It’s not every week we get a little Thursday night hockey from FHC. Last night, the Rangers were looking to shake off the rust from their early-season struggles, as the Rangers were coming into the game with a record of 1-4 and 0-3 in conference play. Their opponent, the Hartland Eagles, came in at number 5 for the Division 2 rankings on mihockeyhub’s leaderboard. The Rangers were facing a huge test, and a win in this game would shift momentum as the Rangers start a more in-conference schedule in the upcoming week.

In the first period, Hartland came out with the first goal early and never looked back. The Rangers were able to stay in the game for quite some time as the defensive firepower from junior Lucas Jefferys and senior Jack Fitzgibbon matched the strength of the Eagle’s offense. Unfortunately, Hartland would find the net two more times before the end of the first, pushing the lead to 3-0 Eagles.

The Ranger’s powerplay, which is led by senior Jacob Campbell and Lucas, became very efficient as time ticked down the clock; the Rangers were able to hold Hartland to only one goal on 4 power-play opportunities. This came after the Rangers allowed five power-play goals to Byron Center in a 9-1 loss.

In the end, the last two periods remained very similar for Hartland, as they were able to net five more goals bringing the final score to 8-0 in favor of the Eagles. Jorden Haydu and Adam Pietila led the way for the Eagles as these two both went on to have two goals respectively.

The Rangers now fall to 1-5 on the year and 0-3 in the Baum Conference where they rank 5th at the moment. This Saturday, the Boys will be back home against East Grand Rapids at Patterson Ice Arena.