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OHL Kitchener Rangers

Joey G Notches Four-Point Night as Rangers Even Series vs. Greyhounds

April 26, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


The Kitchener Rangers stormed out of the gate with four first period goals and never looked back, skating to a 7-4 win over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in front of 6,486 fans at The Aud in Game 4 on Wednesday night.

The best-of-seven series is now tied, 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for Friday, April 27 at 7:07pm at the Essar Centre.

Tickets to Game 6 in Kitchener are on sale Thursday, April 26 at 10am. Tickets can be purchased online, in person or by calling Centre in the Square (519) 578-1570 -or- 1-800-265-8977, or at the Activa Box Office at The Aud during regular business hours.

More details regarding purchase options are listed below.

Soo starter Matthew Villalta didn't escape the first period, as the fourth Rangers goal chased the netminder from the crease after managing just 11 saves on 15 shots in 16:51 of action.

The Rangers would jump out to a 6-0 lead with less than two minutes to play in the second period before the Greyhounds got on the board. It was the first time that Rangers goaltender Mario Culina was beaten since the 7:50 mark of the third period in Game 2.

Tonight, Culina was called upon more frequently as the game went on, making a total of 30 saves on 34 shots.

Joseph Garreffa etched his name onto the scoresheet in a big way, picking up four assists in the win. Givani Smith notched a pair of goals while Adam Mascherin, Kole Sherwood and Logan Brown each registered a goal and an assist. Greg Meireles and Rickard Hugg were the other goal scorers for the Rangers, who have now scored the first goal in each of the first four games of this series.

It was a power play goal by Logan Brown that opened this game's scoring at 4:19 of the first period, assisted by Joseph Garreffa and Logan Stanley. Just 38 seconds later it was 2-0 Rangers as Greg Meireles notched his third of the playoffs, from Nick McHugh and Michael Vukojevic, at 4:57.

The Rangers kept rolling as Adam Mascherin wired a blast into a wide-open cage to give the home side a 3-0 lead, from Brown and Kole Sherwood at 11:28, then the Blueshirts chased Villalta with their fourth goal of the frame, a Givani Smith marker from Garreffa, at 16:51 to close out the authoritative first period.

Kitchener dominated the shot clock as well in that opening frame, outshooting the Hounds, 16-6.

The Blueshirts kept it coming in the second period as Sherwood added to his team lead in playoff goals, potting his 12th to put the Rangers up 5-0, from Stanley, at 13:30.

Smith's second of the night came by way of the power play with just 1:46 to play in the second period, giving the Rangers a 6-0 lead from Garreffa and Mascherin.

The Greyhounds managed to get on the board with just seven seconds remaining in the middle stanza as the puck deflected off of Taylor Raddysh's foot and behind Culina to make it 6-1, from Boris Katchouk and Barrett Hayton on the power play.

Shots on goal through 40 minutes of play remained slightly in the Rangers favour, 23-22.

Tim Gettinger scored just over two minutes into the third period for the Greyhounds to cut the Kitchener lead to 6-2, unassisted, before Rickard Hugg responded with his second of the playoffs just over three minutes later, from Garreffa and Connor Bunnaman, to make it 7-2 at 5:14.

Keeghan Howdeshell would add a pair of goals before the game was finished - one at 8:07 and another, shorthanded, at 18:12 - but it was as close as the Greyhounds would come to closing the gap as the Rangers skated to the 7-4 win.

The Rangers were 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Greyhounds were 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

Tim Gettinger (SSM) (3), Givani Smith (KIT) (2), and Joseph Garreffa (KIT) (1) were selected as the Three Stars of the Game.

Logan Stanley, Adam Mascherin, and Logan Brown each wore an "A" and skated as alternates to Rangers' captain Connor Bunnaman.

Tickets to all Kitchener Rangers home playoff games for Round 3 are $28.00 each for adults, $24.00 for children 12 and under including HST. Tickets to Game 6 are available in person at the Activa Box Office at The Aud, in person or by calling Centre in the Square (519) 578-1570 -or- 1-800-265-8977, or by purchasing online.

Join in the conversation on all things Rangers by using #RaiseTheShield and #OHLPlayoffs. You can follow the Rangers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @OHLRangers.

Western Conference Final

(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs. (2) Kitchener Rangers

Series tied 2-2

Game 1 - Friday, April 20: Kitchener Rangers 2 at Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 3

Game 2 - Saturday, April 21: Kitchener Rangers 2 at Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4

Game 3 - Monday, April 23: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 0 at Kitchener Rangers 3

Game 4 - Wednesday, April 25: Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds 4 at Kitchener Rangers 7

Game 5 - Friday, April 27: Kitchener Rangers at Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds - 7:07pm

Game 6 - Sunday, April 29: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at Kitchener Rangers - 2pm

*Game 7 - Monday, April 30: Kitchener Rangers at Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds - 7:07pm

*If necessary

Western Conference Semi-Final

(2) Kitchener Rangers vs. (3) Sarnia Sting

Kitchener leads series 3-2

Game 1 - Friday, April 6: Sarnia Sting 2 at Kitchener Rangers 4

Game 2 - Sunday, April 8: Sarnia Sting 3 at Kitchener Rangers 2 OT

Game 3 - Tuesday, April 10: Kitchener Rangers 1 at Sarnia Sting 4

Game 4 - Thursday, April 12: Kitchener Rangers 5 at Sarnia Sting 3

Game 5 - Friday, April 13: Sarnia Sting 2 at Kitchener Rangers 3 OT

Game 6 - Sunday, April 15: Kitchener Rangers 6 at Sarnia Sting 2

Western Conference Quarter-Final

(2) Kitchener Rangers vs. (7) Guelph Storm

Kitchener wins series 4-2

Game 1 - Friday, March 23: Guelph Storm 2 at Kitchener Rangers 7

Game 2 - Sunday, March 25: Guelph Storm 1 at Kitchener Rangers 2

Game 3 - Tuesday, March 27: Kitchener Rangers 5 at Guelph Storm 7

Game 4 - Wednesday, March 28: Kitchener Rangers 4 at Guelph Storm 6

Game 5 - Friday, March 30: Guelph Storm 2 at Kitchener Rangers 10

Game 6 - Sunday, April 1: Kitchener Rangers 5 at Guelph Storm 2

Check out the Kitchener Rangers Statistics

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