BROOKINGS — To say the Brookings Rangers were a young team last year would be an understatement. The Rangers didn’t have a single junior or senior on their team a year ago and it resulted in an up-and-down year that saw Brookings finish with a 13-12-1 record and a 7-7 mark in SDAHA play.

But the benefit of having such a young team is the lessons they learned along the way. After finishing last season with wins in five of their final eight games and winning the consolation championship at the state tournament, Rangers coach JaColby Anderson is optimistic about his team and believes they can be competitive this season.

“I think the biggest thing they learned is how to rely on each other and just trust the process,” Anderson said. “Everyone is going through it, understanding that it’s an uphill climb and we need everybody working together to achieve those goals that we develop as a team, knowing that it’s not going to be easy.”

The Rangers will rely on a trio of captains to guide them into the year. Junior Kinzey Grendler will wear the “C” for the Rangers after leading Brookings with 15 points (10 goals, five assists) last season, but the Rangers will have alternate captains Miyah Foerster (five goals, five assists) and Anna Rasmussen (four goals, six assists) in a group that gained valuable experience last year.

“Just knowing that we had to get through the grind of a season where we relied a lot on seniors two years ago…when you have that leadership with upperclassmen, it’s easier to ride the curtails,” Anderson said. “They kind of paved the way for you and not really having that last year and just being extremely young…now they’ve been there. They’ve experienced it and you know that they’re going to develop a lot more confidence. The girls know what to expect and they’ve done it an entire year without that senior leadership.”

The experience will also help the Rangers in net. Rorii Quam returns after a 6-7 record with a 3.40 goals-against average and .881 save percentage in conference play last year and with a core that also includes Sawyer Triplett, who led Brookings with 12 goals.

“We’re looking for her to work hard and give us the best shot to be competitive in every game,” Anderson said of Quam. “With her presence in net, we know that we have a few girls on this roster that can also contribute as long as they all buy in, work hard and trust the process.”

The process will be important as the Rangers look to compete in the SDAHA. While Sioux Falls is the favorite to win the state title, Brookings will also have to compete with strong teams in Aberdeen and Oahe to make a push for a deep run. But the Rangers already learned what it takes do that from last year and are looking forward to building on it this year.

“We just have to put in the work,” Anderson said. “We have to be prepared to put in the work every day and pay attention to the finer details of the game and just buy in and understand that hockey is a long season. We’ve just got to take it one day at a time and when those opportunities present themselves, we have to be ready to capitalize.”