NORTHFIELD – The Albert Lea Tigers gave it their best shot.

Tuesday, February 27, 2001

NORTHFIELD – The Albert Lea Tigers gave it their best shot.

It’s just that not enough of their shots went in the net.

The Tigers, seeded sixth in the Section 1A Boys’ Hockey Tournament, ran into a tough sophomore goalie and lost 5-1 at third-seeded Northfield in a quarterfinal game Monday night.

It ended the season for the Tigers while Northfield improved to 15-7-1 and advanced to tonight’s semifinal round.

The game could be viewed as a microcosm of the Tigers’ season. They hustled, played hard and got good goaltending from Matt Tubbs, remaining within striking distance most of the night. It didn’t get out of hand until late in the third period.

It was back and forth in the early going, with both teams applying pressure and putting some quality shots on the net. Tubbs and the Raiders’ Riley Gill kept it scoreless, though, and it remained that way despite power plays for both teams.

The second period saw both teams start a little sluggish. The Raiders got an early power play and the Tigers quickly killed it, getting a penalty of their own at about the midway point. It too went scoreless, until the nine-minute mark when Northfield scored a shorthanded goal with three seconds left in the Tigers’ power play.

The Raiders added a crucial goal with just 44 seconds left in the second period, knocking in a deflected shot.

In the third period the Tigers were forced to open up their offense and the Raiders took advantage, making it 3-0 with another goal on a deflection at the 3:01 mark.

The Tigers pulled within 3-1 at 4:44, with Dusty Wangen scoring on an assist from Josh Seeger.

Northfield netted an insurance goal with 4:29 remaining, adding another at 13:45.

The Tigers finished with a record of 6-16-1. They graduate five seniors from their tournament roster in Dusty Helgerson, Wes Breuer, Jeff Hoium, Seeger and Brandon Drescher.