OHL Kitchener Rangers

Knights Take Game One 3-2 in Overtime

Published on April 19, 2012 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Tyler Ferry scored the game winner 1:51 into the overtime period as the London Knights defeated the Kitchener Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night. Max Domi scored twice for the Knights, while Tobias Rieder and Ben Thomson each recorded a goal for Kitchener. Rangers goaltender John Gibson made 47 saves in the loss and was named the contest's first star. The Knights take a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Final, which shifts to Kitchener on Sunday, April 22.

The Rangers opened the scoring with a power play goal 13:52 in the first period. Michael Catenacci moved the puck to Tobias Rieder in the slot and the import forward snapped a quick shot over the glove hand of Knights goalie Michael Houser. Ryan Murphy also assisted on Rieder's league-leading 11th goal of playoffs.

Each team fired eight shots on goal in the opening frame.

The Knights pulled even in the second period. With five minutes remaining in the frame, Max Domi jumped on a turnover inside the Rangers' blueline. The rookie forward fired the puck high blocker-side, just under the crossbar and over Kitchener netminder John Gibson. The unassisted goal was Domi's first of the playoffs.

But the Rangers responded just two minutes later. Rieder passed the puck to Murphy near the blueline and his hard shot was stopped by Houser, but the rebound bounced to Ben Thomson to the right of the London net. He fired it past the Knights keeper for his fourth of the spring. With the assist Rieder took the lead in OHL scoring with 25 points. Murphy's helper brought his postseason points total to 16, the most amongst league defensemen.

London out-shot the Rangers 15-7 in the middle frame.

Domi's second goal of the night evened the score with five minutes remaining in regulation. The freshman was waiting to the right of Gibson to lift Andreas Athanasiou's long shot over the goaltender. Austin Watson also assisted on the play.

With the score tied at 2-2, the game went into overtime. The Knights led shots on goal 24-7 in the third period and held a 47-22 overall advantage through regulation.

Less than two minutes into the extra frame the Knights jumped on an odd-man rush and Tyler Ferry fired a shot that bounced off the glove of Gibson and landed behind the goal line. The defenseman's first career playoff goal was assisted by team-scoring leader Seth Griffith and Vladislav Namestnikov.

The Knights take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Final series, which resumes on Sunday, April 22 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 19, 2012


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