ROCHESTER – In the past, the Rochester John Marshall Rockets have pretty much had their way with the Albert Lea Tigers.

Friday, November 26, 1999

ROCHESTER – In the past, the Rochester John Marshall Rockets have pretty much had their way with the Albert Lea Tigers.

This season, it may not be so easy.

The Tigers, now in their third year as a varsity program, played the Rockets almost dead even through two periods Tuesday night before dropping a 4-0 decision at the Rochester Recreation Center.

Albert Lea’s closest previous game against John Marshall was 8-1.

&uot;We did a great job,&uot; said Tigers coach Mike Miller. &uot;We had speed throughout the game. We got a little tired in the third period, though, and our positioning broke down a little in the defensive end. That’s why they were able to put the puck in the net three times.&uot;

Overall, though, Miller was extremely pleased.

&uot;All in all, it was a great game,&uot; he said. &uot;It was very exciting to watch. We were in it the whole time.&uot;

Especially the first two periods, when the Tigers held the Rockets to only a second-period goal despite being outshot 19-3.

&uot;We frustrated JM the first and second period,&uot; said Miller. &uot;Our coverage forced them to the outside, and quite a few of their shots were from the perimeter. They weren’t getting a lot of prime shots. Our forwards did a nice job back checking.&uot;

What needs improvement, according to Miller, is the offense. The Tigers were outshot 25-8 for the night.

&uot;We need to improve on getting more shots on the net,&uot; said Miller. &uot;We had the puck in their zone a lot. We just didn’t get off the shots quickly enough, and we had no one around to take advantage of the scoring chances we did have.&uot;

Miller said goalie Sara Schewe did a great job keeping the Tigers in the game, making several strong saves, and said it could have gone the other way if Albert Lea could have scored in the first or second period.

&uot;If we had been able to put one in early, it probably would have been a different game, but this is great,&uot; said the coach. &uot;I’m real proud of the girls. It will be a fun season. We’re going to be in every game.&uot;

The Tigers, 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big Nine, face Austin at 7:30 Tuesday in their home opener at the City Arena.