Getting a win on the weekend is nice, but getting two wins is even better. This weekend the FHC Ranger hockey team did precisely that in back-to-back games against Jenison and Kenowa Hills.

The weekend started with a rematch against Jenison, who the Rangers had lost to two weeks ago in heartbreaking fashion. The boys knew it would be a tough game, but powered through to ultimately get the win. The first period only had one goal and it was for the Wildcats. This put the Rangers behind going into the second, a situation that they have been put in multiple times this season. Although it was a tough task to work back into the game, the Rangers wasted very little time tying the game back up thanks to a Collin Wojcynski goal early in the second; however, Jenison took the lead back with a goal 4 minutes before the intermission.

Once again, the Rangers found themselves behind. The third period was an opportunity to get revenge on the Wildcats after the tough loss they took in their last matchup. The Rangers took seized their opportunity and lit a goalscoring fire in the third that started with Sammy Mielock to tie the game up at 2 with 14 minutes left to play. Both teams battled it out for 12 minutes until the Rangers were able to score two goals within 1o seconds of each other. Collin Wojcynski netted his second of the game which was followed by a goal from Benny Mielock. The game ended with the score being 4-3 in favor of the Rangers which gave them confidence going into Saturday.

One thing that Ranger hockey has struggled with this season is consistency. The Rangers have only been able to win back-to-back games one time this season, but that changed after their game against Kenowa Hills on Saturday.

The Rangers got off to a great start with a goal from Nolan Timmer later in the first, giving the Rangers the lead. After that, the game went scoreless until early in the second when Eli Lipke tacked a second goal onto the Ranger lead. Once again, Sammy Mielock netted a goal to finish the scoring on the night and give the Rangers the win. Although the goalscoring ultimately won the game, the credit goes to senior goaltender Justin Baehr’s performance. Baehr got a shutout after saving all 16 of the shots that he faced.

When asked about his performance Baehr said, “It was my first shutout while playing for FHC and after having the rough year that we have had, it felt amazing”.

Not only is the win exciting for Baehr, but it also means a lot to the team as a whole. It has been a year of ups and downs, but two straight wins for the Rangers have the team excited for what is next.

“It feels great to finally get the wins we are looking for. It feels like the team is finally making a turn for the better,” said Owen Barber.

Before the team gets too focused on what is in store for them moving forward, the weekend provided them with a good opportunity to look back at what they did well and what they can continue to do moving forward.

When asked about what led his team to success this weekend, coach McSween said, “I thought the team played two mature games.  We were focused and played our systems well.  The most important thing we did was execute when it was winning time in the 3rd period”.

This Ranger hockey is a talented one but has struggled to get the results that it wanted. In games such as the first against GRC and the first against Jenison, they couldn’t close the game and lost after having a third-period lead. Other games have seen FHC almost come back but fall short in the end. However, these two games have given the Rangers assurance going forward.

“I think learning how to win is huge. Hopefully this weekend we learned how to win, and we will have confidence in the future,” said coach McSween.

Two wins in a row are good for the Ranger hockey team, but they know that they are capable of winning more. A run of wins would mean a lot to the team, but how can they do it?

To give this winning streak continuity, coach McSween says, “We need to keep working hard and having good practices.  We need to be prepared and confident to continue our winning ways”.

The team’s next test will be on the road against Livonia Churchill at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea, MI, at 12:15 p.m., on Friday.