Forever Rangers!
Goal posts are red, red lines are too
This is the story of the boys in blue
How 15 hockey players came together as one
To learn and play hockey and have lots of fun.
It all began in a town called St. Stephen
Their first game, first road trip and first win of the season.
This was the start, of something special and true
You got all you could handle, when you played the boys in blue.
They had a great coach, Mr. Jones was his name
Have fun, play hard, was the name of his game
Helping him out on the bench, were a few
Gary, Chris, and Chris and Dreamboat too
Every game was a squeaker, they always gave it their best
Except for the time when they lost to the Jets
That 8-nothing loss was just part of the journey
Like when they went undefeated at the Riverview Tourney
They played near and far, home and away
At the awesome qplex and old rink in Rothesay
At the cold barn in Sussex and the Willie O'Ree
Who could forget the drive to St. Andrew’s by the Sea?
They played some great teams, like the Bandits and Flyers
Remember those two barnburners against the Spitfires?
There was one game for sure, they will always remember
When they hosted the Bruins, and welcomed back Cole Pender
Not all of the fun was had out on the in the ice
They enjoyed a good swim and the odd pizza slice
Or playing some shinny out on the river,
In temps that would make a polar bear shiver
The game against their parents was also a thrill
Like the night they went wild at Celebration of Skills
They partied on Hockey Day, in spite of the weather
Where they played mini-sticks and wore their favorite hockey sweater
The Rangers knew how to have fun and work hard
For that their coaches are held high in regard
No matter what the game, they gave it their all
Always Remember “Go wide, shoot high and stand tall!”
The final whistle has blown, the seasons come to an end
You started as hockey players and finished as friends
Friends in the end, never again will be strangers
You’ll always be teammates – Forever Rangers!
written by
Dean, Kegan & Bree MacLean
A Fitting End To A Great Season!
“Barn burner!”, “Squeaker!”, “Close one!” - Those are the terms used to describe just about every game the KV Novice Rangers played this season. A true testament their work ethic and ‘never say die’ attitude. So it was fitting that their final game of season came down to some last minute heroics and ended in a tie!
The KV Novice Rangers season came to close Monday night with a 6-6 tie versus the Saint John Spitfires. This was the Rangers second meeting with the Spitfires this season. The first game was also a high scoring affair ending in a 9-9 tie. The game was fast. Both teams came to play. It was true firewagon hockey for a full 60 minutes. The teams exchanged goal for goal until Joey MacPhail made a brilliant save in the final minute to preserve the tie.
Scoring for Rangers were Kegan MacLean, Ryan MacNeill and Edward MacDonald. Chipping in with helpers were Ben Fullerton, Noah Hyslop, Kyle Gould and Matthew Beach.
After the game Coach Jones praised the team effort. “Today the ‘Game Jersey’ was awarded to the whole team! Everybody played hard and played fair. We never quit on the play, and Joey came up big on that last minute breakaway to preserve the tie!. That was a true Rangers game. A great finish to a fantastic season!!”.
The Rangers will wrap things up this weekend with a few fun early morning practices and will have one last party (dates to be finalized) to celebrate the season.
Way go Rangers.
Fun Weekend in Freddy
The KV Rangers invaded Fredericton this weekend and came home with 2 wins, 1 nail bitter, some medals and lots of great memories.
In their first game of the weekend, the Rangers took on the speedy Fredericton Leafs. The Rangers were fired up and quickly took a 3-0 lead in the first. The Leafs responded and buried a few quick goals to cut the Rangers lead to 1. But the Rangers were firing on all cylinders and swiftly notched three more goals to take the game by a score of 6-3. Finding the back of the net for the Rangers were Kegan MacLean, Matthew Beach, Edward MacDonald and Ryan MacNeill. Picking up assists were Jack Breckenridge, Ethan Saunders and Brayden Stanley. Coach Jones said the boys were pumped up before the game, “They always seem to step it up a notch for tournaments. They were pumped!!.”
The Rangers next opponents were the Fredericton Red Wings. Before the game, assistant coach Chris Nadeau said he was concerned about the energy level ”The boys spent about 2-3 hours swimming today, so I thought they might be a little water logged.” Apparently, swimming does a body good because the Rangers downed the hard working Red Wings by a score of 6-0. Tickling the twine for the Rangers were Ryan MacNeill, Edward MacDonald, Cade Nadeau and Matthew Beach. Chipping in with helpers were Caelum Snow and Ben Fullerton. Rangers goalie Joey MacPhail picked up his first shutout of the season!
In their last game of the weekend, the Rangers had their hands full with the powerful Fredericton Lightning. It was an intense game as the refs put away their whistles and let the kids play. Battles were won and lost at both ends of the ice. In the end, the Lightning sealed the game on a questionable goal. Scoring for the Rangers were Shawn Jones, Kegan MacLean and Ryan MacNeill. Coach Jones congradulated his team on a great game “I don’t care what the score board said. This was your best game of the weekend. You played like champs and should be proud.”
The Rangers finish off the season with a final game against the Saint John Spitfires Monday night at the qplex.
St. Patty’s Day Barn Burner & Jets Shoot Down Rangers
The KV Novice Rangers travelled to Black’s Harbour on Saturday where they took on the Fundy Kingfishers in a St. Patrick’s Day Classic.
The Rangers were playing their first game in 3 weeks and the rust showed early on. The Kingfishers took an early lead and looked as though they were about to take control of the game, when Ben Fullerton tucked home a loose puck on a juicy rebound to put the Rangers back in the contest.
Ben’s goal ignited a spark and the Rangers eventually pulled ahead with goals from Flyin’ Ryan MacNeill and Steady Ed MacDonald.
The Kingfisher’s tied the game midway through the 3rd, but couldn’t get anything else past Joey MacPhail who made some beautiful last minute saves to preserve the tie.
Head Coach Andrew Jones liked the way the team battled back after a slow start; “The boys were a little rusty at the start, but they loosened up after Ben’s goal. The boys responded, battled hard and they should be proud. A great game!”
The luck of the Irish didn’t follow the Rangers to Saint John on Sunday, where they fell to Jets by a score of 8-0.
The Ranger’s appeared sluggish in their second of back to back road games on the weekend. The rested Jet’s took full advantage and grabbed an early 3-0 lead in the first. The Ranger’s seemed to wake up in the second but couldn’t capitalize on their chances as the bounces were not going their way. The Jet’s continued to pressure and eventually buried 5 more goals before the end of the game.
Despite the loss, Coach Andrew Jones was positive; “I heard some of the boys were up late last night and we just didn’t get the bounces. It happens. The loss will make us hungry next weekend in Freddy. I may have to set a curfew though. Need the boys to be sharp!”.
The Rangers are on the road again next weekend, attending the FYHA Novice Jamboree in Fredericton.
