Posted: 12/7/05
New era for girls hockey in Forest Lake
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Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
The new coaches to the Forest Lake High School girls hockey team joke that they have good looks, wit, charm and intelligence. Some may dispute that, but what they do have is the total package to bring the program into dominance in the Suburban East Conference.
After last yearís head coach Shawn Everson stepped down, the high school started looking for a new head coach. The school didnít have to look far as Century Junior High and boys track and field head coach Paul Kendrick said heíd accept the challenge of building the program into a perennial favorite.
Kendrick knows a thing or two about coaching from working with the boys track and field team, but he also knows plenty about coaching hockey as heís coached at some level from mites up to junior varsity for about 20 years.
Coaching girls wonít be something new for Kendrick either as heís coached the U12 girls team.
Kendrickís assistant coach is an interesting pick, someone he coached under at one point in the 1980s. After coaching the boys varsity team for 17 years before stepping down in 2000, Dan Forsyth agreed to switch over to girls hockey and be Kendrickís assistant.
ìGirls hockey is definitely a different style of hockey, but itís still the same in the fact that itís still hockey,î Forsyth said. ìItís all about skating, stick handling, shooting and goaltending. You have to work on those skills and get better at them.î
Kendrick and Forsyth inherit a team that has lots of experience and are led by captains senior Anna Johnson and junior Stephanie Haider.
Junior Paige Patchin looks to be the first line center as sheís been a mainstay for several years now. The second line features sophomores Torri Shelafoe, Kathy Crudo and Kelsey Blum. Junior wings Bri Craig and Kyla Lindstrom will also log a lot of ice time.
On defense the Rangers will be anchored by junior Alexa Nelson and her sophomore sister Miranda along with seventh grader Audrey Hammer.
ìShe (Hammer) is a talented young player,î Kendrick said.
In goal the Rangers have the one-two punch of sophomores Kim Fredrick and Casie Carpenter.
Something new
To prepare the girls for the season Kendrick instituted something new this season, an off season training program. The summer training program ran for six weeks, two times a week and the fall program ran 9 weeks, two times a week.
ìI think the girls loved it,î Kendrick said. ìThey seemed real positive and enjoyed coming and working hard.
ìThis is a group that wants to get better and I donít think theyíre happy with where theyíre at and they really want to improve.î
The girls worked hard each day they showed up as they skated for about an hour and a half. About 45 minutes of each practice was dedicated to developing individual skills and 30 minutes to scrimmages and other games to have fun and encourage the girls to try things they wouldnít normally try.
Off the ice the girls worked on plyometics, stick handling, and shooting with an emphasis on speed for all three.
Competition
Being new coaches Kendrick and Forsyth arenít too sure who the teams to watch are, but theyíre hearing from other coaches who to keep an eye on.
ìWe know some of the teams like Roseville and Stillwater are good simply by what other people say,î Forsyth said. ìWeíre green in knowing the conference and who the good players are though.î
Forsyth pointed out that it doesnít take long to figure out what teams are good and what players to watch on each team.
ìEvery team seems to have a few good players and we can figure that out right away,î Forsyth said. ìWe become aware of those players and try to shut them down.î
Week in review
The Rangers earned their first victory of the season Saturday with a 2-1 victory over Hastings. Last Tuesday White Bear Lake was a bit too much for the Rangers as the final score was 3-1.
ìIt was a really solid game for our team,î Kendrick said. ìWe held them to seven shots and beat them to the puck all night. All phases of the game weíre improving.
ìAnn really had a break-out game and showed a lot of poise. She had many scoring chances and capitalized when she had an opportunity.î
In the loss to White Bear Lake the only Rangers goal came from Blum. Johnson and Blum scored in the victory over Hastings.
ìItís nice to have a win for them,î Forsyth said. ìTheyíve been working hard and it paid off.î
The Rangers next game is today, Thursday, at Duluth East at 7 p.m.
Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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