Spiders edge Fighting Saints 6–5

Nov. 6, 2010

Despite jumping ahead to a 3–0 lead after one period — a lead that also featured two washed-out potential goals thanks to skates in the crease — the Spiders settled back and gave the Saints an opportunity to get back in the game and make it interesting.

In the first period, Spider scoring came early, then often. First up, just 34 seconds after the puck drop, D-man Eric Grotbeck got his first AHA (winter season) goal, on assists from Freed and Schuster. At 7:54, Christian Heitzman got a hard-work goal, on assists from Flannery and Litton. And with just 36 seconds to go in the first frame, Chris Pettengill tallied the Spiders’ third goal, on the power play, assists to Yard and Schroeder.

Non-goals in the first included Litton’s shot through traffic from the point, blocked by a Schuster skate in the crease, and game time-decision RW John Pellicci, who sent one five-hole from the slot, only to have a Flannery skate in the crease negate the goal, courtesy the watchful eye of AHA referee extraordinaire Jack Carlson.

Also thanks to Carlson’s watchful eye, the Spiders tangle at the bench led to a too many men call at 11:53. Litton took the two-minute breather. And fresh out on his next shift, Litton got called for a cross-check behind his own net at 7:31, drawn by a crafty (checking) Saint.

In the second, the two-week hiatus since the first game caught up with the Spiders legs. The Saints ate into the lead just 36 seconds in, and kept their feet moving to get a shorthanded goal at 11:20 and cut the lead to one. Just 20 seconds later they were sent to the box again to give the Spiders their first 5-on-3 of the season, duly squandered.

Finally, at 6:38, Heitzman, playing in a contract year, banged in another from the slot, assist to a pinching Litton, and re-established the dreaded two-goal lead. Dreaded, of course, as the Saints cleaned up on another defensive miscue to narrow the lead again to one, 4–3, to close out the second period.

The third opened with another Saints trip. It took all but four seconds of the Power Play for the Spiders to capitalize. And this time it was Pellicci, who dusted off the puck in the slot for most of that 1:56, and sent it top shelf, assists to Flannery and Heitzman. Spiders 5–3. At 13:03, the Spiders jumped out again and broke the two-goal-lead curse, thanks to the Schuster/Freed/Wahlberg line, showing off for the crowd of gathered Ice Sages.

The Spiders were now confidently up 6–3 with 13 minutes remaining. Confidently for just 13 seconds, as that is all it took for the Saints to close the gap to two again. Fearing the two-goal lead, the Spiders encouraged the Saints to close within one, which they gladly did at 12:15 remaining.

To make it even more interesting, the Spiders began their customary parade to the penalty box. First, Flannery for tripping, then Schlais for tripping. But Schuster put on a classic PK demo enough to make Saints bench coach Rob Little erase all the X’s and O’s on his clipboard.

Finally, with just 2:13 remaining, the Spiders drew an interference call, and convinced themselves they would finally have the game in hand. The Spiders ate up half a minute of power play, until Heitzman, still in his contract year, upped his PIMs with another tripping call and evened up the ice at 4 aside. The Saints took that as their cue to pull netminder (and former Spider) Eric Anderson for the man-advantage. Despite a couple of chances, the Spiders mostly stood up the breakout in the neutral zone, and even with a 6-on-4 for the Saints for the 13 remaining seconds, the Saints couldn’t generate enough offense, and the Spiders were able to lock in the victory.

Final score: 6–4.

The Spiders notch their second win of the season, good for a tie for first place in the standings, and the Fighting Saints drop to 0–2. Lifetime, the Spiders have now gone 4–0 against the Saints, last meeting in 2008–09.

The Spiders generated 34 shots (11, 14, 9) on Anderson, while Fransen saw 13 (2, 7, 4) from the Saints.

Special thanks to scorekeeper extraordinaire Paul McWithey, who supplied not only paper scoresheets but the full game soundtrack via the Richfield PA.

Next up

The Spiders’ schedule resumes next week against the 1–1 Ice Gators. The teams last met for the final playoff game last season, where the Spiders loaded up on stats in vain.

And it’s back at West Side with an early Sunday start — puck drops at 6:30 p.m. — giving all the deer hunters minimal time to change from their blaze orange to cardinal (or crimson) red.