WINONA &045; It was apparent the Winona Winhawks came to play

But so did the Albert Lea Tigers.

The Tigers were tested at Winona Thursday night but, according to coach Mike Miller, played solid overall while winning 5-2 in a Big Nine girls’ hockey game.

&uot;We needed a game like this,&uot; said Miller, whose team improved to 9-2 in the conference and 12-6 overall. &uot;We issued a challenge, and the girls forechecked very well and backchecked very well. Winona played very tough. They’re a well coached team, and they didn’t give up at all.&uot;

Laura Hillman had two of the Tigers’ goals and assisted on two others. Tessa Christensen, Heather Bagley, Karissa Lau and Frances O’Donnell also scored, with other assists going to Amy Leach, Brittany Arendt, Christensen, Christine Tubbs and Lau. Arendt notched her 100th career point. Danika Porter was the goalie. Miller said Bagley played one of her best games of the season.

The Tigers travel to Rochester John Marshall for a Big Nine game on Saturday.