With 50 seconds left on the clock, FHC was tied with the Red Arrows of Lowell 2-2; Sophomore Mason Corcoran sprinted up-field to deliver a sideline pass to freshman Bryce Notarnicola. Bryce centered the ball to his fellow freshman Joe Robertson, who slowed the ball and rocketed it past the goalkeeper. The final whistle blew shortly after, signaling a frenzy of emotion for both teams; the Rangers hit a game-winning shot in their final game, winning 3-2.

“We started off quick,” sophomore Matthew Mahoney said, “but we kind of slowed down shortly after that.”

The game started off fast, as the players dashed around in the 45-degree weather. The key turning point was early in the game when FHC forced a slip up and an own-goal against Lowell. A strong corner kick was taken by freshman Ben Taylor; just as he kicked it, Matthew attempted to control the ball with his chest, when the defense of Lowell stepped in the way, and pumped it into the net. Shortly after the Rangers took the lead, their opponent managed to sneak a slow, rolling ball past the defense and goalkeeper. The rest of the half was back and forth, for neither team found the net and they remained tied.

 

When the whistle blew to signal the start of the second half, neither team showed a real aggression to score. Both were rather sluggish to start, but progressed later in the game. The true turning point of the second half came when freshman Bryce Notarnicola scored an amazing header off of a corner kick, putting the Rangers on top 2-1.

Towards the five-minute mark, the Red Arrows found a quick hole in the offense and slipped through, leading to a corner kick. The ball found its way into the net, due to a little miscommunication on the Ranger side. After the corner, both teams fought hard to gain that one possession that could potentially win them the game. When all seemed hopeless, Mason slipped through the Lowell defense and managed to get the ball to his teammate, Bryce. As soon as Bryce got a solid touch on the ball, he delivered a strong pass to Joe Robertson, who tucked it into the back of the net, winning it for the Rangers.

“We got better as we went along,” Mason said. “We came together as a team; it feels so great to finish [the season] off strong.”

 

The Rangers finish off their season 9-8-1 in regular play. They started off poorly, but really came together toward the end, especially in conference play. FHC finished 9-2-1 in the OK White, which was a huge success, considering the rocky start.

“We definitely didn’t start out as great as we should have,” Head coach Paul Kramer said, “but the team definitely showed some resilience at the end, which is what matters.”