Spiders ring up Royals 8–1 at SLP

Jan. 16, 2011

The Spiders handed the second-place Royals, backed by former Spider netminder Jeff Keacher, their fifth loss of the season.

The Spiders handed the second-place Royals their fifth loss of the season. With the win, the Spiders extend their now-franchise-record-setting 10–0 start and 10th consecutive win.

The SLP East Spider-friendly crowd saw the season debut for captain Brad Caron, who on his first shift, and off his first shot, put the Spiders up 1–0 early.

Standing on his head, Travis Fransen made save after save, denying the pressing Royals any chance. The only one that got by him was early in the first, when a Spider clear from the zone was “kept in” by the Royals, catching the Spider D off guard, and allowing the Royals to bring a 2-on-1 and tying the game.

That’s where the offense would end for the Royals. Despite numerous chances, Fransen and the Spiders’ backcheckers would deny all chances, including a last-ditch dive behind a fallen Fransen by Eric Schlais to save a sure goal.

Much of the Royals’ offense came from former Whitesnake (summer 2010) Brian Vesall, who knows how to get the puck on his stick and send it rocketing. But the Spiders had an answer for all his chances — as well as his not-even-safe-for-HBO 24/7 chit-chat.

The Spiders clearly cured their third-period slumber that’s bitten them the last few weeks.

Scoring for the Spiders, though you won’t find some of these on the official scoresheet, if there was one, as there just wasn’t time.

• First period
  • Caron, from Schuster and Yard.
  • Vandenberghe — channeling Sidney Crosby’s patented stick-dribble move into the zone — from Cison and Schroeder.
  • Yard, from Cison and LaCosse.
  • Cison, on a breakaway.
  • Yard again, from Droullard.
• Third period
  • Vandenberghe again, from Cison and Pettengill (10 seconds into the power play).
  • Freed, from Wahlberg and Litton.
  • And the nightcap, Schuster from Grotbeck.

Unbeknownst to the Spiders, the sub goalie they were scoring on turned out to be none other than former netminder and founding Spider Jeff Keacher!

Keacher saw 34 shots from the Spiders, while Fransen stopped all but one of the 27 by the Royals.

Penalties, at least the called variety, were minimal. Conspicuously absent were LaCosse … and Flannery (who was scratched).

• Cison for letting the Royals know he didn’t appreciate being slashed.
• Schlais for goaltender interference. When asked for an explanation, the ref offered the very technical explanation: “I wouldn’t have called you for it if you weren’t winning.” Makes sense, considering the next penalties on the scoresheet.
• The Royals’ #33 Krause twice demonstrated clearly for the game officials both parts of USAH Rule 607, with Johnson and Cison being his unwilling — and horizontal — participants. But the Royals weren’t winning at the time of the penalties, so apparently the rule doesn’t apply.

Standings

In the standings, the Spiders hit the halfway point of the regular season with a now franchise-best-ever perfect 10 wins and 20 points.

The Royals will be in second, third or fourth place, depending on the results of their middle-of-the-pack brethren.

Lifetime against the Royals, the D1 (and D2) squad are beginning to tip the scales back to neutral, now with a respectable 4–6–1 record. Long-time Spider fans certainly fondly remember the days of the Royals sending the Spiders packing game in, game out, with such classic Royal drubbings as 10–0; 9–0; 9–1; 10–3; and 10–1.

Next for the Spiders, it’s the trek to Aldrich to face the Gold Rush, stubbornly clinging to last place in D1 West, at 1–9. Next Sunday, 9:40 p.m.