Spiders regress in 11th AHA season

After 11 seasons of AHA hockey, the Spiders discovered a new rival: themselves.

The Spiders started out in their usual win-some/lose-some pattern, hovering around .500 through the halfway point of the season, climbing as high as second place among the 11-team C3 East field. And then, a come-from-ahead loss™ in overtime in late January to the Blade Runners sent the Spiders on a downward spiral that the team never recovered from. A six-game stretch that kept the Spiders out of the win column, going 0–3–2–1, from Jan. 24 – March 5, put playoff hopes all but out of reach. Thanks to usual AHA math, however, the Spiders actually had a micro-slim chance to sneak back into the post-season picture with two games to go, if they could avoid their tragic number, and rely on the four other teams vying for the final playoff spot to graciously step aside. Instead, the Spiders spectacularly lost the final two games, giving away the proverbial late two-goal lead to the Royals, and then capped the season by — for the first time in Spider franchise history — a season shutout sweep by the Mastodons.

Needless to say, the Spiders will not return to the playoffs, missing the post-season for the first time in seven AHA winter seasons, having gotten an invite to the BIG dance every season since the 2008–09 championship run.

The Spiders finished the regular season in ninth place in C3 East out of 11, with a 7–10–2–1 record and 17 points.

After seven consecutive winning seasons, this was the team’s fourth losing season, with the Beginner School, 2005–06 inaugural winter season, and the 2007–08 first season at D1 representing the others.

As with last season’s recap, an abbreviated (and unaudited) look at the Spiders season, by the numbers:

Team stat highlights

Result stats

Longest winning streak:

2–0, twice

Longest losing streak:

0–2, four times

Longest winless streak (losses+ties):

Six games (0–3–2–1), Jan. 24–March 5, 2015

One-goal losses this season:

3 (compared to 5 last season)

One-goal games this season:

4 (compared to 9 last season)

Come-from-ahead losses this season:

4, and 5 come-from-ahead-losses-or-ties

Bench stats

Longest bench:

15 skaters (not once was there all 16 full-time players present, for first time since 2012–13 season)

Shortest bench:

12 skaters

Average roster differential:

+0.2

Number of non-sub player-games missed/scratched:

47 (out of 320)

Largest dressing rooom:

Vadnais 1 (definitely not Vadnais 2)

Coziest dressing room:

SLP East shared with the mini-mites and their dads (1/24/2015)

Coldest ice (and dressing room):

Breck (2/22/2015)

Lousiest ice:

Wakota (10/26/2014)

Number of games played on Olympic ice (200′x100′):

1

Number of wins in games played on Olympic ice:

1

Goal stats

Fastest goal for:

1:12 (15:38) by Paul Berman – 01/24/2015 vs. Blade Runners

Fastest goal against:

25 seconds (16:35) – 3/22/2015 vs. Mastodons

Latest first goal for:

16:20 of third period by Paul Berman – 12/19/2014 vs. Fighting Ice Fish

Latest first opponent goal:

5:58 of second period, 12/28/2014 vs. Mastodons

Most goals for:

8 (10/26/2014 vs. Marauders)

Most goals against:

8 (1/31/2015 vs. Gold Rush)

Most goals (both teams combined):

13 (1/24/2015 vs. Blade Runners)

Shot stats

Most shots for:

38 (3/5/2015 vs. Fighting Ice Fish, incl. OT)

Fewest shots for:

13 (3/22/2015 vs. Mastodons)

Most shots against:

43 (11/1/2014 vs. Gold Rush)

Fewest shots against:

19 (10/26/2014 vs. Marauders; and 12/11/2014 vs. Ice Gators)

Most shots (both teams combined):

70 (12/19/2014 vs. Fighting Ice Fish)

Fewest shots (both teams combined):

45 (12/28/2014 vs. Mastodons)

Penalty stats

Most Spider penalties:

5 (10 PIM), twice

Most opponent penalties:

5 (10 PIM), 1/31/2015 vs. Gold Rush

Most combined penalties:

10 (20 PIM), 1/31/2015 vs. Gold Rush

Number of games with no penalties by Spiders:

0

Number of games with no opponent penalties:

2

Number of games with no penalties by either team:

0

Most frequently called penalty on Spiders:

Tripping (15 times)

Most frequently called penalty on opponents:

Tripping (14 times)

Most frequently called penalty (both teams combined):

Tripping (29 times)

Player stats

Most goals per game:

3 (George Farner, 11/3/2014; and Mike Johnson, 3/5/2015)

Most assists per game:

2 (lots)

Most points per game:

4 (George Farner, 3G 1A, 11/3/2014; and Eric Grotbeck, 2G 2A, 12/11/2014)

Most PIM per game:

4 (Eric Grotbeck, David Lavigne, Brad Sutton x2, Paul LaCosse)

Most power play goals:

3 (Paul Berman)

Most shorthanded goals:

1 (Sean Murphy)

Most game-winning goals:

2 (George Farner)

Most PIM:

22 (Brad Sutton)

Fewest PIM:

0, Paul Berman (Jason “Lady Byng” Freed went four years with zero penalties!)

Most penalties leading to opponent goal:

2 (Brad Sutton)

Number of goals scored via the “Flying ‘V’”:

0 this year (almost, though!)

Goaltending

Most saves per game:

36 (on 43 shots), by Bill McCormick – 11/01/2014 vs. Gold Rush

Fewest saves per game:

17 (on 20 shots), by Bill McCormick – 12/28/2014 vs. Mastodons

Fewest saves per game in a win:

18 (on 19 shots), by Bill McCormick – 12/11/2014 vs. Ice Gators

Most saves per game in a win:

29 (on 31 shots), by Bill McCormick – 11/03/2014 vs. Blade Runners

Most saves per game in a loss:

36 (on 43 shots), by Bill McCormick – 11/01/2014 vs. Gold Rush

Most shutouts:

1, Bill McCormick – 10/26/2014 vs. Marauders

Attendance:

Most games played:

20, Paul Berman and Bill McCormick

Most scratches:

16, David Lavigne

Most on-ice season-ending injuries:

0!

Number of on-ice non-season-ending-but-sending-to-IR injuries:

Too many...

Spiders Stat leader board

C3 East leader board – regular season (Spiders)

Opponent leader board

Who had the Spiders’ number — to rack up their own numbers — this season?

Game-by-game stats

View game-by-game team statistics for the 2014–15 season.