Resilient Tigers score 3-2 win over No. 16 Lourdes
Published 1:15 am Sunday, February 8, 2009
The season was beginning to look bleak for the Albert Lea boys’ hockey team after it had lost three consecutive games, been outscored 19-7, and lost seniors Grant Stadheim and Mitchell Sorenson.
Short on depth and short on time for failure, the Tigers reached a critical juncture this weekend and came through with two season-redeeming wins.
Albert Lea handed Owatonna a 6-0 loss Friday in a win that allowed the Tigers (15-7-0) to keep pace with the leaders of the Big Nine Conference.
Saturday Albert Lea rolled the momentum it gained from Friday into a 3-2 win over No. 16-ranked Rochester Lourdes at the City Arena.
Lately the buzzword about the Tigers has been resilient.
“I’ve got to hand it to my kids,” said Albert Lea head coach Roy Nystrom. “They’re playing with a lot of intensity a lot of determination and I’m proud of them. You can’t ask for any more than what they’ve given you.”
More importantly the Tigers have regained their confidence after it was shaken by the losses.
“We had a lot of confidence coming in from last night,” said senior Jordan Prescher-Smerud. “We were on a losing streak there for a while and really we started playing as a team more, relying on our top guys to put the puck in the net. Everyone was forechecking, backchecking just like a bunch of banshees out there.”
The defense has been the root of Albert Lea’s resurgence and it has been able to limit opponents’ scoring chances by keeping the shots out of the slot area.
“They are finally getting it into their head that they have to cover the slot area,” Nystrom said. “We’re doing it. We did it tonight, we prevented them from getting a lot of good shots from the slot area. Most of their shots were from the top on up, that’s what you’ve got to have.”
The play of John Wrolson in goal has been a big turnaround as well. Wrolson picked up his second shutout of the year Friday and turned in another stellar performance Saturday as he turned away 34 shots against the Eagles.
“Johnny Wrolson played a real solid game for us tonight and he played a real solid game for us last night,” Nystrom said. “That’s the kind of goaltending that Albert Lea is used to having. That’s the kind of goaltending that’s wins games for us. I thought the kid showed a lot of poise and a lot confidence out there tonight.”
The Tigers were outshot 36-19 but the offense was able to come up with just enough scoring for Albert Lea’s third consecutive win.
“We did one good thing, we kept them on the outside,” Nystrom said. “They had control of the puck, but they had control of the puck along the boards and not in the slot area. They weren’t able to get to the net with any real effectiveness.”
Blake Adams scored the first goal of the game 6 minutes, 54 seconds into the second period on a blast from just inside the blue line.
Lourdes controlled the puck for much of second period and got on the board when Albert Lea turned the puck over behind its net. Alex Kirth collected the puck from behind the net and scored on a wrap-around to halve the game at 8:48.
Tyler Prihoda got loose and fired a laser past Eagles’ goaltender Nick Heimer at 5:25 in the third period. It looked to be the game-winner after Casey Marka scored on a shot from inside the blue line that found its way behind Heimer.
But Lourdes (12-7-0) took advantage of another Tiger miscue with 2:04 left to play to make the game 3-2 when Cole Peterson scored.
The Eagles pulled their goalie with 1:07 left to play and had a faceoff inside the Albert Lea zone, but the Tiger defense held strong like it had all game.
“We’re playing with more consistency and we’re not having that bad period or giving up three or four goals in a stretch,” Nystrom said. “I think they’re starting to believe in themselves, which rightly they should.”
The team appears back in sync after having to make adjustments in the absence of Sorenson and Stadheim. Prescher-Smerud admitted it was a difficult switch to make when he and Prihoda had learn to play with a new linemate.
“It was hard to get back into a rhythm with all the chemistry between the lines,” Prescher-Smerud said. “We knew were each other were.”
Now with three games left, including two with Mayo, the Tigers appear back where they were before losing Sorenson and Stadheim.
Albert Lea 3, Rochester Lourdes 2
Rochester Lourdes 0 1 1 – 2
Albert Lea 0 1 2 – 3
First period – No scoring. Penalties – Jordan Prescher-Smerud, AL (tripping), 5:19.
Second period – 1, Albert Lea, Blake Adams (unassisted), 6:54. 2, Rochester Lourdes, Alex Kirth (Dan Johnson, Nick Schoeberl), 8:48. Penalties – Eric Carlson, AL (too many men), 3:55; Casey Marka, AL, (roughing), 5:30; Phil Bray, RL, (roughing), 5:30; Brandyn Chezick, RL, (tripping), 12:12.
Third period – 3, Albert Lea, Tyler Prihoda (Cody Haaland), 5:25. 4, Albert Lea, Marka (unassisted), 14:16. 5, Rochester Lourdes, Cole Peterson (Taylor Funk, Matt Roth), 14:56. Penalties – Pete Spratte, RL, (unsportsmanlike conduct), :24; Dillon Stolt, AL, (roughing), 10:26.
Shots on goal— Rochester Lourdes 10-16-18 – 36. Albert Lea 3-9-7 – 19
Power-play opportunities— Rochester Lourdes 0 of 3. Albert Lea 0 of 2.
Goalies— Rochester Lourdes, Nick Heimer (19 shots, 16 saves). Albert Lea, John Wrolson (36 shots, 34 saves).