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By Jay Austinson

The Albert Lea girls’ hockey team didn’t take playing their last home game of the season for granted, using home ice advantage to knock the Simley Spartans out of the Section 1A playoffs in front of a full house at Roy Nystrom Arena Saturday afternoon.

This was a rematch of last year’s section semifinal matchup, where Simley got the better of the Tigers 3-1 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Inver Grove Heights. 

Albert Lea battled jitters in the first period as eight different Tiger seniors were skating their final time on home ice. However, Albert Lea would utilize their depth and experience to overwhelm the Spartans as six different Tiger skaters would find the back of the net before the night was over.

Freshman Haley Austinson scored the only first period goal for the Tigers, taking a pass from behind the net from sophomore Morgan Goskeson and beating Simley goaltender Sydney Ries top corner.  Tiger penalties kept Simley in the game as the first period ended 1-0.

The tide turned just over six minutes into the second period, as the Tigers picked up a power play goal from junior Kiera Erickson. Thirty seconds later senior Mika Cichsoz made it a 3-0 Tiger lead with her 39th goal of the season. After Simley’s only goal of the game, the period ended with another Tiger power play goal, this time with senior Aryah Hansen setting up Calleigh Noble for the junior’s seventh goal of the year. Erickson, Shelby Evans and Goskeson would all add goals in the third for the Tigers to make it 7-1. Albert Lea goaltender Jayda Moyer stopped 14 of 15 Spartan shots as the Tigers outshot Simley 43-15 for the game. 

The win earns the Tigers a spot in the section final Thursday evening for a showdown with last year’s Class A runners up, the state’s No. 2 ranked Dodge County Wildcats. Dodge County will enter with a 20-3-2 record, maintaining one of the state’s best power plays while also holding opponents to .84 goals per game. Albert Lea, ranked No. 7,  owns a 21-4-1 record, allowing just 1.23 goals a game while also possessing one of the state’s best offenses, averaging 5.31 goals per game. 

Thursday’s game will be played at Owatonna’s Four Seasons Arena next to the fairgrounds at 7:30 p.m.