By Andrew Dyrdal and Brandi Hagen, staff writers

 

Everyone got in on the action on Thursday night as the Albert Lea boys’ hockey team rolled past Austin 12-3 at Roy Nystrom Arena.

After falling behind 1-0 just 18 seconds into the game, the Tigers scored five unanswered goals to build a 5-1 lead midway through the second period.

Austin’s Pat Wagner scored a power-play goal at 7:21 in the second before goals from Levi Hacker and Eli Malimanek gave the Tigers a 7-2 lead at the second intermission.

Goals came in bunches during a chippy third period.

Albert Lea’s Lucas Peterson scored 34 seconds into the frame on a power play, and Austin’s Alec Bawek answered with a goal just three minutes later.

The Tigers scored four goals during the four- through eight-minute mark of the third period, including a short-handed goal by Brady Falk.

“We were finding the back of the net,” Tigers’ head coach Nystrom said. “We had a lot of shots, and the skill level in these teams is a big difference. We’re more skilled than they are.”

The Tigers outshot the Packers 45-13, including a 16-3 advantage in the second period. The game had 19 penalties, including a bench minor with three minutes left in the game when Austin’s coach, Tim Peterson, was ejected from the game. The Tigers had nine penalties and Austin had 10.

“When you beat somebody 12-3, there’s not really anything you can point to as far as what was the crucial element that won the game for you,” Nystrom said. “There were a lot of penalties, a lot of people in the sin bin, but that’s what happens in games like this, too. That’s how it goes.”

The Tigers had 10 different skaters score goals, including two-goal efforts from Shea Svendsen and Malimanek. Other goal scorers for the Tigers were Matt Cheever, Darik Weigel, Adam Herbst, Larry Olson, Hacker, Peterson, Auston Larson, Falk, Andrew Thompson and Nate Stadheim.

“This team has improved a lot over the last year,” Nystrom said. “And you know, we’re really young and we’re improving each game. We moved the puck pretty well and we had a lot of power play goals. We just played solid hockey in all areas of the rink, that’s all.”

The Tigers play again at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday against section-rival New Prague at Roy Nystrom Arena.