OHL Kitchener Rangers

Preview: Rangers Host Soo for Final Home Game Before Break Friday

Published on December 15, 2022 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Kitchener, Ont. - The Rangers are set to play their final home game before the Christmas Break Friday when the Blueshirts host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. at The Aud.

Notable Links:

Tickets: Buy Online | (519) 578-1570

TV: Rogers TV cable 20 (Kitchener)

TV: Super Sports Pack cable 471 (Ontario)

Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV

Radio: CityNews 570 AM CKGL

Live Stats

Live Tweets

Game Video Preview (Coming Soon)

Media Notes Packet (Coming Soon)

Lines (Coming Soon)

Digital East Avenue Blue Magazine (Coming Soon)

Promotions:

This Friday's game, the Rangers are celebrating the Holiday's and getting into the Christmas spirit. It's the Rangers' last home game before the Holiday Break and what better way to jumpstart the holiday season then a Friday night at The Aud? Wear your best "ugly" Christmas or Holiday sweater and head down to The Aud to celebrate the season! Additionally, there will be Christmas music played throughout the game with holiday themed video board elements and video features.

Ticket Information:

Tickets to Rangers' home games are $21 for children and $25 for adults and can be purchased online now. Additionally, fans can purchase tickets via the phone by calling the Centre In The Square Box Office at (519) 578-1570. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Activa Box Office at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium at 400 East Ave. Kitchener, ON N2H 1Z6 or at the Centre In The Square Box Office at 101 Queen St N, Kitchener, ON N2H 6P7.

Hamara & Mesar at World Juniors:

Two Kitchener Rangers are set to compete in the upcoming 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, to be held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Halifax, N.S. and Moncton, N.B. Tomáš Hamara (Czechia) and Filip Mešár (Slovakia) have been named to their respective National Junior Team rosters and will not be in the line up Friday. (Read More)

Rangers make two acquisitions this week:

After acquiring 2022 OHL Champion Goaltender Marco Costantini on Oct. 13, Rangers' General Manager Mike McKenzie traded for Oshawa Generals' captain and overage defenceman Lleyton Moore on Tuesday. Yesterday, the Rangers then acquired OHL leading goal scorer and forward Francesco Arcuri from the Kingston Frontenacs.

Head-to-head:

Dating back to the 2016-17 season, Kitchener has a 5-14-2-0 record over 21 games against the Greyhounds. In 10 games at The Aud, Kitchener has a 2-6-2-0 record.

Kitchener is playing some of their best hockey this season winning four games in a row and five of their last six games. The Rangers own a 6-4-0-0 record over their last 10 games. In this same time, the Greyhounds have a 5-3-0-2 record over their last 10 games and most recently defeated Owen Sound on the road by a score of 4-3.

On the road this season, Sault Ste. Marie is 6-8-2-0 in 16 away games. At home, Kitchener is now two games above 0.500 with a 9-7-0-0 record at The Aud.

The last meeting between these two clubs was held back on Dec. 17th, 2021. The Greyhounds came away with a 4-3 victory in overtime. Ty Hollett, Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Reid Valade were all on the scoresheet that night.

Scouting the Rangers:

New acquisitions Lleyton Moore and Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) are both expected to make their debut's in the Kitchener lineup Friday night. Moore has recorded 24 points in 27 games for Oshawa, now making him the highest scoring defenceman on the Kitchener Rangers roster. Arcuri joins Kitchener tied for the league-lead in goals with 23 and has 34 points in 29 games so far this season. He now owns the points lead on the Rangers roster, three ahead of captain Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings).

Two other Ranger's skaters hold point streaks entering play on Friday night. Carson Rehkopf improved his impressive run last Friday extending his streak to six games with seven goals and three assists. Rehkopf is tied for third in power-play goals this season with nine and trails new teammate Francesco Arcuri in second with 10. Kitchener-native Matthew Sop is on a four-game point streak of his own. Sop has six points (1G, 5A) on his current run of form.

Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars), Tomáš Hamara (Ottawa Senators), Filip Mešár (Montréal Canadiens), Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) are five Kitchener skaters that are both drafted, and signed, by their NHL clubs respectively.

Scouting the Greyhounds:

The Greyhounds were also busy via the trade market this week acquiring Brenden Sirizotti from the Niagara IceDogs. Kitchener saw Sirizotti last Friday night in their last game where he recorded one assist. He joins the Greyhounds totaling 21 points (7G, 14A) in 23 games for Niagara this season.

Bryce McConnell-Barker (New York Rangers) leads the way this season for the Greyhounds with 32 points (16G, 16A) this season. He is building on his rookie season in which he recorded 49 points (23G, 26A) in 68 games a season ago.

Goaltender Charlie Schenkel owns the league's seventh best save percentage at 0.912 and the third best goals against average amongst goalies who have played 10 or more games this season. Schenkel is also tied for the league-lead with two shutouts this season.

Kirill Kudryavtsev (Vancouver Canucks) and Bryce McConnell-Barker (New York Ranger) are the two Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds draft by their NHL clubs respectively.

Broadcast Coverage:

Friday night's contest 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 Pack on channel 471 for cable subscribers. Jason Hagholm (play-by-play), Dan Polischuk (colour commentary) and Sean Furfaro (host) will call the game on television. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. Additionally, fans can listen to the game on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL. Mike Farwell (play-by-play) and Chris Pope (colour commentary) will call the game on the radio. For more information on Kitchener Rangers broadcast coverage, click here.

Next Up:

The Rangers will play their final game before the Christmas Break on the road this Sunday against the Steelheads in Mississauga at 2 p.m. The East Avenue Blue will host the Peterborough Petes in their next home game at The Aud on Friday, December 30th.

Check out the Kitchener Rangers Statistics

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