TEWKSBURY, MA -- After a long summer, both Rangers squads are set to kick-off their regular season schedules this upcoming weekend. The EHLP team will get things rolling this Saturday night when they open up against the Walpole Express at 7:45pm. Both squads will be in action on Sunday as the Premier team will square off against last year’s EHLP Champions, the New England Wolves at 1:30pm. The EHL team on the other hand, will kick-off their new campaign at 7:40pm against the Valley Jr. Warriors. All games this upcoming weekend will be played at the Breakaway Ice Center. 

Even after a season where the Rangers organization lost 13 players to NCAA commitments, they are still bringing back a large amount of returning players. The 2018-19 EHL captain Mitchell Haight will be back anchoring the blue line along with other returners Tom Skold and Will Fisher. Andrew Keith headlines the returners at forward position, as the Rangers leading scorer from last season is back for more. Steve Wesley, Jonah Nash, Connor Galloway, Martin Pietraszek, Nathan Young, and Jake Blackwell are also returning from last year's EHL squad. A few forwards from last year’s EHLP team, (Tanner Caldarola, Jake Mecrones, Nick Weaver, and Mitch Gillespie), will make the jump up to the top league as well. Both Billy Girard and Jacob George are the returning goalies from last year’s team, with newcomer Karlis Reinis Riba joining the netminders. Both Keith and Girard were listed in the EHL's Top Returning Players to Watch article. 

The 2019-20 EHLP squad is also bringing back a few players from last year’s team. Both Brad Mackin and Max Stephens are the returners on defense. Matt McPherson, Steve Johnson, and Emils Zelcs, will be back for another season at forward. Cam Libby is the lone returner in the goalie room, and will be joined by newcomers, Joey Jamison, Matt Morrison, and Logan Palmer. 

September will be a busy month for both Rangers teams as each squad will play five games before the month’s end. On the final two days of September, the EHL team will participate in the first of five league wide-showcases. The dates and information for each showcase this season are listed below.

• September 29th and 30th - Rodman Arena (Walpole, MA)
• October 13th and 14th - Ice Line Quad Rinks (West Chester, PA)
• November 10th and 11th - Paul T. Gilmartin Arena (Haverhill, MA)
• December 11th and 12th - Newington Arena (Newington, CT)
• January 12th and 13th - The Rinks at Exeter (Exeter, NH)

As for the EHLP, the sub-division of the EHL will feature three showcases this upcoming season.

• October 13th and 14th - Ice Line Quad Rinks (West Chester, PA)
• November 10th and 11th - Chelmsford Forum (Chelmsford, MA)
• January 18th and 19th - Worcester Ice Center (Worcester, MA)

To keep up with this weekend’s matchups, watch live on HockeyTV or follow the live scoring/box scores on the EHL website.