Spiders snake-bite Ice Cobras, sneak by Nords into playoffs

March 22, 2025

The Spiders took care of business in front of the biggest crowd of the season, then again at Pub 42.

For the last game of the regular season, the Spiders needed a win and some AHA math to defer golf season.

At least 20 fans showed up (including Chris O’Connor) to cheer on the Spiders at New Hope early Saturday evening.

While the Ice Cobras were in 17th place, they had already beaten the Spiders once and were coming off a 2–1 March campaign, beating the Nords and the Growlers, both teams well ahead in the standings.

And from the drop of the puck, it looked like they were on their way to a third March win, as the Spiders could barely get the puck over the blue line. The Cobras put up 15 shots on goal in the first (to the Spiders’ 8), and Tejeda had to stand on his head to keep the Spiders in it. That’s the most shots against in a first period this season (usually the Spider legs run out of gas in the third).

The Spiders began to tilt the choppy New Hope ice the other way in the second, as Harry Long got the Spiders on the board 5 minutes in. And that’s where the score would stay until the third, after the Spiders frittered away the lone power play of the game, Berman snapped an insurance marker past the goalie with 11:29 to go.

The Cobras pulled their netminder with just under two minutes to go, and got their best chance to spoil the shutout with 0.4 seconds on the clock as Tejeda gobbled up a low-slot shot. While the Cobras won the ensuing face off, they didn’t fire the puck, letting time run out.

Final score: 2-zip

The win splits the season series at 1 apiece. And gave the Spiders a just-under-.500 finish on the regular season, 8–9–2–1, and 19 points. More importantly, a tie for 10th with the Nords.

And then we wait. The Spiders had déjà vu all over again, at Pub 42 (formerly the Sunshine Factory). As the Nords game vs. the Wildcats was the key to the Spiders’ AHA math. With Steve Olk reporting the game updates on ESPN 55+, where the Cats slowly built an eventual 4–1 victory. Thus preserving the Spiders/Nords standings tie and handing the head-to-head tiebreaker to the Spiders.

So Spiders take the 10th and final C3 playoff spot, and make the post-season for the first time since the 2021–22 season.

Now the last time the Spiders clinched a playoff berth while sitting at Pub 42 – it was the Sunshine Factory. Following a narrow 4–3 win over the Diablos (with current Spider John Andres and former Spider Dave Schaefer combining on the Diablos’ second goal during their second-period comeback), the Spiders assumed they were OUT of contention, as the Sled Dogs were shoo-ins to make the fifth and final spot that March. But thanks to news that arrived via Twitter AHA score updates, the last-place Ice Dogs somehow pulled out a tie (Sled Dogs 3, Ice Dogs 3), forcing the AHA math fell in the Spiders’ favor that night. Just like Saturday night.

Next up

The Spiders now wait for the rest of the C3 teams to finish out the regular season schedule so the final seeding can be set. Regardless, the Spiders, as the lowest seed, will have their work cut in April by playing the top three teams in the division: The Fighting Loons Black, and Pines/Nordeasters/Marauders, based on Sunday night’s games (against whom the Spiders went 1–3).

The playoffs will start in two weeks, plenty of time for the rust to build on the Tuuks, with first game Monday, April, 7, 9:30 p.m. at Breck.