It’s been one step forward two steps back for the Thunder in the last two weeks.

Albert Lea (1-18-3) lost 6-0 and 6-1 to Bismarck before coming home for a 2-1 overtime loss against Owatonna.

The Thunder showed that it has made progress in the loss against Owatonna, but hasn’t been able to get into the win column. Albert Lea has, however, picked up two points in the last two weeks which is a sign of progress considering the Thunder went seven games without gaining any points.

Albert Lea travels to Alexandria this weekend for two games against the Blizzard before returning home to face Bismarck.

Albert Lea will get another crack at Alexandria, a team that defeated the Thunder two weeks ago in a shootout, in Alexandria this weekend. The Blizzard is 8-4-2 at home, but has lost four of its last seven games. Alexandria is in second place in the Central Division with 30 points, one point behind Bismarck for the division lead.

The Thunder will have to find a way to stop Noah Nemgar, Jerry Freismuth and Brandon Bahnemann. Bahnemann has four points in five games against Albert Lea while Freismuth has 10 points in four games — including a four-point game and a three-point game. Freismuth has 10 goals and 20 assists on the season. Nemgar has five goals against the Thunder in five games.

Maintaining a high intensity level has been a trouble area for Albert Lea this season and after playing a close game against the Blizzard last time out, the intensity shouldn’t be troublesome.

After the Bismarck game, forward Jake Armijo said the team would have to play road hockey against Owatonna at home. The Thunder played the game tight and outplayed the Express for much of the game. Albert Lea will try use that principle again against Alexandria.

Forwards Danny Wood and Mitch Torrel have led the Thunder for most of the season and lead the team in scoring. Wood has 15 points with seven goals and eight assists while Torrel has 13 points from six goals and seven assists. But lately there has been a cast of players that have impacted the team. Tom Glomski played solid all weekend for Albert Lea, registering four shots against Owatonna and creating a lot of chances.

Then there are the guys between the pipes. Tom Lescovich has played well since coming over to the Thunder, but the results haven’t been there. Lescovich will contend against some of the division’s top goalies this weekend as Albert Lea could see the Blizzard’s Ryan Leets and Bismarck’s David Bosner.

The power play continues to be a struggle for the Thunder as it hasn’t found the net on the power play in its last 29 chances. Albert Lea’s power play ranks third worst in the NAHL while Alexandria has the second best power play, converting on 20 percent of its chances.