Thanks in large part to junior Mason Kelly’s four goals and two assists, the hockey team took down the combined Lowell/Caledonia team on Wednesday night to reach 19-4 on the season, clinching the title of first place in the OK Baum conference in the process.

Just as the scoreline indicates, the Rangers absolutely dominated the matchup between these two teams. Throughout the entire contest, FHC recorded 51 shots on goal compared to Lowell/Cal, who only had 11 shots on goal. In net for the night, sophomore Jake Munger had a .818 save percentage, stopping 9 of 11 shots. Lowell/Cal’s goaltender Tommy Near was given a more difficult assignment, saving 44 shots but allowing seven goals. Not only do these stats demonstrate how much the FHC offense dominated, but it also shows how much the Ranger defense shut down its opponent.

However, the game did not get out of hand until the second period. After the first 17 minutes of play, the Rangers led 2-1, but the advantage reached 5-2 by the end of the second period. The offensive production didn’t slow up in the final period, as the Rangers would go on to score two more to bring the final score to 7-2. Throughout the entire season, the offense has been impressive, scoring 102 total goals so far.

Besides Mason’s four goals, senior Peter Bardelli and the Jeffreys brothers of sophomore Lucas and senior Ryan also scored on the night. While he didn’t score, senior Cole Beaufait showed his versatility once again, dishing out three assists to bring his assist total on the year to 22. Surpassing him, however, was Ryan, who now has 23 assists on the season thanks to his one on Wednesday. Closely following them two with 18 assists is senior Hayden Sarjeant, who had two assists himself against Lowell/Cal. Junior Collin Ward also got in on the action, recording the first point of his varsity hockey career. 

With this win, the Rangers have now improved to 19-4 on the season. With a conference championship already secured due to Grand Rapids Christian forfeiting Thursday’s contest, the Rangers will look to continue to improve with games against Hudsonville and Rockford before the playoffs begin.