Horde D1 Dominate Lakers D1 - Get First Win of the Season

2010-11-06 St. Louis Park:  With another strong performance, the Northern Horde D1 got their first win of the season against the Lakers D1 on Saturday night.  The Horde D was tough once again, limiting the Lakers to 17 shots while putting 32 on the Lakers goalie.  Chris Warlick opened the scoring for the Horde with an unassisted goal only four minutes into the game.  His linemate, Steven Lenzen, got his first goal in the maroon and white six minutes later when he knocked home a pass from John Errigo with Chris Warlick getting the second assist.  In the second period, Peter Small got his first for the Horde with assists to Chris Brown and Tyler LaMont.  Unfortunately, for the Horde, the shutout for Nathan Kangas ended off a deflection in the third period, but that was all the Lakers could do against a stubborn Horde D led by Dan Kline, John Fischer and Rob Yurko, who played his best game to date for the Horde and was tough in the corners all night.  Brian Hinderks picked up a shocking unsportsmanlike penalty at the end of the game, which surprised him as much as the Horde bench, but even a 6-on-4 could not threaten Kangas between the pipes.

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Horde Just Miss Championship Game; Playoff Run Caps a Strong Season

April 10, 2010, Bloomington Ice Gardens- The Horde's inaugural winter league season exceeded expectations as the beginner school team finished tied for fourth in the D2 standings and made the playoffs. In the first game of the playoffs, the Northern Horde finally beat the Puck Hounds, with a bruising 5-3 win at New Hope. The Horde came out to play and battled hard all night. Brian Hinderks made a penalty shot that even he didn't know he made until he reached the bench and Brian later capped the win with a beautiful shot from the point. In the second game, the Horde had a lot of chances in the first period but couldn't capitalize and went down 3-1 to a determined Ice Sages at Bloomington. The lone Horde goal was scored by Dana Cudo, her second of the season. On Saturday evening, the Horde needed to win to make the championship and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period. Unfortunately, two quick penalties put the Horde in a five on three situation and the Nighthawks managed to get two past Pete Morrow. The Horde regained the lead on a goal by Dan Bolles, but the Horde gave one back with five minutes to go in the game. With 2:01 to go, the Horde took a penalty to go down and man. Needing a win, the Horde pulled the goalie with one minute left in the game to skate five and gave up an empty netter with 11 seconds remaining.
Overall, the Northern Horde's initial campaign has to be called a success on all fronts. The team started 0-1-1, but rebounded to finish the regular season 13-5-2 scoring 85 goals while only surrendering 48. The Horde led the league with the fewest penalty minutes and beat every team at least once. The team was very balanced getting key contributions from everyone. Jeff Nelson led the team with 22 goals and 30 points and Dan Bolles added 18 goals and 8 assists. Brian Hinderks and Tyler LaMont combined for 15 goals and 17 assists from the defense. Liam Monahan, Chris Haack and Jon Zimmerman each tallied 10 assists. Jon Nygren, Will Schultz, Mark Paska and Ryan Chester gave scrappy play throughout the season, each contributing with key points and making plays from the wings. Sunneel Arora and Dan Kline were consistent and reliable stay home defensemen who could separate guys from the puck and turn the play back to the Horde's advantage. Dana Cudo was the toughest player on the Horde, getting banged around but always being in the right spot at the right time - definitely the strongest two way player on the team. Gary Speier, Jeff Cook, David Homel and Fin Samson, the team's subs, combined for 9 goals and 13 assists in a combined 34 appearances. And Bill Messinger, while hurt for most of the season, brought a tough edge to the team and rallied the troops against the Diablos with his physical play. Everyone contributed at least two points and Horde D gave up the second fewest goals and second fewest shots in the league. Pete Morrow had a terrific season in goal with a 2.33 GAA and 0.875 save percentage facing 393 shots and posting a 14-6-2 record including the playoffs.
The Northern Horde improved throughout the season and is ready to mount a strong campaign this summer to prepare for next winter. WE WILL BE BACK!

