Spiders succumb to Spartans

March 12, 2025

In a must-win for April hockey, the Spiders squandered two first-period leads, losing 5–2.

With a playoff berth potentially on the line, the Spiders played a late-nighter on a school night at Breck Anderson School arena. And in the process, got schooled by the 8th-place Spartans.

The Spiders build an early lead, just 16 seconds after the puck drop, before the Breck crowd (of three) could even take their seats, with Andres sending a fluttering puck with eyes to the far corner, assist to Klein. (Nope, 16 seconds is not a Spider record, that’s held by Aaron Bedessem (2/8/2009 vs. Royals.)

The Spartans got one back a few mintues later, but the Spiders reclaimed the lead on a net-mouth scramble, Johnson from Mettee and Klein. That would be all she wrote for the Spiders’ offense, as the Spiders spent the rest of the night trying to break out from the defensive zone without nary any puck luck. While the Spartans capitalized on every possible rebound, adding two in the second and another pair in the third. A late brief power play — 16 seconds – was the last sputter of offensive opportunity for the Spiders, before the Spartans could wave their victory flag.

Final score: 5–2

Lifetime against these Spartans, the series of which started in the 2022–23 season, that team’s first at C3, the Spiders are now 2–1.

Standings watch

The big L with just two games to go and in a tie for 10th doesn’t help the Spiders’ hopes for April playoff hockey. With five teams with a one-game spread vying for what will likely be the final 10th playoff berth, the last two games of the season will constitute meaningful AHA hockey in March.

Currently the Spiders sit in a tie with the Nords, and would take the head-to-head tiebreaker if the wins/points remain the same.

The Nords (7–8–3–0; 11th place) lost to the 5th-place Kan Jammers Tuesday night, and face the 16th-place Saints Sunday, then 7th-place Wildcats to close the regular season.

The Bold North (9–8–1–0; 9th place), whom the Spiders face next, and Growlers (6–8–3–1; 12th place) tied tonight at Highland. The Bold North will see the Spiders and 6th-place Wood Knocks next, while the Growlers face the 17th-place Ice Cobras and 5th-place Kan Jammers to close the season.

Troopers (7–10–1–0; 13th place) took care of business over the Fighting Loons Red, 7–4 on Monday. They face the first-place Fighting Loons Black and second-place Pines to close the season.

Holding up the rear of the playoff contention window, The Fighting Walleye are technically not yet eliminated, but with a 5–8–2–3 record will need some clever AHA math for the teams above, besides needing to win out over the Blue Ox (15th place) and Spartans (8th place).

The Wildcats (11–6–1–0; 7th place), are a lock with the head-to-head tiebreakers over all the teams behind them, except a potential with the Nords in the last game of the season), and the Spartans (10–7–0–1; 8th place) are likely a lock with the same tiebreaker.

And in the least surprising AHA news ever, the first-place Fighting Loons Black clinch the C3 division with a decisive 8–3 win Monday night over the second-place Pines. Scoring this season at a 97-to-30 clip (a +67 goal differential), and five shutouts (so far), the Fighting Loons dominate C3 for the second consecutive season (though technically this a new Fighting Loons squad, combined of D1 and C3 Loons franchisees), going 18–0–2–0 last season, where they breezed through the playoffs for the C3 hardware.

Next up

The Spiders flip through all C3 teams and start again with the Bold North on Sunday. The first game was a 4–1 loss for the Spiders to open the season. Lifetime against the Bold North, a 2–1 record dating back to last season.

Puck drop Sunday, 7:15 p.m. at EPCC.