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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

10 years

• The Albert Lea boys’ basketball team fell 83-46 to Mankato West. Dedoch Chan had 23 points to lead the Tigers with Kole Smith adding six.
• The Albert Lea boys’ hockey team posted their second straight shutout when they defeated Austin 5-0. Alex Claassen scored two goals with Wyatt Paulsen, Lucas Hacker and Bergen Lundak adding one.
• The Albert Lea Tigers wrestling team had three top five finishes at the Rochester Christmas Tournament held at Rochester Community College. Garrett Aldrich placed second with Zach Glazier and Triston Westerlund taking fifth. A total of 34 teams had individuals competing in the event.

20 years

• Travis Klatt scored 13 points and added five rebounds to lead the Albert Lea boys’ basketball team to a 58-48 win over Fairmont. Corey Dieser added 11 points and Parker Skophammer had 10.
• The Albert Lea boys’ hockey team defeated Mankato East 6-3 at the City Arena to improve to 10-1 on the year. Jon Breuer, Peter Bracker, Quinn Ellingson, Beau Larson, Alex Lair and Tony Dugstad had goals for the Tigers.
• The Alden-Conger girls’ basketball team defeated Lyle-Pacelli 43-36. Becca Bryson had 14 points to lead the Knights with Emily Appel adding seven.
• The Glenville-Emmons boys’ basketball team fell 47-42 to Grand Meadow to take third place at the Southland Rebel Classic. Tyler Ziebell scored 14 points for the Wolverines with Jarred Knutson adding 11.

50 years

• Greg Hanson scored a disputed goal with under six minutes to play to give the Albert Lea Tigers hockey team a 4-3 win over Simley in a game played at Austin’s Riverside Arena. Tom Wodash stopped 26 of 29 shots on goal to get the win.
• University of Minnesota football coach Cal Stoll was in Albert Lea to talk with Scott Farnes about playing for the Gophers in the upcoming season.
• The Minnesota Vikings had 10,000 tickets remaining for their upcoming NFC Championship game with the Los Angeles Rams. Tickets were $15 and $12 and needed to be sold out three days prior to the game to avoid local television blackout.
• Moorhead handed the Albert Lea wrestling team their first loss of the season after 10 straight wins when they defeated the Tigers 30-25 in the final meet of the Albert Lea Christmas Wrestling Invitational held at the Southwest gym. Jeff Larson, Dwight Gingerich, Brian Ayers and Steve Tobin recorded pins for the Tigers.
• The Porter Beverage Pee Wee hockey team defeated Faribault 4-3. Ricky Moyer, Randy Groff, Dave Swenson and Mike Carstens scored for Albert Lea.
• Bart Starr was named head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, replacing Dan Devine, who had taken the head coaching job at Notre Dame.
• The Minneapolis Tribune reported that the Minnesota Twins were entering the high stakes bidding for free agent pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter with an offer up to $1.2 million on a multi-year contract.
• Thirty-nine players were signed up to participate in an Albert Lea boys’ basketball alumni game being played at the Southwest gym. Games featured the alumni teams playing the current varsity and b-squad teams. Coaching the alumni were Jack Edling, Jim Gustafson and Curt McCamy. Ray Keating, a 1954 graduate, was the oldest alumnus signed up to play.

Alumni update

Through 12 games, Peter Dress is averaging 11.8 points per game as a freshman on the Emery-Riddle Aeronautical University men’s basketball team in Prescott Arizona. He is the son of 1979 Albert Lea High School graduate Jeff Dress and his wife Tami, who reside in Kennewick, Washington.