The Parkland U-18 Rangers have been through a lot this season.
They won their first four games of the season and eight of their first 10 games to sit near the top of the standings. Then they lost their head coach as Swan River's Josh Tripp became the head coach of his hometown team when the Stampeders parted ways with Barry Wolff.
The team, now led by Tom White along with Matt Kustra, has had to stick with the grind of coming to the rink when things aren't going as planned and they've also enjoyed wins against some of the top teams in the league.
This is a group that has battled plenty of adversity and while things have not always been easy, they're a group that has stuck with the process. They also lost Trace Langan, who was off to a fantastic start to the season, recording eight points in eight games to start the campaign before he joined his hometown Stampeders.
For Cash McCallum, he has taken great pride in staying positive and coming with his work boots to every practice and game. This is his second year with the Rangers and he knows what kind of group they have.
"Losing our coach early was pretty hard for us, but we've bounced back. I think we have a great group," said McCallum. "This is one of the best Ranger teams in years, everyone is playing for one another and pushing through."
Cash is in the midst of a career year. In 37 games, the star from Dauphin has one goal and 11 points. He's also passed last year's total when he scored two goals and had seven points. McCallum is tied for 10th in team scoring with Ryzlie Nepinak.
"Skating with Doug Hedley in the morning has really helped me out," continued McCallum. "I also have that year of experience under my belt and I'm learning the game more. I get the chance to play with a great group of guys."
Overall, McCallum is pleased with what he has brought to the table.
"I think anyone would say the goal is to have more of an impact," commented McCallum. "With that said, I'm pretty happy with my performance. I continue to work hard and push myself to the limit."
Wrapping up a weekend set in Thompson on Sunday, Cash opened the scoring with his first goal of the season 15:46 into the first. He added an assist on Ryder Gardner's goal late in the second period. Cash has two multi-point games this season with his other coming on December 7 against the Winnipeg Bruins.
It was an important goal to give Parkland a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes on Sunday and he was pleased to contribute.
"That felt great to get the monkey off my back and get that confidence boost," continued McCallum. "To sweep Norman over the weekend was massive for us, four huge points for our group. It was a long ride home but it was all worth it after winning both games."
Parkland will look to make it three straight wins when they return to the friendly confines of Credit Union Place on Thursday evening. That's when the Rangers (20-18-1) welcome the last-place Yellowhead Chiefs (7-28-0-1) to town. Parkland has eight of their 20 wins on home ice this season and they'll look to build on that Tuesday.
"We're heading into that game with a lot of confidence," commented McCallum. "We didn't take Norman easily knowing they were lower than us in the standings and we can't take Yellowhead lightly, either. We have to come out prepared to grind and play the way we know we can."
Thursday's game will be Parkland's last this month before playing eight games in 19 days to wrap up the regular season next month. With Parkland only three points up on the Pembina Valley Hawks (16-15-4-2), McCallum understands how important each game is and he's looking forward to the home stretch.
"We believe that we can beat anyone, as long as we play the way that we know we can" offered McCallum. "We have to play Parkland Rangers hockey and if we do so, we can compete with anyone."
Before joining the U-18 team, Cash played with the U-15 Rangers and has now played 81 games with the U-18 program. He grew up in Dauphin watching the likes of Riese Gaber and Bradyn Smelski and now, he's living out his childhood dream of being a Ranger.
"It's an unbelievable feeling to be a Ranger. It's cool to be in those guys' shoes," ended McCallum. "We have a great program and a great dressing room. You can't ask for much more."
Head to Credit Union Place on Thursday night to cheer on McCallum and the rest of the U-18 Rangers as they lock in for a playoff push.
