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A trip to the girls state hockey tournament was on the line Thursday night when No. 7 Albert Lea traveled to Owatonna to take on No. 2 Dodge County in the Section 1A finals.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the bid would come up short, as they fell to the Wildcats 4-2.

Albert Lea got on the board quickly, jumping out to a 1-0 lead when Shelby Evans connected on a goal assisted by Mika Cichosz with just 38 seconds elapsed in the first period. However, Dodge County responded quickly and aggressively, scoring three goals before the end of the period. The first coming at the 2:48 mark, the second coming at 10:38 and the final at 12:53.

Despite having a 3-1 lead, the Wildcats only outshot the Tigers by two shots on goal, 14-12 in the first.

There was not a lot of action in the second period, as the Wildcats were the only team to add to their score. The goal came midway through the period on an even strength play. The Tigers attempted only two shots on goal in the second, compared to 13 for the Wildcats.

Down 4-1 entering the third period, Albert Lea needed to get over a big hump if it had any hopes of qualifying for the state tournament. Olivia Elsworth narrowed the gap with a power play goal assisted by Sydney Kolker just over four minutes into the period. However, this would be where the run stopped, as Dodge County put on the defensive clamps and held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the way. Both teams attempted eight shots on goal in the period.

Jayda Moyer was in goal for the Tigers, saving 31 of 35 shots that were taken by the Wildcats.

Albert Lea ends its season with a 21-5-1 record and ranked No. 7 in the Class 1A rankings. Undoubtedly one of the best seasons in a long time for Albert Lea.