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OHL Kitchener Rangers

Kitchener Begins Home-And-Home Series against London Friday at the Aud

January 19, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Kitchener, ON - The Kitchener Rangers will host their greatest rival the London Knights on Friday. The Knights are only three points behind the Rangers in the OHL standings heading into the game. Puck drop is set for 7 pm at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)

Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV

Radio: 570 AM CKGL

BATTLE OF THE BRZUSTEWICZ BROTHERS

Being a Rangers fan or a Knights fan respectfully you have no issue knowing who to cheer for as the rivalry continues. However, the Brzustewicz family will have the tough decision for the second installment of the battle of the Brzustewicz's this weekend as our own Hunter Brzustewicz's younger brother Henry wears #2 for London on defence. Henry was acquired by the Knights from the Ottawa 67s on September 1st for a second-round pick in 2025, and second and third-round picks in 2027. Henry Brzustewicz has played in 35 games for London this season and has two goals and three assists.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This Season:

On November 5th, the Rangers journeyed to face the Knights in London, where they were victorious with a 4-2 win. Adrian Misaljevic and Trent Swick each contributed a goal, while Matthew Sop stood out with two goals and one assist, earning the game's first star. Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) and Filip Mešár (Montreal Canadiens) provided two assists each, securing the game's second and third stars. On the London side, Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks) and Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs) were the sole contributors of goals, with assists from Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) and Easton Cowan.

Over the Years:

As divisional rivals, the Rangers and Knights have clashed 35 times since the 2017-18 season. Over this period, Kitchener has an overall record of 11-23-1-0 against London and when playing in Kitchener, the Rangers' record is 4-12-1-0. The two clubs have been highly competitive as they have met twice in the playoffs over the last two years. The Rangers knocked out London in game seven of the first round of the 2022 playoffs. However, last season the Knights ended the Rangers season in the second round.

Team Statistics:

Kitchener

Overall Power Play: 4th at 25.7%

Home Power Play: 3rd at 27.2%

Overall Penalty Kill: 5th at 81.8%

Home Penalty Kill: 1st at 86.7%

Knights

Overall Power Play: 1st at 34%

Away Power Play: 1st at 43.5%

Overall Penalty Kill: 2nd at 84%

Away Penalty Kill: 7th at 82.8%

SCOUTING THE RANGERS (30-11-2-0)

1st in the Western Conference, 1st in the OHL / 4th in Week 15 of the CHL Power Rankings

Last Time Out:

The Rangers took to the ice in Guelph on Wednesday night against the Storm where they won 5-1, extending their win streak to four games. During this successful stretch, the Rangers have defeated North Bay, Erie, Ottawa, and now Guelph tallying a total of 18 goals while allowing only seven. 11 Rangers contributed to the scoresheet, highlighted by Trent Swick's two goals for the first star of the game, Simon Motew's one goal and one assist for the second star, and Matthew Sop's two assists which was good for the third star.

Rangers to Watch:

Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) has played a pivotal role for the Rangers this season, playing in 35 games tallying 37 goals and 27 assists for 64 points. Rehkopf has the most goals, sits third in points, second in power play goals (12), first in game-winning goals (7), and insurance goals (6) in the league. Rehkopf has 10 multi-goal games and 19 multi-point games. The centreman is on a four-game point streak with six goals and three assists in these games. Rehkopf has not scored a goal in two games however, he has yet to go longer than two games without a goal.

Hunter Brzustewicz (Vancouver Canucks) has leads the league in points (68) and assists (60), while he is tied for third-most power-play assists (17). The defenceman has a three-game point streak after Wednesday's game in Guelph, with six assists in these three games.

Matthew Sop heads into his 180th OHL career game with a 59-83-142 all-time stat line. The Kitchener veteran and sits in fifth for points (63) and fifth for assists (37), along with being tied for the third most game-winning goals (6) in the OHL. Over his last ten games, he has had 11 points (5G, 6A) going pointless in three of these games.

Between the Pipes:

Jackson Parsons stood tall in net against Guelph on Wednesday night, finishing the game with 19 shots and a .947 save percentage. Parsons has played in 30 games for the Rangers this season with an 18-9-1-0 record and a 2.88 goals-against average as well as a .901 save percentage. Parsons has his name all over the league leaderboards as he continues to hold the league's second-best goals-against average, he is tied for the third-most wins (18) and has the most shutouts (4).

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS (29-11-0-1)

3rd in the Western Conference, 5th in the OHL / 7th in Week 15 of the CHL Power Rankings

Last Time Out:

The London Knights are currently riding a 12-game win streak heading into Friday's matchup. Over these dozen games, London has notched an impressive 77 goals while only allowing 22 against. In their most recent game against the Owen Sound Attack last Sunday, the Knights concluded the weekend with a 10-0 victory. Max McCue (Drafted to the San Jose Sharks in 2021 but turned free agent), Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers), and Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) each contributed with two goals each. Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs), Kaleb Lawrence, Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks), and Evan Van Gorp each added one goal to the tally.

Knights to Watch:

Denver Barkey was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round, 95th overall in 2023. He sits atop the Knights leaderboards with the most points, goals, and assists. He is also fourth in the league for points with a 24-40-64 stat line. Barkey is currently on a four-game point streak with nine points (5G, 4A). He has only gone pointless in seven games this season and has had 17 multi-point nights in his 39 games played.

Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) is leading the Knights blueline with 12 goals and 32 assists for 44 points. Bonk has played in 33 games for the Knights so far this season. He also played in the World Juniors competing for Team Canada in Sweden this year with Carson Rehkopf, where he recorded three assists in his five games played. Bonk is currently on an eight-game point streak with seven goals and 13 assists over those games.

Sam O'Reilly leads the league's rookies with 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points in 41 games. O'Reilly is currently on a five-game point streak with four goals and four assists in these games.

Between the Pipes:

Michael Simpson is currently the top goaltender in the OHL with the best goals-against average at 2.58, the third-best save percentage at .908, the most wins at 22, and is in a tie for the fourth most shutouts with two. Simpson has suited up in the crease for nine of the 12 wins on their win streak. In his last appearance on Sunday against Owen Sound, Simpson saw 28 shots stopping all of them for a shutout.

RANGERS REACH

Support our community while cheering on your Rangers! Rangers Reach 50/50 and game-worn jersey Raffles take place at each Rangers home game and proceeds go to support our many community initiatives, including Scholarships, Community Impact Grants, in-kind donations, and more! Your 50/50 and jersey ticket purchases help to make a difference in our community! Tickets can be purchased online anywhere in Ontario at Rangers5050.com and rangersjerseys.com

BROADCAST COVERAGE

Friday's contest vs the London Knights will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20, and can be watched across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pak on channel 470 for cable subscribers. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. Additionally, fans can listen to Friday night's action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.

UP NEXT:

The Kitchener Rangers will close out their home-and-home series on Saturday against the Knights at The Budweiser Gardens. Puck drop is set for 4 pm. The Rangers then head up to the Soo to face the Greyhounds on Friday, January 26th followed by a game in Saginaw on the 27th. The Rangers return to The Aud on January 30th for some more Rangers and Knights action. You won't want to miss it! Grab your tickets at The Aud Box Office sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online.

Check out the Kitchener Rangers Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 19, 2024


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