Richfield Nights: First AHA career shutout for Ricky!
Jan. 6, 2025
Highlights:
Spiders at Growlers
Monday, Jan. 6, 2025,
09:15 p.m. – Richfield 2
Game 10 (AHA game 25424)
- Spiders final score:
- 2
- Growlers final score:
- 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spiders | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Growlers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Spiders held on to a two-goal lead to shut out the Growlers 2-zip and claim their first shutout since Jan. 22, 2023.
The Spiders returned to Richfield Monday night to find a working Zamboni, to face the Growlers, a team the Spiders have never played. In their second season at C3, last year they went 11–7–2, including a split with the Gold Rush.
This season, they are sitting with an essentially identical record with the Spiders in the C3 standings, at 3–4–1–0 (Spiders: 3–4–1–1).
Starting with just 12 skaters (before second wind arrived for the second period), the Spiders notched a power play goal, Mettee from Litton and Benson.
And that’s where the score would stay until the third, when Jim Mara’s bench advice resonated with Jim Mara, and he took advantage of a flailing Growler Goaltender.
The Spiders had a couple more chances around the net where their goalie was out on adventures. But the real action was at the Spider end, as the Growlers were peppering Tejeda with solid chances, but he had a glove for every puck, though one almost found its way under the five-hole late in the third.
The Growlers called timeout with 2:01 remaining, and the Spiders spent most of the remaining ice time peppering the far boards, well wide of the empty net.
Final score: 2-zip
| Team | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | % | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Loons Black | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0.944 | 48 | 14 | 40 |
| Pines | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1.000 | 57 | 18 | 28 |
| Nordeasters | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0.938 | 35 | 14 | 20 |
| Spartans | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.667 | 34 | 34 | 22 |
| Wildcats | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.667 | 43 | 34 | 60 |
| Wood Knocks | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0.611 | 28 | 27 | 28 |
| Bold North | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.625 | 41 | 24 | 18 |
| Marauders | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.625 | 30 | 31 | 56 |
| Kan Jammers | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0.556 | 32 | 24 | 38 |
| Spiders | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0.500 | 31 | 32 | 60 |
| Blue Ox | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.500 | 24 | 27 | 50 |
| Growlers | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0.389 | 31 | 31 | 34 |
| Fighting Walleye | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0.333 | 30 | 45 | 32 |
| Blade Runners | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.313 | 18 | 46 | 36 |
| Troopers | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.313 | 21 | 30 | 24 |
| Saints | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.278 | 26 | 42 | 28 |
| Les Etoiles du Nord | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0.250 | 21 | 32 | 34 |
| Fighting Loons Red | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.167 | 22 | 41 | 38 |
| Ice Cobras | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.167 | 18 | 44 | 24 |
The win slots the Spiders into a tie for 9th place, and if AHA math holds (top 40% of teams in playoffs), the Spiders could be getting a pep talk from Jim Mora (instead of Jim Mara). Though as of now, all other teams have a game in hand over the Spiders, as they are the only team with 10 games played.
Next up, an inexplicable bye week (given the two games during the holiday break) before returning to the ice Sunday, Jan. 19, vs. the Fighting Walleye (2–5–1–1).
Lifetime against the Walleyes, which dates back to the 2020–21 playoffs (where they went on to win the C3 hardware), the Spiders are 2–6*, including the asterisk game.
Puck drop is 8:50 p.m. next Sunday at Charlie Brown’s Barn.
For details, see the box score and game summary.
