Nystrom ties Minnesota coaching record with win No. 616

Albert Lea boys’ hockey head coach Roy Nystrom made Minnesota coaching history Thursday, notching his 616th career victory and tying Willard Ikola for the most career wins in Minnesota state high school history.

Eric Carlson scored two goals for the Tigers (2-0, 0-0 Big Nine) as the team beat the Northfield Radiers (0-1, 0-0 Missota) 4-3.

To Nystrom, it was just win No. 2 on the season.

“It was a nice team victory and we worked hard for this win,” he said. “We were able to sustain a lot of things and come out on top.”

Carlson put the Tigers ahead 1-0 in the first period, scoring a short-handed goal 13 minutes and 22 seconds in the game.

Carlson scored again early in the second period, this time on a power play, lifting the Tigers to 2-0 lead.

The Tigers kept the barrage of goals going in the second when Levi Hacker added a goal just over two minutes later at the 4:25 mark of the second period, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

Northfield’s Michael Vogel responded with a power play goal of his own at the 6:08 mark of the second period, drawing the Raiders within two, before the Tigers David Enstad put Albert Lea ahead 4-1 at 13:22 in the second.

The Raiders ended the second period with a flurry of goals, though, scoring on a power play at 14:09 and again less than a minute later to close their deficit to 4-3.

A scoreless third period sealed the Tigers’ win over the upstart Raiders and pulled Nystrom within a win of sole possession of the state coaching record.

Carlson’s two points give him eight on the season. Shea Svendsen also had two points off two assists.

Nystrom will go for win No. 617 Tuesday as the Tigers play at 7:30 p.m. at Rochester John Marshall.