Rangers off on roadie to Janesville

The race is on for four out of the five teams in the North American Hockey League North Division and the Marquette Rangers are right in the thick of it all.

Marquette is currently five points behind first place Traverse City heading into this weekend’s action. The Rangers lead third place Janesville by five points, with the Motor City Metal Jackets still well within the hunt in fourth place with 38 points on the season.

Alpena appears to be the odd team out as the IceDiggers are falling further behind as the season plays out. With eight weekends remaining, Alpena is 15 points out of the fourth and final playoff spot in the division.

Traverse City plays a one-game set Friday at Motor City before coming to Marquette the following Thursday evening.

Marquette travels to southern Wisconsin this weekend as the Rangers and Janesville battle one another this Friday and Saturday night in a series that may very well set the tone for the remainder of the race. The Jets and the Rangers have played four games this season with Janesville holding a 3-1 record against Kenny Miller’s club.

Despite the struggles against the Jets, Marquette is in the midst of a four-game winning streak having swept both Alpena and Albert Lea.

As the Rangers continue to battle within the division, the battle for scoring leadership on the team has also begun to heat up. Garrett Ladd (14g, 26a, 40 pts) and Andrew Kolb (15g, 24a, 39 pts) continue to lead the team, with Michigan Tech recruit Tanner Kero (36 pts) and Collin Saint-Onge (34 pts) keeping pace.