Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

The formalities of the regular season are out of the way for the girls hockey team, so now it gets serious. On Thursday, Feb. 8, the Rangers host Proctor/Hermantown/Marshall in the first round of Section 7AA play (to read more on this game, go to www.forestlaketimes.com).

The Ranger girls started the year playing well and they never really wavered on their way to an overall record of 16-6-3, and 8-5-3 in the Suburban East Conference.

The team's two most recent games were a 4-0 defeat of Chaska and a 1-1 tie with Mounds View.

At Chaska, it was captain Stephanie Haider who showed the way for the Rangers on offense. Early in the game the defensive starter was set up by Bri Craig during a Forest Lake power-play to ignite a three-goal first period.

A little more than six minutes later, Miranda Nelson used assists by Kathy Crudo and Kate Haglund to make it 2-0.

At the 12:56 mark, Haider and Briana Gray connected on Haider's second goal to give the team complete control of the game going into the second period.

Chaska never could solve goaltender Kim Fredrick on her way to 26 saves, and the second period was the only time Forest Lake couldn't sneak one past Katie Archer, who ended the night with 19 stops for the Hawks.

When the third period was underway it was Crudo setting up Haglund for the game's fourth and final goal.

The week started with the somewhat surprising 1-1 tie at Mounds View, as the Mustangs entered the game with a conference record of 4-9.

It's been awhile, but the first period resembled the way many matchups started for Kendrick and his girls as neither team could score in the opening 17 minutes.

Forest Lake got going in the second period on a shorthanded goal by Crudo, with the assist going to Paige Patchin. The score would remain 1-0 until late in the third period on a Mounds View power-play with just three minutes left in regulation.

The duel in goal would end with Fredrick making two of her 34 saves in overtime, and Mounds View's Amanda Oliverius stopping five of 40 shots in the extra period.

"We played well enough to win," head coach Paul Kendrick said. "We ran into a hot goaltender."

Thursday night's contest (tonight) is a rematch from the opening game of the season, where Forest Lake defeated the Mirage, 7-3.

"On offense, they've got some explosiveness that we've got to be careful of; we've got to be sound defensively," Kendrick said.

"If the girls don't come ready, they could beat us."

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