BJR WEEKLY RECAP/PREVIEW - January 19th through 29th
Busy Times For Both Rangers Teams
TEWKSBURY, MA -- The win streaks are over, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Every hockey season is different, and every champion goes through its own chapter of adversity. Look at last year's Elite Division Champions as an example. Their final record was remarkable, but it took the team a couple weeks to get things rolling in the beginning of the year.
"As great as our Premier win was on Thursday, the loss was on Friday was the total opposite," said Rangers Premier head coach Rich DeCaprio. "Thursday's game was yet another battle with the Express, while Friday was the 5th game in 6 days. We were tired, and the the fatigue set in physically, which in turn, created more mental mistakes. For the Elites it was a great weekend. They battled hard with the Revolution and were rewarded with a big one-goal win over Walpole the next day. Everyone stepped up from the goaltending, to the defense, and the offense. It's a busy time for our teams, and the end goal remains the same throughout the entire organization."
PREMIER RECAP/PREVIEW
THURSDAY 1/19 - The Premier team picked up right where they left off at the MLK Day Showcase, and for the 3rd straight time, the Rangers and Express needed extra time to decide a winner. Walpole won the 1st matchup 2-1 in a shootout, the Rangers took the next contest 3-2 in overtime, and then grabbed the victory again, this time by the score of 5-4 in overtime. Five different goal scorers helped pave the way for the 11th straight win for the team.
FRIDAY 1/20 - As hot as the team was Thursday, the switch quickly switched the next day. The Rangers trailed 3-1 at the end of the first 20 minutes, and never recovered on their way to a 7-1 loss at the hands of the Warriors.
WEDNESDAY 1/25 - The Rangers now look to begin a new streak against a divisional opponent that they've played very evenly. The Bandits won the 1st matchup of the year 4-1, and then the Rangers evened the series with a 3-1 win in October.
SATURDAY 1/28 - The game on Saturday has moved up from 7:15pm to 4:30pm, and it features a team that the Rangers have played very well against this season. The Rangers won the first two matchups by scores of 2-1 and 3-1.
SUNDAY 1/29 - The final game of the weekend is against another North Conference opponent, as the Rangers get a chance at revenge with the Cyclones. In the only matchup of the season, the Cyclones knocked off the Rangers 5-4 in overtime.
19U ELITE RECAP/PREVIEW
SATURDAY 1/21 - After a lopsided affair earlier in the season, the Revolution came to Tewksbury feeling confident heading into their afternoon matchup with the Rangers. Philadelphia won again, but the story was much different this time. The play was even for all 60 minutes, and the only difference came off the stick of Anthony Bench for the Revolution. The Elite forward scored a heart-breaker with nine seconds left to give his team the 2-1 lead and eventually the victory.
SUNDAY 1/22 - A quick turnaround brought a familiar foe to town on Sunday. The score was identical as Saturday, but the Rangers were on the positive side this time around. With the 2-1 win, the Rangers remain perfect against the Express this season at 3-0-0.
SATURDAY 1/28 AND SUNDAY 1/29 - This weekend sends the Rangers on a trip to Pennsylvania, for the first ever matchups with the Lehigh Valley Jr. Rebels. The two teams will square off at 5:30pm on Saturday and then 11:15am on Sunday. The Rangers will be the home team on Sunday, which then takes care of this year's season series with Lehigh Valley.
