It was a game the Albert Lea Tigers were expected to win and, the way it was played, they probably should have won it.

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

It was a game the Albert Lea Tigers were expected to win and, the way it was played, they probably should have won it.

But things don’t always go as they should and that was the case for the Tigers Tuesday night, who lost 3-2 to Faribault despite outshooting the Falcons 44-15 in a Big Nine boys’ hockey game at the City Arena.

&uot;It’s a funny game,&uot; said Tigers coach Roy Nystrom. &uot;We definitely outplayed them, but you just don’t win sometimes. Tonight was one of those nights.&uot;

The tone for the night, according to Nystrom, was set in the first period when the Tigers twice failed to score on five-on-three advantages.

Faribault led 2-0 before James Erickson put the Tigers on the board at 12:26 of the second period. Matt Dugstad assisted.

Matt Bracker scored at 4:81 of the third, assisted by Josh Tubbs, to pull the Tigers within 3-2.

The Tigers had five power plays to Faribault’s one.

Matt Tubbs was in the net for Albert Lea, which saw its record fall to 9-8 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

The Tigers face Rochester Mayo at Graham Arena Thursday.