FHC hockey was back in action last Friday, and Patterson Ice Arena was rocking. The 5-9 Rangers looked to face off against one of the top teams in division one, the Rockford Rams. The Rams came into the game with a record of 10-5-1 and ranked at the top of the Rue Division in the OK Conference. This would be the first meeting of the year between the two, but both teams seemed to have a history with each other.  The game would see both teams go face to face many times as tempers flared throughout the three periods.

The first period would start with a quick goal from Rockford as they took a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, the Rangers would answer back with not one, not two, but three straight goals. The first goal for the Rangers came after sophomore Sammy Mielock sniped top shelf over the goalie Nolan Smith. The next two would be special goals for senior Jacob Campbell, as this was Senior Night, which made an upset victory sound just so much sweeter. On the first goal by Campbell, Mielock would dish out a beautiful behind-the-back pass which left Rams fans stunned in their seats. Senior goalie Gavin Brady started off the game on fire for the Rangers, making huge saves on powerplay opportunities for the Rams which helped the Rangers carry a 3-1 lead into the 1st intermission.

Penalties continued to be a problem for both teams, as early into the second period the Rams would get fouled on a shot leading to a goal on a penalty shot, cutting the lead down to 3-2 Rangers. Not long after, the Rams would get another chance at a man-up situation as the Rangers had to go man down several times in the period. The Rams would go on to take advantage of this chance and eventually tie the game at 3s. The game remained 3-3 until senior Xavier Ott crossed the puck to Campbell for his 3rd of the night, giving him a hat-trick and the Rangers a 4-3 lead. After allowing two goals, Gavin Brady continued to make big saves for the Rangers, and sophomore Anthony Ott showed he had been in the weight room recently as he laid down many big hits on the opposition. The end of the second saw the Rangers bring a 4-3 lead over into the third.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, the third period would see them fall apart as penalties continued to pile up. The three-headed monster of juniors Lucas Jefferys, Connor Defouw, and Josh Smith continued to play well defensively, but they could only do so much as these three had to spend separate time on the ice because the Rangers remained on man-down. Sammy Mielock would also earn his third penalty after he and another Rockford player got into a scrum at the beginning of the third, forcing him to sit the rest of the game while also earning him a 2-game suspension. The Rams would go on to score five straight goals up until the clock finally ran out. The final score of the contest would be 8-4 in favor of the Rams.

The Rangers are now 5-10 on the season as they finished at 5th in the Baum Division of the OK Conference. Playoffs will begin very soon for the Rangers as they will face off against Mattawan tomorrow at 2:30 PM.