The Forest Lake girls hockey team lost three of its first five games this season. In their next 22 games, they would record just four losses.
The Rangers’ win-loss record of 17-7-3 includes two Section 7AA wins last week in the quarter- and semifinals to propel them into a section championship matchup with top-seeded Elk River/Zimmerman on Thursday, Feb. 11.
Forest Lake entered the postseason after finishing second in the Suburban East Conference with an in-house record of 10-3-2, behind the seventh-ranked team in Class AA, Cretin-Derham Hall. The Rangers, ranked 16th in state standings, earned the second seed in Section 7AA behind the No. 8 Elks.
Last Thursday, the Rangers kicked off their quest for state with a resounding 7-1 victory over Cambridge-Isanti/Mora/Pine City at home.
Despite an early lead by the Bluejackets, who scored just four minutes into the matchup when Ranger senior goalie Kaylee Remington was screened from a clear line of vision, the Rangers responded with seven consecutive goals.
Remington went on to notch 20 saves, while junior Madi Nolan led the offense with two goals and one assist, followed by sophomore Kayla Kasel with two goals. Junior Maddie Kolbow and sophomore Mackenzie Rugland each earned one goal and one assist, while eighth-grader Brieja Parent added one goal. Senior Kaitln VanTassel led in distributing the puck for four assists.
Head coach Todd Gutterman said he was pleased with how his team responded to the early Bluejacket score.
“Cambridge-Isanti battled hard; they just didn’t have the depth and our girls played really well,” he said. “They’re just starting to play really well at the right time of the year.”
Next up was third-seeded Grand Rapids/Greenway at Forest Lake on Saturday.
Again, the visitors tallied the first goal, this time eight minutes into the matchup off a power play. Grand Rapids/Greeway maintained the lead through the first period, with the Rangers tying things up just 50 seconds into the second period when Nolan found eighth-grader Courtney Peterson for their first goal. Less than five minutes later, Rugland and Peterson connected with Nolan for the go-ahead goal, with Forest Lake notching three more scores in the third period for a 5-1 win.
Gutterman said a turning point in the game was when his squad had a 2-1 lead with their opponent zeroing in on the Forest Lake net.
“One of their players snuck behind our defense and came across the crease in front of Kaylee, and not one person in the arena thought that they weren’t going to score,” Gutterman said. “Somehow Kaylee stretched and got a toe on it, while Courtney stepped in quickly and cleared it before Grand Rapids could rebound it. I think that was the difference maker, and that play changed the complexion of the game.”
Remington did her part in net with 28 saves, while Nolan again led in scoring, this time with a hat trick and one assist. Peterson earned one goal and one assist, while VanTassel added one goal.
The win gives the Rangers a ticket to the section championship, which takes place at 7 p.m. at Fogerty Arena in Blaine on Thursday, Feb. 11.
Gutterman said it will be a tough matchup with the Elks, who are 19-4-4 this season.
“They might be bigger and stronger, but I think we’re faster and have more overall skill,” Gutterman said. “It will definitely be a one-goal game that comes down to who makes the least mistakes. This will be a fun and good battle.”