Ranger bantams sweep state titles

The Brookings Rangers Bantam A team capped off a hugely successful season in style over the weekend, winning a state title at the Bantam A tournament in Yankton.

The three-game sweep at the tournament means the Bantam A Rangers finish the year with a sparkling 32-2-1 record — undefeated in league play and league and state champions.

Brookings 7, Huron 0
The Rangers had the last game of the night on Friday and finished off Huron in a game that was really only two periods long after an electrical issue blacked out the rink in Yankton.

Owen Rounds and Weston Diers scored twice each for the Rangers, with Thor Zell, Graham Gerlach and Tegan Jensen also finding the back of the net. Kallen Serfling had a playmaker with Diers adding a pair of assists and Zell, Rounds and Gerlach also credited with assists.

Brayden Brintnall made stops on the four shots he saw to earn the shutout victory.

Brookings 4, Rushmore 0
The Rangers blanked the team from Rapid in the semifinals to punch their ticket to the title game.

Gerlach, Diers, Serfling and Deacon Trumbo scored for the Rangers. Tegan Jensen, Diers, Zell and Serfling all had helpers.

Warner Carroll stopped all 10 shots in the shutout victory.

Brookings 4, Watertown 2
The Rangers dominated the title game and then withstood a late Lakers rally to take the championship.

Brookings got goals from Diers, Gerlach and Jensen to take a 3-0 lead deep into the third period. The Lakers would score with 36 seconds left in the second period, however, and got another early in the third to come within 3-2.

But Rounds — who had a helper earlier — found the net off a feed from Zell — his second assist — to secure the win.

Carroll made 8 saves to earn the win.

Bantam B
Not to be outdone, the Bantam B Rangers also followed up their league title with a state championship win in Aberdeen.

The wins put the Bantam B Rangers at 19-9-1 on the season and they finish unbeaten in regulation against South Dakota competition.

As the top seed, the Rangers earned a first-round bye in the tournament.

Brookings 6, Aberdeen 3
The Rangers battled back from deficits of 1-0 and 3-2 to eliminate the Cougars on their home ice.

Jacob Myhre, Myles Anderson and Coy Friedrich each scored twice. Anderson added two assists and Jackson Hahn also had one.

Isaac Haufschild made 14 saves to win the game for Brookings.

Brookings 3, Sioux Falls 1 0
The Rangers locked down the state title — the second in a row for the program at Bantam B — with a shutout win on Sunday.

The first period ended scoreless despite the Rangers firing 16 shots on net, but Brookings broke it open in the second period on a pair of Anderson goals, one assisted by Hahn.

Blaine Zweber got the insurance goal late in the third on the power play off a feed from Gavin Zweibahmer and the Rangers were state champions.

Haufschild was stellar in goal, turning away all 25 shots he saw from the Flyers to earn the shutout victory.

14U Girls
The Rangers 14U girls team played three incredibly tight games at their state tournament in Ft. Pierre and ended in fourth place.

Brookings 1, Aberdeen 0
The Rangers outlasted the Cougars to open the tournament.

Brookings got the lone goal of the contest when Kahlei Foerster scored off a pass from Brooke Kruse.

Ava Vaughn made that stand up, stopping all 14 Aberdeen shots to get the shutout.

Oahe 2, Brookings 0
Vaughn made 18 stops on 20 shots, but Brookings could not find the net against the eventual state champions.

Rushmore 2, Brookings 1
Brookings put 44 shots on the Thunder cage, but could only muster one goal in the third-place game.

Beatrix Hovey-Stubbles had the goal off a pass from Foerster. Vaughn made 14 saves in goal.

Varsity
Brookings 10, Sioux Center 0
The Rangers thumped Sioux Center on Senior Night.

Talon Hyde, Tre Christopherson, Jackson Heller and Cade Zweber scored twice each for Brookings with Mason Diers and Jason Ready chipping in single goals.

Nolan Krogman had four assists for the Rangers, with Jay Harris adding a playmaker and Parker Nielsen adding two.

Credit single assists to Hyde, Schneider, Caleb Johnson, Jason Ready, Atwood Ahmann, Lovseth, Carson Kludt and Heiberger.

Neil Trygstad made six saves in the shutout.

JV
Brookings 1 7, Sioux Center 0
Cody Jacobson and Rhys Heiberger scored twice and Maxten Jensen, Jack Lovseth and Ethan Foerster scored in the Rangers win.

Connor Buckley had a playmaker.
Credit single assists to Cooper Schneider, Foerster, Jacobson, Carter Nielsen and Ty Harris.

Brookings 1 5, Brookings 2 1
The Brookings Rangers JV 1 team prevailed in the second meeting between the two teams.

For Brookings 1, Schneider scored twice and Buckley, Jacobson and Haufschild also found the net. Jensen have four assists with Lovseth and Jacobson chipping in solo helpers.

For Brookings 2, Colt VanMaanen scored off feeds from Grant Horn and Camden Reicks.

Matthew Bothe was in goal for Brookings 1, with Paxtyn Pottorff between the pipes for Brookings 2.

Brookings Rangers 2 5, Aberdeen 0
Tryston Hostler scored twice to lead the Rangers, with VanMaanen, Maxx Anderson and Landon Schumacher also finding twine.

Anderson chipped in a pair of assists, with single helpers going to Lucas Hovelson, Weston Baker, Jeremiah Hovey, Isaac Andal and Un-Hyeng Keay.

Pottorff stopped all 25 shots he saw to earn the shutout win.