2011-03-26 St. Paul, MN (Highland Park, north rink). With a short bench and the D1 East title on the line, the Northern Horde stood up to the challenge from a feisty Arctic Wolves team and hung on for a 6-1 win. Goalie Nathan Kangas forgot his stick and had to borrow one that was for the opposite hand, but that didn't stop him from posting another one goal game. He stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced as the four Horde defensemen stood strong to keep the defensive zone clear and trouble at bay. The Horde offense was very sluggish with the 5 pm Saturday start, but the team rallied when needed. Chris Brown got the Horde on the board at 13;55 of the first. In the second period, Dan Bolles, who was playing center for the first time this season due to the short bench, put in two goals with Dan Kline picking up the first of three assists on the night for him. In the third period, Steven Lenzen and Chris Warlick each got on the board and Bolles put in one more for the hat trick. For Warlick the goal was timely as his wife and kids had just arrived at the game so he was able to flash some skills for time. It wasn't flashy, but the Horde got 6 of 42 shots past a very solid Wolves goalie who rose to the challenge all night. The Horde next take on the Muskies on Wednesday night as a tune up before the playoffs. Needless to say that the Horde will need to play better than it did on Saturday night to have any chance in the playoffs.
