The Rochester John Marshall Rockets didn’t go down without a fight.

Friday, December 14, 2001

The Rochester John Marshall Rockets didn’t go down without a fight. Literally.

A late third-period skirmish that included some minor fisticuffs – a rarity in high school sports – punctuated a physical contest as the Albert Lea Tigers defeated the visiting Rockets 3-1 in a Big Nine Conference boys’ hockey game at the City Arena Thursday night.

While Albert Lea coach Roy Nystrom downplayed the third-period scuffle that earned the Tigers’ Tyler Hegwood and the Rockets’ Mike McGee 10-minute misconduct penalties, he couldn’t deny the significance of the victory.

&uot;It’s a nice win, very nice,&uot; said Nystrom. &uot;Anytime you beat Rochester, it’s a good win.&uot;

It wasn’t, according to the coach, any more physical than most Big Nine games. And it went both ways, with the Rockets taking six of the game’s 10 penalties.

&uot;It’s just the kind of hockey we’ve got to play,&uot; said Nystrom. &uot;We’ve got to play the body. It got a little heated, a little frustrated (late in the third period), but when you play this game you can’t back down to anybody. We’re not condoning fighting by any means, but you’ve got to stand up for your rights.&uot;

A bench penalty – too many men on the ice – helped set up the Tigers’ first goal, a power-play score by Adam Boelter at 6:22 of the first period. Dan Breuer and Matt Bracker assisted.

The Rockets tied it two minutes into the second stanza, when Jeff Kothenbeutel scored on an assist from Brad Wiitanen, but the Tigers answered less than a minute later on a goal by Jamie Erickson; Peter Hillman assisted.

Freshman Tony Dugstad netted an important insurance goal at 2:11 of the third period, assisted by defenseman Josh Tubbs.

Tubbs’ twin brother, Matt, played another outstanding game in goal.

&uot;I can’t say enough about our kids and how hard they played,&uot; said Nystrom. &uot;It was great. That’s the plan, hard work and position play. That’s what we’ve got to do.&uot;

The Tigers, who outshot JM 26-22, improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Nine.

The Tigers are off until next Thursday, when they face Rochester Mayo at 7:30 p.m. at the City Arena.