Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

Over the past two years the boys hockey team has lost a lot of players to graduation, but thankfully there is always another group thatís ready to take over. With 11 lettermen returning this season, head coach Carl Brandt has a dependable core of veterans to lead the team, but courtesy of graduation, he also lacks a goalie with varsity experience.

ìWeíre going to be starting two sophomore goalies and both are very solid,î Brandt says about Paul Moberg and Chris Fritzinger. ìTheyíre going to get the trial by fire routine.î

Brandt will also have access to two juniors ó Andy Frost and Cori Moore ó so itís not like he and assistant coach Jack Loughrey lack options in front of the net.

Perhaps cooling the fire for the goaltenders will be a pair of defensemen in Codey Carlisle and Jake LaMotte, who have been around forever. ìThey started game one as 9th graders,î Brandt says. ìBoth have good leadership skills, well regarded by their teammates [and] teachers, so theyíre good citizens [and] that always goes a long way.î

Those two are also a big reason Brandt and Loughrey feel the strength of Forest Lake starts at the goal line.

ìI think thatís going to be beneficial for us,î Loughrey says about the competition to find a No. 1 goalie. ìAnd we have experience on the blue line and some size, and then I think we have some speed up front. Weíre cautiously optimistic.î

Lougheryís comments about the speed on offense also brings up a real opportunity for the Rangers. According to Brandt, the biggest problem last year was scoring goals. The defense kept the team in many contests, but the offense only averaged about two goals per game.

ìIt really boiled down to putting the puck in the net,î Brandt says.

Addressing that issue will be a strong first line comprised of seniors Christian Fogerty and Andy Hardy as well as junior Jake Kogler. The second line will be the senior trio of Andy Fritzinger, Zach Knight and Alex Lindeberg, who is making the move from defense up to forward.

ìWeíll get our scoring punch out of Jake and those guys,î Brandt says. ìYou need two good lines in high school hockey,î and the coaches think they have that.

Filling in the gaps will be a quality group of seniors and some big, young sophomores who surprised Brandt during tryouts.

As for what Brandt hopes to achieve in 2006-07, itís rather simple. ìI think winning is really important for our program as a whole, but I think having a good hockey experience, playing with your friends, is still a high priority for me. This year weíre going to just focus in on ëplay hard and have fun.íî

Brandt and Loughrey know the Suburban East Conference will always be a battle, and with the section adding another school, there is never a dull moment.

ìWe canít look beyond any team there, and our section is as tough as it gets now with Elk River moving in there,î Brandt says.

So if a goalie emerges who can stop 25 shots per game, and the offense clicks better than last year, the Rangers can circle a very specific game in early March.

ìOur goal is to win the 28th game, ì Brandt says, ìand that will take us to the state tournament.î

Recent Action

To open the season, Forest Lake got off to a respectable start, defeating Cambridge-Isanti 8-1 on Nov. 28 and then dropping a tough one, 4-3, to Grand Rapids on Saturday.

Despite the loss, Moberg was great in goal, racking up 27 saves and allowing only one score at equal strength.

The Rangers host Park on Thursday, Dec. 7 before traveling to Stillwater on Saturday.

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