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Horde Sweep Blade Runners - Move Into Sole Possession of Second Place

Sunday, March 13, 2010, Eden Prairie (rink 2) – The Northern Horde’s winning ways continued on the big sheet at EP on Sunday night as the Horde pummeled the Blade Runners for a 7-3 victory.  Despite significant pressure on the Blade Runners throughout the first period, the Horde did not light up the scoreboard until Jeff Nelson and Dan Bolles scored back-to-back goals at 4:57 and 2:47 to give the Horde a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.  Nelson would score again on a break-away, followed by a Gary Speier blast at 6:21 of the second period, which would be the game winner.  Bolles and Speier each scored their second of the night in the third period and Tyler LaMont put the game away with 1:56 remaining on a Jeff Cook pass across the crease.  The win brought the Horde to 13-3-2 on the season one point behind the Puck Hounds and two points clear of the Nighthawks with games remaining against the Polar Bears and the Nighthawks.  With the top of the D2 standings bunched, the Horde can finish anywhere from first to fifth.  

 

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Horde Blast Ice Sages

Saturday, April 6, New Hope (south rink) - Coming off a disappointing loss to the Maroons 3-2, the Horde came out lean and hungry to dominate the Ice Sages.  With only 12 skaters, the Horde jumped out to an early lead with Dan Bolles scoring at 16:11 and 14:39.  Jon Nygren followed a Bolles shot two minutes later and beat the Sages goalie for a 3-0 lead.  The first period scoring continued with the Horde putting in two more goals and ending the period up 5-1.   Bolles and Jeff Nelson were on fire all night, scoring four goals each and the Horde added a goal from Brian Hinderks with an assist to Tyler LaMont, which helped seal a 10-3 victory.  The Horde defense once again was strong giving up only 22 shots against once of the best offenses in D2.  The Horde return to Breck to face the Diablos on Thursday, March 11.  Hopefully, it’s just like old times.

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Horde Look Flat and Lose 4-1 to Puck Hounds

St. Louis Park – Saturday, February 13, 2010. The Horde played an uninspired game against the Puck Hounds and lost 4-1 in front of a small crowd at SLP's east rink. After a week off, the Horde started the game with some energy and, after pressing for most of the period scored their only goal of the night when Jon Zimmerman stole the puck at center ice and fed Jeff Nelson cutting in from the right side to give the Horde the early 1-0 lead. The Horde had a few power plays they were unable to convert and, despite outshooting the Hounds, lost for the second time of the season 4-1 after giving up an empty net goal at the game's end. Credit the Hounds who played a tough defensive game and had a few terrific shots. The Horde face the Wildcats next Saturday and will be hungry.

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Horde Faces Tough Chaos Team and Escapes with 1-0 OT Win

St. Paul (Yackel-West Side) – Sunday, January 31, 2010.  After the two teams skated to a 2-2 tie to open the season, the Northern Horde knew they would have a defensive battle on their hands and the 40+ spectators that packed a sold out Yackel arena would not be disappointed.  Tough D and outstanding goalie play were the theme of the night, with Pete Morrow and Chad Guarneri thrilling the crowd with 37 saves between them.  However, after three scoreless periods and 3 scoreless minutes in overtime, Will Schultz got the puck to Tyler LaMont who did the rest taking the puck past half of the Chaos lineup and putting it past Guarneri to give the Horde a victory and take the Horde to 9-0-1 in their last 10 games.  “It was good to see Will do something positive after missing a open net three times the past two weeks,” said Suneel Arora.   Noted defensemen Brian Hinderks, “they were determined and kept bringing the wood all night.”  Schultz remarked “those guys were tough, when I was lying on the ice for the seventh time I really noticed their speed and intensity.”  Dana Cudo, laughing loudly, quipped, “Jon Zimmerman looked like a low level Mite player, instead of the mid-range Mite player he usually resembles, they way he hit the cross bar in the first period from 5 feet out and then shot the puck right into Guarneri’s glove on a breakaway.  Dave Homel could have saved that without pads.  Thankfully we were able to overcome his incompetence with Tyler’s goal at the end.”    Next up, the Horde take on the Puck Hounds who beat the Horde in the second game of the season, the Horde’s only loss this year.  Dan Kline, nursing a sprained right knee, is expected back, along with Ryan Chester who is battling a separated shoulder.  The banged up Horde will need their A game to take down the hot Hounds, who crushed the Wildcats this week.

