After dropping its last two games, the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team came into Thursday night’s matchup with Owatonna in hopes of getting back on the winning track.

The Tigers defense would be unable to contain the offensive momentum of the Huskies, as they would ultimately fall, 7-0.

The Huskies got the scoring started around seven minutes into the first period, with an unassisted goal to take a 1-0 lead. They would add three more goals to their first-period total by scoring all three with under three and a half minutes left in the first. Their final goal came just seconds after the Tigers were called for a penalty, putting them down by one player.

In a four-goal deficit, the Tigers needed to come out in the second period and string together some offensive momentum. However, the offensive firepower of the Huskies would prove to be too much for them to overcome, playing a majority of the period on their defensive side of the ice. Through the first two periods of play, the Tigers had just eight shots on goal compared to the Huskies, who had 35.

The Tigers would come out in the third and play much stronger on the defensive front, allowing no goals from the Huskies. However, they would be unable to find any offensive momentum of their own, as they were also held scoreless in the third.

Head coach Josh Funk talked about the team’s performance and how they’ll move forward after a tough loss.

“We had some issues with the slot early on tonight,” he said. “ As the night progressed, especially in the third period, we started closing down that gap a lot better and blocking a lot of shots.

“We need to focus on the positives. The girls are down right now, but I don’t think it’s because of a 7-0 score. I think it’s because deep down they know they can compete throughout the conference and they know there was a second level that they could have got to tonight.”

The Tigers drop to 2-5 on the season and will play again  Tuesday when they travel to Rochester to battle the Mayo Spartans.