In all but one game this season, the Albert Lea High School boys’ hockey team has had a lead on its opponent.

This time, the Tigers made sure it did not slip away.

The ALHS boys scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and held off Owatonna 3-2 in a spirited Big Nine game at the City Arena Tuesday night.

&uot;It’s kind of nice to win a game that we’ve been ahead in,&uot; said Tigers coach Roy Nystrom. &uot;We made it interesting though. It was a real barn burner out there.&uot;

It was the Tigers’ second win this season over Owatonna, which was one of the preseason Big Nine favorites. Albert Lea improved to 4-3 in the conference and 7-6 overall while the Huskies fell to 3-4 and 6-7.

The Tigers started strong, with Casey Schumaker and Jon Breuer scoring first-period goals as Albert Lea took a 2-1 lead.

&uot;We were all over them,&uot; said Nystrom. &uot;We played great hockey in the first period. The kids were really inspired.&uot;

After Owatonna tied it in the second period, Schumaker netted the gamewinner on assists from Dugstad and Breuer.

Nystrom, normally hesitant to single out individuals, praised the line of Breuer, Dugstad and Schumaker.

&uot;They were totally dominating out there,&uot; said Nystrom. &uot;Of course the rest of the kids played their role too &045; which we need to win games &045; but those guys deserve special recognition because they had a super effort out there tonight.&uot;

Owatonna outshot Albert Lea 24-22 and the Tigers took eight of the game’s 15 penalties, with a player in the box nearly half of the second period.

&uot;If there’s anything to be critical about, it’s that we can’t be killing penalties all the time,&uot; said Nystrom. &uot;I’d like to see us play a lot more five-on-five, because I think we’re pretty dominant when we’re five-on-five.&uot;

The Tigers face another strong opponent Thursday in Rochester Lourdes, the defending Section 1A champion.