DES MOINES, Iowa -- Last season the Thunder Bay Chill only conceded a single regular season match.
To say things haven't been going that well this time around would be an understatement.
Christopher Hellman scored the lone goal of the match in the 56th minute as the Des Moines Menace topped the Chill 1-0 at Valley Stadium on Saturday night, yet another setback for the defending regular season champs.
Any hopes Thunder Bay (5-4-0) had of finishing the campaign at the top of the Heartland Division table have all but evaporated as Des Moines (6-1-0) further solidified their position.
After the match was delayed for an hour due to weather, it wasn't until the second half that either time found the fruits of their labour.
Hellman finished a cross from fellow forward Sean Dong, beating Chill keeper Daniel Alvarado.
Menace netminder Paul Blanchette registered the clean sheet.
Des Moines outshot the Chill by an 8-7 margin.
Thunder Bay remains three points clear of the St. Louis Lions for the division's final playoff berth, but St. Louis has one game in hand.
The two teams will play again on Saturday.
