MANKATO &045; The beginning of the Albert Lea Blades goes back two years, when a group of guys from town got together to enter the 22nd Annual Mankato Senior Men’s Hockey Tournament.

That group wound up winning the tournament’s B division.

This year, the Blades were the best of the best. They took the title in the a division of last weekend’s tournament at Mankato.

&uot;It was a nice tournament,&uot; said Blades general manager Jason Fornwald. &uot;There were good teams, a lot of fun hockey.&uot;

The Blades cruised in the opener, taking a 5-0 first-period lead while defeating Schultz Trucking of Mankato 9-2. Justin Bolinger, Travis Brua and Levi Hendrickson scored two goals apiece.

Trailing 4-2 with five minutes left in regulation, the Blades rallied to beat TJ Finnegan’s of Mankato 5-4 in three overtimes in the semifinals. Kris Ellsworth scored the game-winning goal. Fornwald made some big saves, especially in the second overtime when the Blades had to kill a power play. Hendrickson and Mike Nelson also scored.

&uot;It was a great game,&uot; said Fornwald.

So was the championship game, a 3-2 double-overtime triumph over Pete’s Lawn Service of Mankato, which featured several former Minnesota State-Mankato players including four-year starting goalie Eric Pateman.

It was a physical game, according to Fornwald, who felt more penalties should have been called.

&uot;We had to battle through some adversity in that game,&uot; said Fornwald. &uot;We absolutely battled.&uot;

Bolinger netted the game-winning goal, beating Pateman on a breakaway.

Fornwald, meanwhile, played one of his best games of the season in the Blades’ net, coming up with some big glove saves in overtime.

Playing solid defense all weekend for Albert Lea were Chris Lehman, Kris Ellsworth, Marty Anderson, Scott Heilman, Jason Farrington, Travis Diaz and Nate Ellsworth.

The Blades, 14-3-1, finish the 2002-03 season this weekend with the Return of the Robin Tournament at Rochester.