Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Sports Memories by Tom Jones

15 years

• The Albert Lea boys’ basketball team fell 72-67 to Richfield in the championship game of the Tiger Classic. Kyle Ooms led the Tigers with 22 points and Colby Strilaeff added 20.
• The Albert Lea Thunder North American Hockey League team fired its marketing staff after the team was taken over by the league in wake of a pay-to-play scandal and finding of misrepresentation by ownership.
• The Albert Lea boys’ hockey team defeated Dodge County 7-0 at the Kiwanis Holiday Festival in Rochester. Eric Carlson had two goals and two assists to lead the Tigers.
• The Albert Lea girls’ basketball team took third place in the Tiger Classic with a 42-29 win over Cannon Falls. Morgan Stadheim led the Tigers with 18 points.

20 years

• The Albert Lea girls’ basketball team opened the Tiger Classic with a 52-38 win over Farmington. Nike Hendrickson led the Tigers with 13 points with Ellie Holmen adding 10. The Tigers were slated to play Bloomington Kennedy, the No, 1 team in the state in Class AAAA in the championship game.
• In the opening round of the Shootout in Dodge played in Kasson, the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team defeated St. Paul United 2-1. Laura Hillman gave the Tigers the win with an overtime shootout goal. Hillman also scored the only goal for the Tigers in the third period with an assist from Anna Sigurdson.
• In the opening round game of the Tiger Classic, the Albert Lea boys’ basketball team defeated Prescott 40-38. Parker Skophammer led the Tigers with 15 points with Ryan Moore adding 10. The Tigers advanced to play Hills-Beaver Creek in the championship game.

50 years

• The Minnesota Vikings earned their second trip to the Super Bowl with a 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game that was played in front of 47,404 fans at Metropolitan Stadium. Jim Lash scored on a 29-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton and Dave Osborn had a one-yard run for the Vikings’ two touchdowns.
• Albert Lea held the City Recreational Wrestling Tournament for all ages up to junior high. In the pre-school division, Steve Dittrich took first place and Al Mullenbach took second.
• Super Bowl ticket applications were being taken by the Minnesota Vikings from season ticket holders with the team expecting to have 8,000 to 10,000 tickets available at $20 each.
• Associated Press members along with broadcast stations in Minnesota named Vikings coach Bud Grant as the Minnesota Sports Personality of 1974.
• In Park League hockey play, Kent Porter recorded a 9-0 shutout in the nets as Coast to Coast defeated Great Northern Sporting Goods 9-0. John Helgeson scored four goals in the win.
• In grade school girls’ hockey, Norge Village defeated Star Amusement 11-1. Cindy Braun and Debbie Brua each had four goals in the win.
• CCM Super Tacks hockey skates were on sale for 109.95 at the winter sports sale going on at Great Northern Sporting Goods store.
• The Albert Lea City Council approved an ad hoc committee recommendation to earmark $100,000 for the development of a new pool that was to be built in the Channel View Urban Renewal Area.
• The Endres Rangers men’s hockey team was defeated by Austin 6-3. Tom Baas scored three goals in the loss. The next day they fell to Lakeville 3-2 with Gary Hillman scoring both goals.

Did you know?

To view Albert Lea High School yearbooks going back to 1913, go online to www.albertlea.touchpros.com/Home 1. You can also view them on the touch screen located near the ticket table at home events at the high school.