Vegreville Rangers Edge Out St. Paul Canadiens 6-4 During First Home Game of 2020

Vegreville Rangers Edge Out St. Paul Canadiens 6-4 During First Home Game of 2020

Michelle Pinon News Advertiser

Friday night lights under the rafters of the Wally Fedun Arena was an exciting affair between the Vegreville Rangers and St. Paul Canadiens.

For Brady Dunn it was different being on the other side of the glass and sitting in the stands while waiting out his four game suspension. His mood was upbeat as he talked about his time with the Rangers Jr. B squad since earning a spot on the roster in 2018.

“It’s a good team. It’s a good community,” said Brady, who has lived in Vegreville for the past six years. The funniest part about being on the team is time spent in the dressing room. “Everybody’s smiling. It’s a good atmosphere.”

Brady said the players are like a “family” and he has enjoyed spending time both off and on the ice with his teammates.

Brady said you need to have chemistry on a team to win, and with the Rangers there is no individualism. As a collective, the team practices weekly and travels to and from communities from Wainwright to Frog Lake and everything in-between on weekends. The Rangers are one of eight teams in the North Eastern Junior B Hockey League and the players range in age between 18 and 21 years old.

Even though Brady spent many years playing minor hockey, the left winger said it was “definitely a change” moving up to the Jr. B level. “It’s a much faster pace, bigger guys. You have to keep your head up because it’s a lot more physical.” He is adjusting well, and is making the most of his time with the team.

The Canadiens were first on the scoreboard, but the Rangers answered back in the second period scoring back to back goals. It was tit for tat most of the way with the Canadiens tying things up in the middle of the third period. But the Rangers forged ahead, and answered back with a shorthanded goal to make it 5-4 Rangers. St. Paul decided to pull its goalie with less than a minute to play and the Rangers scored an empty netter to seal the deal 6-4.