AUSTIN – Consecutive goals by Austin’s Melissa Dickhut and Courtney Hughes in a span of 1 minute brought the Packer girls’ hockey team to within one, 4-3, of visiting Albert Lea.

Wednesday, January 09, 2002

AUSTIN – Consecutive goals by Austin’s Melissa Dickhut and Courtney Hughes in a span of 1 minute brought the Packer girls’ hockey team to within one, 4-3, of visiting Albert Lea. But the Tigers, fueled by leading goal-scorer

Laura Hillman, answered with the game’s next five goals in a 9-4 Big Nine Conference loss for Austin Tuesday night at Riverside Arena.

Hillman, an eighth-grader, responded to Hughes’ second goal of the game at the 14:02 mark of the second period with her own 30 seconds later, lifting the Tigers to a two-goal lead heading into the second intermission.

Fired up by Hillman’s late heroics, Albert Lea scored three times in the first four minutes of the third period to put the Big Nine Conference game away and complete the season sweep of the Packers.

&uot;We’ve started to get the offense going,&uot; said Albert Lea coach Mike Miller. &uot;We’ve had a problem of that lately, not in getting shots, but in getting the goals.&uot;

Hillman, however, has not. In the Tigers’ 14 games this season she has 21 goals, including four Tuesday night. Brittany Arendt added her first hat trick of the season to maintain her four-game scoring streak.

Hillman’s fourth goal of the game gave Albert Lea an 8-3 lead less than four minutes into the final period, and Arendt’s third goal capped a string of five consecutive Tiger goals.

Albert Lea (10-4, 6-3) has no seniors and only three juniors on its varsity. Only one of the Tigers’goals were scored by an upperclassman.

&uot;The first time we played them their speed hurt us too,&uot; Austin coach Denny Bray said of his team’s season-opening 4-2 loss at Albert Lea. &uot;But I didn’t predict this kind of outcome.&uot;

Austin dropped to 9-6 overall and 5-5 in Big Nine play.

&uot;We used to do this to them, now I suppose it’s their turn to do it to us,&uot; Bray said.

Jasey Porter scored the game’s first goal off the skate of an Austin defender, but the Packers answered with Hughes, their leading goal-scorer.

Hillman and Arendt tallied their first goals to give the Tigers a 3-1 first-period lead, and Arendt chalked up her second on a breakaway goal to start the scoring in the second for a 4-1 lead.

Porter and Christine Tubbs finished with a goal and an assist each, while Tessa Christensen, Heather Bagley and Amy Leach each had an assist.