ROCHESTER – We already knew the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team could compete with the Rochester schools.

Monday, January 08, 2001

ROCHESTER – We already knew the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team could compete with the Rochester schools.

Now we know the Tigers can beat them.

The ALHS girls got their first-ever victory over a Rochester team Saturday night, defeating John Marshall 4-3 in a Big Nine game at Rochester.

&uot;It feels good to beat a Rochester team – any Rochester team,&uot; said Tigers coach Mike Miller, who called the win a confidence boost for his young squad.

&uot;To nearly knock off Mayo at the beginning of the week, and then beat JM, it should give us some confidence heading into the last half of January,&uot; said Miller.

The first half of Saturday’s game belonged to the Tigers, who took a 2-1 lead at the end of the opening period and led 3-1 after two.

Jasey Porter put Albert Lea on the scoreboard early, at the 2:41 mark. After blocking a shot in the Tigers’ zone, Porter took it the distance and scored unassisted on a breakaway.

Lindsey Sorenson made it 2-0 at 9:08, knocking in a rebound of a shot by Christine Tubbs.

The Rockets netted their first goal at 11:35.

The only goal in the second period was by Laura Hillman, who intercepted a pass and beat the JM goalie at 2:34.

A four-on-three power play resulted in an early third-period goal for the Tigers, with Sarah Johnson scoring off a nice pass from Porter.

It remained 4-1 until the 11:36 mark. The Rockets pulled their goalie after pulling within 4-3 with 1:01 remaining.

Kelley Griffith, who had 15 saves for the night, made an outstanding save in the final seconds of regulation.

Miller said it was a key victory for the Tigers, who improved to 3-5 in the Big Nine while the Rockets fell to 4-3-2.

&uot;John Marshall played a very tough game,&uot; said Miller. &uot;They fought back to get into it and really gave us a run for our money.&uot;

According to Miller, the difference between this and other close games the Tigers have lost is teamwork.

&uot;What made the difference tonight was we played as a team,&uot; said Miller. &uot;There was no one individual trying to carry the team. It was everyone working together, which is a common theme we’ve been trying to work on throughout the year. We had some beautiful passing plays. More important was what the girls were doing when they didn’t have the puck – little things like back checking, being in position in the defensive zone, getting open for passes.&uot;

The Tigers play Thursday at Winona.