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Rangers target healthy roster, winning ways
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Wednesday, 16 January 2008
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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
The past six weeks have not been kind to the girls hockey team. As Forest Lake deals with an assortment of ailments, the Rangers have stumbled to a 3-8-1 record over the past 12 games.
One night the girls resemble the smooth-skating, slick-passing lineup that opened the season, but the next time out, head coach Heidi Link is scanning a roster that shrinks as if it were left in the dryer too long. Or been handed another injury.
On Saturday afternoon, Forest Lake faced Mounds View — a squad that has been consistent in its unpredictability. After the Rangers won the first meeting, it only made sense for the Mustangs to take the second game, 4-2.
In addition to Forest Lake being without Audrey Hanmer, who was sick, the girls got behind when Mounds View scored five minutes into the first period. The outing would get worse in the second, as the Mustangs put up two quick goals before the Rangers would respond.
At the 4:42 mark, Kelsey Blum assisted Torri Shelafoe on her 15th goal of the year, but that basically ended the good news.
Link sums it up perfectly with this short statement: “Torri (was) injured in the second period with a knee injury due to a check and two concussions.”
Yes, it’s become that kind of winter.
Before the game was over, Blum would set up Ashley Grell for Forest Lake’s second goal, but this came after the Mustangs went up 4-1. And Link had this news to share.
“Leah Crow and Sarah Solheid left us short-handed as we worked our way through the game,” she said.
The defeat of the skating-wounded was preceded by a Ranger 5-4 victory over Park, on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
Goaltender Kim Fredrick sat this one out while she tried to heal, which gave Lonna Anderson a chance to play in front of the net.
Against the Wolfpack, Shelafoe sent Blum on her way to a goal, giving Forest Lake a 1-0 lead with more than 12 minutes to play in the opening period. Park would score twice in 97 seconds, however, to take the lead going into the second.
After intermission, the teams actually found more offense, with the Rangers assuming control of the matchup, with goals by Shelafoe, Crow and Hanmer. Back came Park, though, with the final goal of the second period, to tighten the score at 4-3 in Forest Lake’s favor.
Charise Kendrick would collect her second assist of the game on Crow’s second goal, which turned out to be the game-winner. Park made it interesting later in the third, but the game would end in a 5-4 Rangers victory.
The end of the regular season is suddenly in sight, as the girls have just five more dates on the calendar before the section playoffs begin in early February. In the immediate future, the Rangers host Hastings on Saturday, and then travel to White Bear Lake on Monday.
“Hopefully the team will be able to recover from the injuries and come together in the next week,” Link said.
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