MINNEAPOLIS -- For weeks, Rochester Ice Hawks coach Nick Fatis said a loss would do his young team some good.
Well, now they have two of them.
After Friday night's disappointing setback against the Maple Grove Energy, the Ice Hawks were right back in action early Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena against the Twin Cities Northern Lights.
After a close first period, the Lights pulled away for a blowout 7-2 victory over the Ice Hawks.
The two losses over the weekend were the Ice Hawks' first two regulation setbacks this season. They fell to 9-2-0-1.
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Andrew Bergquist continued to be the Ice Hawks' nemesis, scoring a pair of first-period goals to get the Lights rolling. Brandon Beard also had a power-play goal for the Lights, but Ludo Duncko stepped up for the Ice Hawks go keep it close.
Duncko scored at 9:21 and again at 19:51 of the first, allowing the Ice Hawks to trail just 3-2 heading into the second.
Jake Kelly and Trevor Sabo assisted on both of Duncko's goals.
The Lights pulled away in the second, with Beard scoring again and Eric Ylitalo also scoring to give them a 5-2 lead into the third. The Lights added two insurance goals in the final frame.
Brandan Alcorn suffered the loss in net. He recorded 37 saves on 44 shots. Rainer Londino-Green of Austin played the final six minutes, recording three saves on three shots.
The Ice Hawks were outshot 47-25.
Rochester will look to bounce back Friday when it returns to action against the Steele County Blades in Owatonna.
