Albert Lea girls’ hockey back on track after OT loss

Published 4:33 pm Friday, March 5, 2021

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After a tough overtime loss to Mankato East Tuesday, the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team righted the ship Thursday night with a shutout win over Red Wing. 

Using three goals in the second period, the Tigers had the game wrapped up well before the final whistle, defeating the Wingers 4-0. 

Eighth grader Shelby Evans got the scoring started for the Tigers with a goal less than five minutes into the first period. The goal was assisted by junior Lucy Stay. Eighth grader Olivia Ellsworth was called for a two-minute interference penalty in the 15th minute of the period, but Albert Lea’s defense held strong, not allowing Red Wing to capitalize on the power play attempt. 

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Senior Maddie Schneider was in goal for the Tigers and saved all eight shots taken by the Wingers in the period. The Tigers amassed 14 shots on goal in the period.

Albert Lea scored its second goal early on in the second period as senior Taylor Stanek scored an unassisted goal. Red Wing was called for a five-minute checking penalty just over a minute later, but the Tigers were unable to score another goal during the power play. 

In the 11th minute of the second, Stay scored a goal of her own, unassisted, to give the Tigers a commanding 3-0 lead. 

Again, the Wingers were called for a penalty, this time a two-minute tripping call. The resulting Tiger power play resulted in no goals, however. 

Red Wing committed an interference penalty in the closing minutes of the second, and this time the Tigers were ready to strike. Stay scored her second goal of the game and fourth for the Tigers, all but securing the game. 

Schneider had five more saves in the periods, and the Tigers put up an impressive 26 shots on goal. 

The third period was uneventful for both teams with no penalties called and no goals scored. The Tigers tallied another 13 shots on goal in the period for a total of 53 throughout the game. Schneider saved another six shots, upping her total to 19 for the game. 

The Tigers move to 9-4 this season and will play again Saturday in a revenge game against the Cougars of Mankato East/Loyola. Only four games remain in the regular-season schedule.

About Tyler Julson

Tyler Julson covers sports for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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