The Big Six quarterfinals are set to heat up this week, with the defending champion Moosomin Rangers taking on the KW Oil Kings in one of the most anticipated matchups.
Rangers head coach Ferrel Horn said his team is ready for the challenge.
“We’re not totally healthy, but we’ve been struggling with that all season,” he said. “But we’re good in our roster, and we are a pretty deep roster, so we should make out OK.”
The Rangers finished second in the Big Six standings with a 12-2-2-1 record and 27 points, just behind the first-place team, which finished with 30 points.
“I guess everyone strives to be first. There’s nothing wrong with first, second, third, whatever. Everybody makes the playoffs, so you still have to continue playing well in the playoffs," said Horn. “As far as the regular season, everybody knows it’s a warmup for playoffs. Whatever you do in the regular season doesn’t mean much if you don’t win the playoffs.”
Moosomin won its first Big Six title in 20 years last season, but Horn said any pressure to repeat comes from within.
“I think every year is different. So, you’re not going to necessarily repeat it, and if you do repeat it, that’s good too. I think every year, every team comes into the league wanting to win.”
The Rangers faced a major roster overhaul this season, with 11 players retiring. "So we’ve had a little bit of a time just fitting everybody in, making sure everyone is in the right spot.” Despite the changes, Horn said the team has performed well.
He expects a tough battle against the Oil Kings, noting their steady improvement in recent years. "We lost previous years, and they’re not an easy team.”
Horn also pointed out the challenges of playing in Kipling.
“Moving from our rink, which is a big ice surface, to their rink, it’s a small ice surface. You have to change your game a little bit, like I really think playing in Kipling is the game we have to really come through.”
He said keeping things simple will be key. “I don’t really care what the score is as long as we get one goal more than them.” Emphasizing the importance of skating and defensive play.
“I think our defense and our goaltending and defensive play from our forward is going to be key.”
The Rangers are also focused on developing younger players. “We’ve added guys of age back to the team again, and we’re a little bit of an older team still, but you still have to continue moving your guys in and making sure they’re getting the proper ice time, and not getting beat up too bad out there and making sure they are growing from it.” Adding that it can take time for younger players to adjust.
The upcoming series is expected to be a battle. “There’s lots of skills on every team. There’s lots of ex-pros and juniors and just hometown guys going out to play.”
One challenge the Rangers face is balancing players’ commitments outside of hockey, which can impact game availability.
“We have good fan support, and throughout the league, it’s getting better and better every year.”
The Rangers and Oil Kings will open their series Friday at 8 p.m. at Moosomin’s Mike Schwean Arena.