug Thorson, from Paul LaCosse and Bruce Gustafson

Penalties (prepare yourself, it’s a long list…)

First period:
- Bench: Too many men
- Ryan Herman: Interference
- Ryan Herman (again): Roughing
Second period:
- Paul LaCosse (welcome back to the cooler, Paul): Tripping
- Paul LaCosse (again): Unsporstmanlike conduct (offsetting)
Third period:
- Jim Maietta: Hooking
- Jim Maietta (again): High-sticking
- Lee Martini: Roughing

In all, goalkeeper Jeff Keacher faced 35 shots (12, 11, 12), stopping 28, and making his usual SportsCenter saves. The Spiders put 28 shots on Kirkman’s net (10, 9, 9)

For details, see the box score and game summary.