A hat trick from senior JonMichael Dragojevic provided enough of a buffer for the Rangers to survive a late scoring onslaught from Highland Park as the Blue and Gold secured a 4-3 win on Thursday at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in Richardson. Jesuit built a 4-1 lead before Highland Park lit the lamp twice in the final three minutes.
 
Dragojevic scored Jesuit's first three goals of the contest, adding an assist on the Rangers' final score of the bout. Senior Nicholas Zang scored Jesuit's fourth goal late in the third period. Seniors Miles Dikun and sophomore Seth Dragojevic added one assist each.
 
Senior Caden Rupnow made 14 saves in net for the Rangers while facing 17 shots on the evening. The Ranger defense held the Highland Park power play unit in check as the Scots were 0-for-4 on man-up opportunities.
 
Jesuit out-shot Highland Park, 10-2 in the first period, opening the scoring with 4:16 remaining as Dragojevic found twine with an unassisted goal for the team's first tally. Dragojevic would score again with 30 seconds left in the opening stanza to send the Rangers into the second with a 2-0 lead.
 
The Rangers scored their third goal of the game on a breakout play as Dragojevic completed the hat trick off of a feed from Dikun and his brother, Seth for a three-goal advantage. Highland Park would break through in the second period, scoring with 9:51 remaining to cut the lead to two goals.
 
In the third, the Rangers would lock down on the Scots over the opening nine minutes of the period as neither team scored until the 3:27 mark, when Zang took a feed from Dragojevic to return the lead to three goals. Highland Park notched a goal with 2:29 remaining then scored against the 2:23 mark to cut the lead to one, but the Rangers were able to close out the contest and shut down the Highland Park rally.
 
The Rangers will close the fall semester schedule on Thursday, Dec. 13 against Frisco. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. in Richardson, Texas.