Etoiles outshine Spiders 4–2

Feb. 6, 2023

Highlights:

Career Milestones:

Century mark (100th game in a Spider sweater):: John Andres

Spiders at Les Etoiles du Nord

Monday, Feb. 6, 2023,
9:00 p.m. – Braemar W

Game 14 (AHA game 21692)

Spiders final score:: 2
Les Etoiles du Nord final score:: 4

Final – 2/6/2023
Team	1	2	3	F
Spiders	0	1	1	2
Les Etoiles du...	2	1	1	4

The Spiders avoid a second-consecutive shutout with late goals, but were no match for the Les Nords.

The good news is, the Spiders don’t have to face the LED Nord again this season (except in the playoffs?). The bad news is the LED Nord took the second game of the season series by a second two-goal margin, the first being 6–4.

The Etoiles looked right at home in the friendly confines of Braemar W arena and its green and gold hues. The Spiders looked like fish out of the slushy water in the Braemar parking lot.

The Spiders had zero answer for the Nord’s forecheck, spending most of the time chasing the speedy Nords or handing gift-wrapped pucks right back.

Most of the way through two periods, the Nords were up 3-zip, and were even dominating in the PIM column, adding insult to injury to the Spiders in the Anti-Lady Byng race.

A late second-period beautiful goalmouth scrum goal by Sommerness from Krough gave the Spiders a brief flicker of hope. Followed by a back-door bang by Ronneberg from Grotbeck, and the Spiders suddenly woke up.

PIM trouble (of course) set the Spiders back, and the Power Play dagger came at 5:38 remaining.

With Tucker pulled with 2:07 to go, the Spiders had some chances, but the post made the best save. The post’s sibling also made an ENG save at the other end, as a streaking Nord took a 45-second wind-up on the open net, only to nail the pipe straight on.

On the final faceoff, the Spiders didn’t even bother to have a sixth skater out. It was that kind of night.

2022–23 C3 West Standings *(Week 14)*
Team	GP	W	L	T	OTL	P	GF	GA	PIM
Saints	13	10	1	2	0	22	63	32	62
Fighting Walleye Blue	14	8	3	3	0	19	56	33	36
Minnesota Mallards	14	9	5	0	0	18	66	43	54
Les Etoiles du Nord	14	8	4	1	1	18	58	40	54
Nordeasters	13	7	3	3	0	17	52	42	63
Spiders	14	8	6	0	0	16	49	47	143
Arctic Wolves	14	5	6	2	1	13	32	53	58
Fighting Loons	14	3	7	2	2	10	47	56	70
Spartans D1	14	3	8	3	0	9	36	66	40
Blade Runners	14	0	13	0	1	1	30	77	78

With the 4–2 loss, the Spiders losing trend continues, dropping the Spiders to 6th behind the Nordeasters.

And other than the shutout and subsequent lone game puck stolen from the Nords, the franchise record sits well in their favor, now tilting at 1–8–2 for the Spiders.

And that PIM race? The Spiders can’t even keep up there, with the Chiefs an their two games in hand looking to eclipse the Spiders within a period.