It was an off night for the boys (and lady) in white, as the Northern Horde lost their first game to the Diablos during the summer B-school season. Diablos forward Dmitry Tovb was out with a shoulder injury sustained in Monday’s L5 playoffs opening round, and perhaps Dmitry’s missing physical play made the Horde play soft.
The Horde knew they were facing a rejuvenated Diablos who played a strong game in the L5 playoffs, until the Butterflies scored a few in the third period to bust it open. In the first period, the majority of play was in the neutral zone, but the Diablos managed three goals on four shots and took a 3-0 lead to the last minute of the period when center Andrew Dayton, playing his last game for the Horde, scored off a Tyler LaMont pass from behind the net to bring the Horde to within two. In the second period, the neither side looked particularly impressive. In the third period, the Horde turned it up and kept play almost entirely within the Diablos zone. However, the Horde were not able to mount a comeback and the game ended with a 3-1 loss. For the game, the Horde outshot the Diablos 27-8, but were unable to put the shots where they count – in the back of the net.
A special thanks to Andrew Dayton who finished his Northern Horde career with 6 goals and 5 assists in 9 games. He departs for his second year of law school at Michigan soon and will not make the championship game. The Northern Horde look forward to the B-school championship on Wednesday, August 26, at 8:00 pm at St. Louis Park. Bill Messinger is expected to return for the Horde making his first appearance of the season. Will Bill be enough to turn the tide in the Horde’s favor?
