ALBERT LEA — Rochester Century welcomed two key players back to the lineup on Thursday, and the Panthers broke into the win column in a big way.
Senior forward Luke Klugherz had a four-point game and junior defenseman Brandon Kautz had a three-point night as the Panthers picked up their first victory of the season, 6-3, against previously-undefeated Albert Lea.
"Luke gets better each game," Century coach Bruce Frutiger said.
Century (1-0-0 Big Nine, 1-2-0 overall) received a boost from the return of forwards Matt Mills and Blake Heroff. Both had been out for several weeks recovering from injuries. Mills and Heroff will not only add scoring punch to the lineup, they'll make the Panthers a deeper and more dangerous team.
"Hard work and the start of some good communication showed in an improved passing game," Frutiger said. "(Goalie) Cam (Sellnow) played solid. He made the saves he should have and a few that should have been in the back of the net. It was a great team effort."
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Albert Lea, which entered the Class A state poll this week at No. 13, dropped to 1-1-0 and 3-1-0.
Century faces cross-town rival Rochester John Marshall at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rochester Recreation Center.
