ST. PETER &045; When you’re only a victory or two away from the state tournament, wins aren’t supposed to come easily.

It didn’t for the Albert Lea Tigers, but they got it.

Sparked by a superlative effort from senior goaltender Matt Tubbs, the second-seeded Tigers defeated No. 3 seed Northfield 2-1 in a Section 1A Boys’ Hockey Tournament semifinal game at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter Tuesday night.

The Tigers improved their record to 17-9 and advanced to the section championship game Thursday at 7:30 at Gustavus. The winner advances to the state tournament.

Tuesday’s semifinal turned into a duel of goaltenders between Tubbs and Northfield senior Riley Gill. Both had several outstanding saves, though Gill was tested much more often as Albert Lea outshot Northfield 40-20.

&uot;We knew going in that this was going to be a real tight game and it could be decided by one goal,&uot; said Tigers coach Roy Nystrom. &uot;Both goaltenders came up big. Our kids played real well. We had a nice game.&uot;

Northfield got the quick edge, though, when sophomore John Tichich scored just 1:16 into the first period. Danny Mulligan assisted.

The Tigers got on the board at the 7:14 mark, when Casey Schumaker scored on an assist from Jon Breuer.

It remained 1-1 until midway through the second period, when Schumaker broke the tie on assists from Josh Tubbs and Breuer.

Both teams had chances in the third period, when the Tigers outshot the Raiders 17-7, but the goalies wouldn’t give.

Barring an upset by No. 4 seeded Marshall, the Tigers will face top-seeded Rochester Lourdes for the section title.

Nystrom said the opponent doesn’t matter. The Tigers’ approach will be the same.

&uot;When you get to this point, you don’t go making any dramatic changes,&uot; said the coach. &uot;You’ve got to go with what got you here.&uot;