Rangers fall in OT

Published on November 22, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Marquette Rangers News Release


Ann Arbor, Mich. - For 58 minutes Saturday night it looked like the U.S. National Team Development Program U-18 squad would win their North American Hockey League game with the Marquette Rangers in fairly easy fashion.

After all, the USNTDP was leading 3-1 and outplaying their NAHL North Division counterpart at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube most of the evening. Someone neglected to tell Kenny Miller's club, as the Rangers scored twice in the final 1:51 to force overtime.

Team USA would win the game in the extra period, but it would be the Rangers who would collect three out of four possible points on the weekend.

With the win, team USA now leads the Rangers by one point for third place in the North Division. Marquette won their first ever game against the U-18 team Friday night 4-2.

Team USA opened the scoring at 15:57 of the first period on a shorthanded effort from Kevin Lynch. Kenny Ryan assisted on what would be the only scoring in the opening period.

Marquette's Garrett Ladd would tie the game from Ryan McGrath at 2:48 of the second period to tie the game, but two more Team USA goals would make it 3-1 heading into the final period.

For the next 18 minutes the teams fought to a stalemate. That's when Marquette's Mike Lennon was awarded a penalty shot on USA goaltender Brandon Maxwell. The first year Ranger would convert to make it 3-2, giving the Rangers a much needed confidence boost heading into the final moments of the period.

Coach Miller pulled goalie Dan Sullivan in favor of the extra attacker, and defenseman Reed Rushing would cash in on an unassisted goal with seven seconds on the clock forcing the extra session.

The comeback would come up short in the overtime as Team USA's Jeremy Morin won the game at 1:13 of the extra session, the assist to line mate A.J. Treas.

The Rangers Sullivan stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced on the night, while USA's Maxwell made 20 saves on 23 Marquette shots.

The Rangers will spend next weekend at the NAHL North Division Showcase in Boardman, Ohio hosted by the Mahoning Valley Phantoms.

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North American Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2008


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