 

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Horde Fights Off Pesky Loons

Golden Valley (Breck) – Sunday, January 24, 2010.  Playing with a short bench, the Northern Horde fought off a sleepy first period to beat the Fighting Loons 6-2.  In the first period, the Loons controlled the puck and kept it in the Horde end, but only managed two shots in the period against Pete Morrow who stopped one but let the other by at 10:18.  After looking sluggish the rest of the period, Jon Nygren took a Chris Haack pass and buried it with authority to tie the game up.  The second period was back and forth with no one scoring until Liam Monahan won the first face-off of his career right to Gary Speier who deposited the puck in the back of the net before Liam knew he won the face off.  Finally, in the third period, after Dana Cudo left the Horde with 11 skaters, the team woke up from its slumber.  Gary Speier opened the period with his second goal of the night set up by a strong defensive play by Suneel Arora.  Then, Liam Monahan caught a nice pass into the slot from Jeff “I Can Pass Too” Nelson and beat Jon Scholten to put the Horde up 4-1.  Five minutes later, Tyler LaMont sent a nice pass behind the Loons net to Chris Haack in the right corner who fed Jon Zimmerman for a one-timer.  After giving up a goal to the Loons, 10 seconds later Liam Monahan beat three Loons defenders to put the Horde ahead 6-2.   Monahan had 4 points on the night and Speier had three, with each scoring two goals.  At the post-game press conference, defenseman Brian Hinderks noted “We all thought Liam and Nygren could score, they just kept telling us they didn’t want to hurt the goalies.”  Will Schultz, who miss 4 open nets on the night remarked “We were lucky to get out of there with a win – the Loons brought their A game and I am scoring adverse.”  Jeff Nelson commented  “Our one-legged center finally decided to shoot the puck, who knew it would go in?” 

Up next, the Horde face a hot Chaos team that has been crushing opponents of late.  This figures to be a low scoring game as two of the best defenses in D2 go head-to-head.  The teams skated to a 2-2 tie to open the season, but this time around 2 goals may be enough to win it.  The puck drops at Yackel/West Side at 4:50 pm next Sunday. 

 

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AHA D2 Playoff Format Release

The AHA has finalized the playoff format for the 2009-10 D2 season and now 6 teams are in.
Dates of Tournament:  Tuesday, April 6th - Sunday, April 11th
Location: Most weekend games played at Bloomington Ice Gardens
Championship Games: Sunday, April 11th,. Bloomington Ice Gardens, Time TBD
D2 Format:  Top 6 Teams from Regular Season Advance to Playoffs. One Pool with all 6 Teams, Round Robin. Higher Seeds have favorable schedule in Round Robin Play as not all teams will play each other.  Top Two Teams from the 3 Round Robin games will Play on Sunday for D2 Tier Title.

Currently, the Horde are tied at the top of the division, but with half the season to go all 12 teams are still in the playoff hunt.  The Horde will need to play well to make the playoffs at season end.

