ALHS hockey girls fall to New Ulm

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, November 13, 2002

Traditionally, early-season nonconference games are an opportunity for teams to face lesser-talented opponents in preparation for what’s expected to be a tough conference schedule.

That’s not the way it worked for the 2002-03 Albert Lea High School girls’ hockey squad.

The Tigers opened the season against a strong New Ulm crew and lost 4-2 at the City Arena Tuesday night.

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&uot;New Ulm is probably the team to beat in the section this year,&uot; said ALHS coach Mike Miller. &uot;They have three strong lines and they play like the Twin Cities teams do. They’re big, strong and physical. They played very well, and my hat’s off to them. They outworked us the majority of the game, and we had to pick up our level of play. We have the ability to play with this team, no question about that. We just have to eliminate some of the little lapses.&uot;

For most of the night, there was little difference between the teams. The Eagles outshot the Tigers 26-24 and didn’t score their third goal until the third period.

New Ulm’s first goal came on an Albert Lea power play at 11:26 of the first.

&uot;We blew a coverage off a faceoff and got outnumbered in front of the net,&uot; said Miller. &uot;It put us back on our heels for a while.&uot;

It remained 1-0 until New Ulm scored again at the 8:42 mark of the second period.

The Tigers got on the board in the final minutes of the second stanza, with Laura Hillman scoring off an assist from Tessa Christensen to complete a 2-on-0 breakaway.

New Ulm got the momentum back quickly in the third, scoring just 49 seconds into it.

&uot;They came out ready to play in the third,&uot; said Miller. &uot;In the second, we started to play even with them and were playing much more consistent, but we let our guard down a little bit in the third.&uot;

New Ulm made it 4-1 at 11:17 and, with 2:30 remaining, the Tigers got a power play and pulled goalie Danika Porter. Another penalty gave the Tigers a 6-on-3 advantage, and Hillman scored on an assist from Frances O’Donnell at 13:31. The Tigers played with an empty net the rest of the way.

Miller said Porter had several excellent saves to help keep the Tigers close.

&uot;Tonight was a fun game,&uot; said the coach. &uot;It’s good to start the season with a tough opponent. It’s a good bench mark.&uot;

The Tigers open Big Nine play Thursday at home against Mankato West. They host Robbinsdale Cooper in a nonconference game Saturday.