New-look Spider squad, same-old Spider squad result
Nov. 1, 2024
Spiders C3 vs. Bold North C3
Friday, Nov. 1, 2024,
09:25 p.m. – Highland N
Game 1 (AHA game 24799)
- Spiders final score:
- 1
- Bold North final score:
- 4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spiders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bold North | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
The AHA Winter Season opening-night debut of the newly merged C3 Gold Rush and Spiders started out strong, and went downhill in the second.
While the Spiders started out with the lead and lone first period goal (by Mike Mettee on a beautiful five-hole tuck, unassisted), as eerily predicted by new Spider alternate captain Steve Olk (or Dave Sommerness) in the Highland locker room before the game, the second-period snooze that has plagued the Spiders for 20 years, made a triumphant return.
Despite two back-to-back power plays, the Xcel Power Outage meter was off the blaring red. The special teams could barely maintain possession. And when the refs returned the favor to the Bold North, they even got into the equipment management role, as one of the refs kindly skated the Bold North’s captain’s dropped stick all the way down the ice to him. Gee, thanks.
| Team | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Walleye | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Spartans | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Blade Runners | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Les Etoiles du Nord | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Fighting Loons Black | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Bold North | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Growlers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Marauders | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Kan Jammers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Nordeasters | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Pines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wood Knocks | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Fighting Loons Red | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Saints | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Wildcats | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Ice Cobras | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Troopers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Spiders | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Blue Ox | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
By the end of the second, the Spiders had dug a 4-1 deficit. And despite the occasional offensive chance in the third, including a post ding, that’s where the score would stay, handing the Spiders the first L of the season.
Final: 4-1
The loss places the Spiders in a 8-way tie for dead last in the 19-squad C3. And lifetime against this team, a 2-1 record dating back to last season.
Next up for the Spiders, the Ice Cobras, a squad new to C3, after going 16-1-2-1 last season in D1.
Puck drop at the Spiders new home arena for this season, Richfield (with 7 games in close proximity to Pizza Luce), Saturday at 9:30 p.m.
For details, see the box score and game summary.