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Horde Tame Icedogs - Tied for Top of the League

St. Paul (SPA-Drake Ice Rink) – Saturday, January 16, 2010.  On a warm, Minnesota January night, the Northern Horde returned to St. Paul Academy/Drake Arena to face the top-ranked Icedogs, a week after defeating the top-ranked Nighthawks.  Once again, the stout Horde defense led the team to victory.  The Horde played very well in the first period and, with some intense pressure on the Icedogs goalie, opened the scoring at 12:02 of the first when Jeff Nelson followed a Tyler LaMont shot.  Dana Cudo picked up the other assist on the goal.  Just two minutes later, Mark Paska crashed the net to give the Horde a two goal lead – assists to Dana Cudo and Jeff Nelson.  The second period was all Icedogs for the first 12 minutes as they scored one and kept up the pressure against goalie Pete Morrow; however, all that would change when Dan Bolles got a long pass from Brian Hinderks and but a nice move on the Icedogs goalie to put the Horde up 3-1.  After an Icedogs goal, Liam Monahan liked what he saw from Bolles and did the same thing with a Jon Nygren pass two minutes later.  The Horde opened the third period with a power play and Dan Bolles scored again off a pass from Liam Monahan and Jeff Nelson.  Yes, you read that right, Jeff Nelson actually had two passes in this game (leading to two assists for him and three points on the night). 

After giving up another goal to the Icedogs, the Horde D was strong the rest of the period.  With 2:24 to go in the game, the Horde committed two silly penalties.  When the Icedogs pulled their goalie to give them a 6-on-3 advantage, the Horde’s chances to hold on to victory looked bleak.  However, Cudo, Hinderks, LaMont, Zimmerman and Bolles stepped up defensively and Pete Morrow stood on his head to preserve the win before a pro-Horde crowd in that numbered in the 30s, perhaps exceeding 40.  Ryan Chester looked good in his return to the lineup following a shoulder injury that has sidelined him all season – the Horde will need his intensity at wing in the second half of the season.  Unfortunately, the Horde will lose Bill Messinger to a shoulder injury for a few weeks, but look forward to his return to the lineup.  Next Sunday, the Horde take on the Fighting Loons, which are one of the highest scoring teams in D2 and have one of the best goalies in the league.  This one should be high scoring if the Horde can muster some offense. 

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Horde Beat Nighthawks - Move into 2nd Place Tie

Eden Prairie – Sunday, January 3, 2010.  The battle for the playoffs heated up Sunday night with the Northern Horde venturing out to the western suburbs to take on the Nighthawks who were holding on to the top spot in the league having soundly defeated the Puck Hounds last week.  This week, the Nighthawks would not be so lucky.  To compensate for the Olympic ice sheet, both teams brought 15 skaters and this contest would sap the energy from all of them.  The game was scoreless until the Nighthawks scored with 2:21 remaining in the 2^nd period.  While the Horde’s efforts to that point were valiant, nothing could beat the talented Nighthawks net minder.  The third period opened with the Horde brining sustained pressure.  Finally, after killing a Jeff Nelson roughing penalty, the Horde evened the game when Mark Paska found Gary Speier at the left post with 4:40 remaining.  The goal fired up the Horde faithful (Brian’s girlfriend, out sole supporter).  1:40 later, a Chris Haack pass to Will Schultz hit the stick of Dan Kline who slid it past the Nighthawks goalie from the right point to put the Horde out in front.  After Jon Zimmerman missed an empty net from 10 feet out, the Nighthawks earned a face-off in the Horde end with 16 seconds remaining.  Following a timeout, the Horde D stoned the Nighthawk skaters and Pete Morrow made his 18^th and most crucial save of the night to preserve the victory and move the Northern Horde into 2^nd place in the standings.  Once again, the Horde defense was stout as the Horde outshot the Nighthawks 22-18.  Suneel Arora, Brian Hinderks and Tyler LaMont kept the feared Warlick/Errigo/Brown line away from the nets and Dan Kline blocked numerous shots diving all over the ice (that could have been him tripping on the goal line as well).  Jon Nygren was huge blocking a number of Nighthawk passes and creating changes for the Horde.   Next up are the Icedogs in a battle for the top of the table.  The Icedogs’ goalie leads the league in GAA and save percentage and the Icedogs have scored the most goals in D2.  The Horde D will need to play big to come out with a victory in this one.

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