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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
The end of the boys hockey season didn’t unfold exactly the way Forest Lake had anticipated.
Ten days ago, the Rangers were coming off a victory over Johnson and had an opportunity to close out their schedule with wins over Coon Rapids (11-13-1) and Mounds View (12-13, 4-12), and possibly grab the No. 3 seed in the Section 7AA playoffs.
That would translate to a home game on Feb. 19 to open the postseason, and doing it on the upward swing of a three-game winning streak.
But as previously stated, there were some ugly creases where Forest Lake was hoping to find smooth lines.
Take Coon Rapids, please.
The Cardinals paid a visit and were only eight seconds into their game on Feb. 12, when Jake Kogler put the Rangers up 1-0, with the help of assists by Kyle Young and Dan Fick.
Instead of getting down, Coon Rapids started firing away, and got three shots past Forest Lake’s Paul Moberg to take a 3-1 lead midway through the opening period, on their way to a bubble hockey-like 10-7 win.
Kogler picked up his second goal of the night at the 11:40 mark of the first, but the Cardinals replied 40 seconds later to go up 4-2 at the first intermission.
If six goals seems like a lot for one period, just wait until the second.
Coon Rapids scored twice within the first four minutes, before Kogler would cash in on his hat trick to make it 6-3. When Tommy Fick scored nine second later, Maroon & Gold Arena finally had some life back in it.
Then again, the Cardinals turned right back around and put up three more goals, already ushering Moberg out of the game, and allowing back-up Cori Moore to experience some of the Coon Rapids offense.
The Cardinals knocked in their second power play goal of the night to open the scoring in the third period, and then Forest Lake closed out the contest with a pair of goals by Young, and one by Matt Wethammer.
On Valentine’s Day, the Rangers were in Mounds View, taking on the Mustangs for the third time this season. After Andy Osborne scored with less than seven minutes to go in the third, Mounds View would take the series with a 4-3 home victory.
The Mustangs got out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period, but Forest Lake came back in the third on quick goals by Young and Chaz Hartshorn to go up 2-1 with just 1:46 gone in the final period.
Mounds View would respond with two goals of their own, before Young tied it up at 3-3 with 12:36 showing on the clock.
Osborne’s effort would be the game-winner, but he had help from teammate Tony Civello. The Mustangs’ goaltender made 28 saves on the night and kept his squad in the contest, as the Rangers nearly doubled Mounds View’s shots on goal.
Forest Lake lost 4-2 on Tuesday night in Grand Rapids in the opening round of Section 7AA, ending the Rangers season.
Box Score
Forest Lake 0 0 3 - 3
Mounds View 1 0 3 - 4
First - 1, MV, Pedersen (Jacobson, Bothwell), 4:45 (pp).
Second - No scoring.
Third - 2, FL, Young (Kettler), 1:30. 3, FL, Hartshorn, 1:46. 4, MV, Mauricio (Goldsmith, Osborne), 4:39 (pp). 5, MV, Osborne (Elms), 4:47. 6, FL, Young (Fick), 5:24. 7, MV, Osborne (Goldsmith, Elms), 9:13.
Saves - Forest Lake, Moberg 5-8-2-15; Mounds View, Civello 7-10-11-28.
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