Forest Lake 15U B
Season Recap
The 2019-20 season for the Forest Lake 15U B hockey team will be one the girls will remember their entire lives. Originally designated as a second 15U A team for Forest Lake, a late decision to drop down to a level proved to be great choice that gave the girls the ability to grow as a team and improve their skills while trying to achieve the goal of postseason success.
The 14 girls who made up the 15U team were not the typical group of hockey players. Ten girls from Forest Lake and four girls from White Bear Lake came together and formed a bond that still exists today.
The season started off rough with an early season “A” tournament. The first five games of the season saw the team with an 1-4 record and only three goals scored. The rough start provided a jump start to get the girls working hard and wanting success.
The start of 2020 brought on a few more 15U A tournaments. The girls never gave up and worked hard against these higher-level teams. These tournaments resulted in a team that now knew what it took to be successful against good teams, a lesson they used as they moved into the playoffs.
The final month of the season featured a long win streak which gave the lady Rangers the top seed for Regions coming out of District 2. The first Region tournament game was against Edina, an opponent we had lost to twice this season. The girls came out determined and defeated the Hornets 7-2.
Saturday morning, we played Minnetonka which had also defeated us twice this season. The Skippers proved too much for the girls on that day, and they fell to Minnetonka 6-1. Later that day, a chance for a State bid was on the line against Waconia. Forest Lake led 2-0 after two periods, but Waconia pulled within one midway through the third. Paige Rogers' breakaway goal late in the third and Ava Johnson’s empty net goal stamped Forest Lake's ticket to the State Tournament with a 4-1 win.
On Sunday afternoon, the seeding game was against Brainerd-Little Falls, another strong team. Our team had their opportunities, but the girls lost 4-1 after a late empty net goal.
This was Forest Lake’s first team to make it to the State Tournament since the 12U A team won that tournament in 2015. Forest Lake opened the 15U B State Tournament playing top seed Elk River, which turned out to be the only game played. Elk River ended up beating Forest Lake 2-1, but it was the best game we played all year. Our girls should all be proud of how they worked as a team, supported each other and became friends. It was truly a year to remember. Go Rangers!