ALBERT LEA – Denny Laumeyer had heard what they were saying along the ice hockey grapevine.

Monday, January 17, 2000

ALBERT LEA – Denny Laumeyer had heard what they were saying along the ice hockey grapevine.

He knew better than to believe it.

He understood that the Albert Lea Tigers’ Big Nine defeats came against Mayo, John Marshall and Winona, top-caliber teams.

He knew better than to expect anything less than jugular hockey from Austin’s rival.

He came away from Saturday’s 4-4 Tiger-rally tie leading an escape-artist band of Packers and fully convinced of Albert Lea’s guile-style hockey.

"Everybody’s saying Albert Lea is down," Laumeyer said, his shaking head telling another story.

"We could never get that third goal," Laumeyer lamented. "We could never put ’em away."

In back of Laumeyer, the Packers packed their bags at a sweatshop pace. Except for one Packer, who planted himself face down on the bench.

"We had the lead and were trying to bury them," said Nick Bowe, whose seventh goal of the season gave Austin what turned out to be a 2-0 margarine-slick margin.

Though the Packers (8-3-1, 6-1-1 in Big Nine play) led the Tigers (5-6-1, 4-3-1) by two goals three times – 2-0, 3-1, 4-2 – there was scant breathing room at any point in the game.

According to punch stats numbers, the Tigers out-worked the Packers, 48 shots to 37, and earned Austin’s appreciation in doing so.

"They don’t quit," Bowe said.

Austin didn’t quit either. But the Packers may have peaked too soon.

Chris Lynch lifted the score to 4-2 in favor of Austin at the midway point of the third period, a moment that cut into the Packers’ psyche before any Tiger comeback goal.

"Near the end of the game we were protecting our lead," Laumeyer assessed. "On the other side, they were coming as hard as they could at us."

Hard enough to tally the third goal and an equalizer less than three minutes apart.

On the other side, Albert Lea coach Roy Nystrom called the game "classic Austin, Albert Lea."

"This game was wide-open offensively, with odd-man rushes on both sides," he said. "I think our boys worked hard."

So did Austin’s.

In the third game of a 1-1-1 week, which included two overtime games, the Packers just couldn’t bury the Tigers – something Laumeyer knew his club had to do if it got a lead.

"It was a more wide-open game than we wanted it to be," said the Austin coach of a game that, in the end, left the door wide open for a Tiger comeback.