IN THE NEWS
From the 
Sports briefs
June 07, 2010
ICE HOCKEY Northwest Hockey League
Spring Championship
at Franklin Park Ice
Niles Rangers Squirt #2 4, Midwest Maniax 3 (OT). Goals: Sam Ronnel, Anthony DeLuca (2), Jason Tenezaca. Assists: Tenezaca, Nick Ronnel. Goal Keeper: Lou Szwedo. Defensive stars: Johnny Serbekian, Matt Ignowski, Jake Black, Pat Mulchrone, Anthony Guarraci.
From the
Niles Rangers Squirts Youth Ice Hockey Team End Undefeated Season
March 18, 2010
Youth Ice Hockey
The Niles Silver Mites and Pee Wee 2 team both lost their respective championship games this past Saturday. Each team had a great season and fought to the last puck drop to get their runner-up banners.
The Niles Rangers Squirt #2 team battled the pesky Hoffman Estate Wolf Pack Red team on Sunday, March 14th, for the last chance of a Niles championship trophy. The game started out tight with each team getting a chance of putting the puck in the net. It was Ranger's Mateo Anavi who then struck first and capitalized on a great steal from the Wolf Pack. Anavi put a nice shot past the Hoffman Estate goalie to set the stage. Later, in the back and forth game, Ranger's winger John Williams struck gold and made the score 2-0. The score stayed close until Ranger's winger Megan Wagner used her quick speed to break away from two Wolf Pack defenders and get a shot off which was initially stopped by the Hoffman Estate's goalie. Wagner would not be denied though. As she fell to the ice, Wagner was able to snarl the rebound and slap it pass the sprawling goalie to get the game's third and final goal. The Ranger's held off the remaining offensive flourishes with great defense and superb net minding by Tyler Zidron who captured the shutout. This championship win capped off a 42-0-2 season record for the Niles Ranger Squirt #2 team.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/niles/news/community/2104314,niles-comsquirt-031810-s1.article
Rangers Take Bulldogs By The Leash
November 15, 2009 -- Niles IL
The Niles Rangers Squirt #1 team hosted the McFetridge Bulldogs #1 team on a late Sunday morning at the Ice Land Swim and Skate Facility. The Bulldogs were without their starting goalie and had to rely on a gold mite to guard the net. It looked like that was going to be a big factor at first. The Rangers' #14, Jack Snarich, (8) scored on a nice unassisted play in just under two minutes into the game. The Rangers put on a flurry of shots and spent most of the period in their own offensive zone. But, the score would remain 1 - 0 at the first intermission.
As the second intermission begun, the Rangers were all over the ice but could not get the puck by the Bulldogs' young goalie. The Bulldogs would knot it up midway through the second after a nice feed from their winger to their center who snuck it past Rangers' goalie #30, Tianna Lavalle. But that would be all Lavalle would give up for the rest of the game. Lavalle and her defense stomped on the Bulldogs and held them to only seven shots on goal for the final half of the game. The score looked like it would stay 1 to 1 going into the third. But with less than a minute to go in the second, the Rangers scored twice. Both goals were by #2, Matt Smoglia (7&8). Smoglia would score his 7th goal with 50 seconds to go after a beautiful feed by #7, Cameron Crowley. Smoglia wasn't even done celebrating when he knocked in his 8th of the season 19 seconds later.
The Rangers came out in the third period after a stern talk to by their coaches. That seemed to work because the Squirt 1 team looked like a team on a mission. The defense kept the puck out of the Bulldogs' zone through much of the period. The Rangers played even tougher on offense. The game remained 3-1 late in the third when the Bulldogs pulled their goalie. It didn't matter that the goalie was removed when Rangers' #17, Ethan Murphy, used some nice skate maneuvering and knocked one in, unassisted, for his 7th goal of the season. Murphy, like Smoglia did late in the second, was not finished. He was hand fed a sweet pass from his Ranger teammate Snarich to cap off a nice 5 to 1 victory with his 8th of the season. The two late goals ties Snarich with Smoglia and Murphy for the team lead in season goals at 8.
After the game in the locker room, most of the Rangers seemed professional and did not show off any attitude. When pressed on how she performed in goal, Lavalle exclaimed: "good". Crowley would chime in "it's good" after his two point day. Sentiments were the same by Smoglia who, after overhearing Lavalle's and Crowley's remarks, said he thought the victory was: "good". But the spokesperson for the team would go to #3 John Serbekian who summed up the Rangers victory by stating "uh, it was good?"
Next up for the 5 and 1 Rangers' Squirt #1 team will be the Gobble Gobble Thanksgiving Tournament with their first game against the rival 4-0-1 Rangers #3 team on Wednesday the 25th at 7:10 p.m.
Recent visit by Dave Bolland of the Chicago Blackhawks with the Gold Mite #1 team.
photo by KC Liberty
Niles Rangers Press
November 15, 2009