Spiders decline destiny determination
March 16, 2025
Bold North vs. Spiders
Sunday, March 16, 2025,
07:15 p.m. – EPCC 2
Game 19 (AHA game 26083)
- Bold North final score:
- 2
- Spiders final score:
- 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bold North | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Spiders | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Two consecutive losses and a Nords win put the Spiders on the outside looking in for April hockey.
The Spiders second-to-last game of the regular season was a must-win to keep pace with the Nords for the 10th and final C3 playoff spot. The early game in the back rink at Eden Prairie started out in the Spiders’ favor, with a one-goal lead through most of the first. But the Bold North capitalized late in the period to tie the game, and the penalty trouble and short bench reduced the Spiders’ scoring chances as the game wore on, eventually generating just three shots on goal in the third. The Bold North got the backbreaker with 5 minutes to go. The Spiders contemplated pulling the goalie at the next whistle, around 4 minutes, but decided to hold off for one more whistle, which ultimately never came. Tejeda came out with a minute to go, and with 44 seconds remaining, Olk had the GTG on his stick in the high slot, but the puck ricocheted off the crossbar, not even clearing the glass to stop the clock. The Spiders never got another quality chance, and eventually time ran out.
Final score: 2–1
That’s the second loss this season to the Bold North, one of only two teams with a schedule repeat. Now lifetime against the Bold North, an even 2–2 record dating back to last season.
Playoff watch
| Team | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | % | GF | GA | PIM | DIFF | GR | TPP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Loons Black–y | 19 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 0.974 | 100 | 32 | 72 | +68 | 1 | 39 | |
| Pines–x | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0.806 | 98 | 48 | 76 | +50 | 2 | 33 | |
| Marauders–x | 19 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0.763 | 74 | 53 | 104 | +21 | 1 | 31 | |
| Nordeasters–x | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0.750 | 76 | 42 | 74 | +34 | 2 | 31 | |
| Kan Jammers–x | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0.722 | 72 | 37 | 70 | +35 | 2 | 30 | |
| Wood Knocks–x | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0.667 | 76 | 58 | 58 | +18 | 2 | 28 | |
| Wildcats–x | 19 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0.605 | 77 | 66 | 108 | +11 | 1 | 25 | |
| Spartans–x | 18 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 0.583 | 64 | 65 | 62 | −1 | 2 | 25 | |
| Bold North–x | 19 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0.553 | 71 | 59 | 74 | +12 | 1 | 23 | |
| Les Etoiles du Nord | 19 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0.500 | 65 | 59 | 56 | +6 | 1 | 21 | |
| Spiders | 19 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 0.447 | 53 | 56 | 112 | −3 | 1 | 19 | |
| Growlers | 19 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 0.421 | 68 | 69 | 103 | −1 | 1 | 18 | |
| Fighting Walleye | 18 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 0.417 | 57 | 77 | 86 | −20 | 2 | 19 | |
| Troopers | 19 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0.395 | 52 | 65 | 58 | −13 | 1 | 17 | |
| Blue Ox | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0.333 | 41 | 61 | 108 | −20 | 2 | 16 | |
| Ice Cobras | 19 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0.289 | 45 | 76 | 54 | −31 | 1 | 13 | |
| Saints | 19 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0.289 | 50 | 74 | 72 | −24 | 1 | 13 | |
| Blade Runners | 19 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0.158 | 42 | 121 | 62 | −79 | 1 | 8 | |
| Fighting Loons Red | 19 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.132 | 46 | 109 | 54 | −63 | 1 | 7 | |
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All that really matters now for the Spiders in the C3 middle is the LED Nord. And they took care of business over the Saints on the same EP rink in the late game while the Spiders celebrated St. Paddy’s at the 4&5.
So it will all come down to the last game of the season.
The Nords (8–8–3–0; 10th place) play the Wildcats (11–7–1–0; 7th place) at Highland Saturday night.
And the Spiders play the Ice Cobras (5–13–1–0; 16th place).
A Spider win and Nord regulation loss will punch the Spiders’ April ticket via the head-to-head tiebreaker. Anything else is April golf season. Including the #7 coin toss given the Spiders’ puck luck this season.
The Ice Cobras have gone 2–1 in March, beating both the Nords and the Growlers. And in week 2 of the season, beat the Spiders 4–3 in overtime.
Elsewhere in the C3 tier, in yet more unsurprising news, the first-place Fighting Loons Black beat the Troopers Sunday night, giving them 37 points in the standings. There’s no other AHA team that will reach that plateau (the second closest is .... the Fighting Loons Black in D1, with 33 points), so the Fighting Loons Black will take the AHA Presidents Trophy. For the second consecutive season.
The second- and third-place C3 slots, which will be the seed opponents for whomever finishes 10th, are yet to be settled with two games remaining for most teams in the top 5. The next four down will shuffle around, but the top nine teams are now locked in no matter what, as the Spiders can only catch the Nords in 10th.
Puck drop vs. the Cobras, a family-friendly 5:30 p.m. game at New Hope. Good tickets still available.
For details, see the box score and game summary.
