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Rangers battle losses, injuries
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Wednesday, 23 January 2008
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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
The bad news that has followed the girls hockey team over the past month, kept on writing more negative material last week.
Forest Lake not only lost to Hastings, 4-0, on Jan. 19, but did so without the help of standout Audrey Hanmer, who is finished for the remainder of the year due to a broken wrist.
The Rangers had the pleasure of traveling to White Bear Lake on Monday night, and despite a lack of anything going their way, the squad looked like it wasn’t ready to close out the season.
Forest Lake’s Sadie Nelson set up Leah Crow for the game’s first goal, with just over a minute gone in the opening period.
Though White Bear would reply with three straight goals over the next 16 minutes of play, the Rangers would answer that with a few counterpunches of their own.
Down 3-1 in the second, Torri Shelafoe would assist Ashley Grell on two consecutive goals, tying the game at three heading into the final period.
It wasn’t until four minutes were left in the contest that Shelafoe used an assist from Briana Gray, where Forest Lake would take its first lead.
That lead would be short-lived, as the Bears scored 50 seconds later for the tie, and again a minute after that for the 5-4 game-winner.
The loss at White Bear Lake came two days after the girls were handed a 4-0 defeat by Hastings.
The game was only 1-0 after both the first and second periods, but then Hastings scored three even-strength goals in less than four minutes to wrap up the victory.
Kim Fredrick was busy between the posts, making 28 saves on the night, while Hastings’ Devon Alwin had it pretty easy, turning away 15 shots for the shutout.
If the Rangers are looking for a breather to get back in the win column, it will take a mighty big inhale.
The hits just keep on coming, as No. 1 ranked Roseville makes its annual appearance on Saturday afternoon, and then No. 3 ranked Stillwater arrives at Maroon and Gold Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
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