Apparently, the Faribault Falcons’ remarkable upset in the opening round of the Section 1A Girls’ Hockey Tournament did more than create an easier path to the finals for the Albert Lea Tigers.

It gave other underdogs hope, including the Tigers’ quarterfinal opponent, sixth-seeded St. Peter/LeSueur-Henderson.

The Bulldogs played the Tigers surprisingly tough, but Albert Lea advanced with a 3-1 victory at the City Arena Saturday night.

The Tigers, seeded third, improved their record to 20-7 and advanced to the semifinals against seventh-seeded Mankato West Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. Albert Lea beat West twice during the regular season.

Amy Leach got the Tigers on the scoreboard Saturday at 11:34 of the first period. Brittany Arendt assisted.

Laura Hillman scored the only second-period goal, assisted by Leach, at the 7:43 mark.

Another Hillman goal, her team-leading 50th of the season, came at 5:34 of the third period, assisted by Leach and Tessa Christensen.

The Bulldogs scored with 2:56 remaining.

Danika Porter was in goal for the Tigers.

If the Tigers win Tuesday, they’ll play for the section championship and state tournament berth on Thursday at 7:30 at Gustavus.