Squirt Rangers clip Red Wings in a thriller

The crowd was treated to an outstanding display of hockey from the Squirt Rangers and Red Wings in a classic match-up of these two gritty teams on Jan. 7.

The Rangers won 3-2.

The Rangers charged early as rookie Darin Geska picked up a loose puck in front of the Red Wings' net and made a nifty move to open the scoring.

The Rangers looked like they were going to take charge of the game as defenseman Nick Molnar scored his first of the season on a blast from the point to put his team up 2-0.

But the Red Wings would have no part of the Rangers plan as they tighten the defensive play with the help of some outstanding plays by Peter Hillery and Ella Frauenhofer. The Rangers failed to score in the second period but Rangers goaltender Stephen Swiatek, in his goaltending debut, had held the Red Wings scoreless through the midpoint of the second period.

The Red Wings continued to apply pressure and finally, Adam Herr got free for an unassisted tally. The Red Wings later tied the score with two seconds left in the second period on a goal by Jamison Garvey, assisted by Tristan Dougherty and Herr.

The third period was a goaltending battle that was anchored by outstanding saves from Rangers rookie Swiantek and Red Wings veteran Theresa Meosky.

It looked like the game was going to end in a tie, as the Rangers applied pressure with time running out. A scramble in front of Meosky resulted in Mathew Soos scoring the game-winning goal on an improbable bounce. It was Soos' second game winning goal of the season.