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OHL Kitchener Rangers

Rangers Host Division Rival Knights in Midwest Battle

November 18, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Kitchener, ON - The Kitchener Rangers earned their second straight win on Sunday, defeating the Sarnia Sting 5-0 at Progressive Auto Sales Arena and solidifying their first-place position in the OHL standings. On Tuesday, their Midwest Division rivals, the London Knights, will visit Kitchener for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at The Aud.

TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)

Rogers Super Sports Pak Channel 466 (Ontario)

Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV

Radio: 570 AM CKGL

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HEAD-TO-HEAD

Over the Years:

The Kitchener/London rivalry gets renewed in the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, their first matchup of six meetings in the year. Over each of the coming months, the two will face off at least once. These two last met in the second round of the 2024 OHL playoffs where the Knights edged the Rangers out in a 4-0 series victory. In the 2023-24 regular season, Kitchener was 2-4-0-0 against London, winning one game at home and another on the road. Since 2019, the Rangers are 9-18-1-0 against the Knights, posting a 4-9-1-0 record on home ice over that stretch.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS (15-3-2-1)

First in the Western Conference, First in the OHL

The Kitchener Rangers took care of business on Sunday, earning a consensus 5-0 victory over the Sarnia Sting, pushing their win streak to two games for a weekend sweep. Though the opening period offered no score, Luke Ellinas (Ottawa Senators) would bury back-to-back goals in the latter half of the second period before Justin Bottineau would record his second goal tally of the season in the final minute of the frame - given the Rangers a 3-0 lead. In the third, sophomore forward Luca Romano scored his 13th of the season, tying him for the team lead in the category before Jack Pridham (Chicago Blackhawks) would find the back of the net for his first career OHL goal. Tanner Lam, Jack Pridham, Jakub Chromiak, Chris Grisolia, and Adrian Misaljevic each contributed at least one assist, while defenseman Andrew MacNiel notched his first OHL point with an assist as well. In the crease, goaltender Jackson Parsons stopped all 20 shots faced, tying him for a league-leading 12th win and second shutout of the season.

The Rangers capitalized on 1-of-6 opportunities on the man advantage against the Sting, now boasting a 24.2% success rate on the power play through 21 games. Taking three penalties on Sunday, the Blueshirts were flawless on the penalty kill, helping to bring their penalty-killing operation to 83.7%.

Rangers to Watch:

Luke Ellinas (Ottawa Senators) got the party started on the road against the Sting on Sunday, scoring two goals in the second period. The goals stood as the game-winner and an insurance goal for his 10th and 11th goal tallies of the year. On the season, Ellinas has scored 11 goals and three assists for 14 points in 21 games. Heading into Tuesday's showdown with London, Ellinas is on a two-game goal streak scoring three over that period. In six regular season matchups last season with the Knights, he recorded a goal and an assist.

Justin Bottineau found the back of the net for the second time this season in Sunday's game against the Sting, bringing his point total to six (2G, 4A) for the 2024-25 campaign. Last season, the junior forward was effective in the club's six matchups with the Knights, recording three assists. Off to a strong start in his third year, Bottineau is a player to watch on Tuesday.

Jackson Parsons has been scorching hot in the crease for the Rangers this season. In 16 games played, he has an impressive 12-3-1 record, 2.29 goals against average, and a .916 save percentage. All numbers across the board are reflective of a career year as he sits tied for first in the OHL in wins (12) and shutouts (2). Facing a tough opponent on Tuesday, winners of their last 11, Parsons is a player to watch when London comes to Kitchener.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS (15-4-0-0)

Second in the Western Conference, Second in the OHL

The London Knights come to Kitchener on an 11-game winning streak after their 4-0 win over the Rangers' Highway Seven rival, the Guelph Storm on Saturday. Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs) opened the scoring with his team-leading 13th goal before Noah Read finished his third goal of the season to extend the Knights lead to 2-0 after two periods. In the final 20 minutes, Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) and Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) would each add a goal a piece, cruising to a 4-0 victory on the road at the Sleeman Centre. Knights goaltender Austin Elliott, playing in his first season in the OHL, recorded his first shutout with the organization, turning aside all 27 shots he faced.

London went 1-for-4 on power play chances in the game, maintaining their top-seeded percentage with the man advantage to 31.7%. After taking three penalties, the Knights stopped all Storm opportunities, now operating their penalty kill at 83.1%. Following Tuesday's game against Kitchener, the Knights travel back to London to host the Owen Sound Attack on Friday.

Knights to Watch:

Heading into Tuesday's matchup, Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs) has recorded at least a point in 51 consecutive games drawing back to last season, the longest active unofficial streak in the CHL since 2000. The forward sits first on the team in goals (13) and second in points (21). In his previous three games, Cowan has four goals and an assist for a five-point total. Chasing the history of an unofficial OHL-record 55-game point streak, Cowan is a player to be on the lookout for in Kitchener.

Sam Dickinson's (San Jose Sharks) 30 points rank first on the Knights and eighth in the OHL (second most as a defenceman). He leads London in assists (19) and is second on the team in goals (11). The junior is coming off a standout year in which he registered 18 goals, 52 assists, and 70 points in the regular season before being drafted 11th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Over his last three appearances, he's recorded eight assists and is a player to watch on Tuesday.

Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) has recorded the second most assists (15) on the Knights and has been on a heater offensively as of late. In a 5-3 win over the Sarnia Sting on Friday, Barkey earned the first star of the night after posting four assists before following that performance up with a two-point night (1G, 1A) in a 4-0 victory over Guelph on Saturday. With a recent flair on offence, he'll be a player to watch against the Rangers.

Drafted Knights:

The Knights have 12 players who have been drafted to the NHL, one who was taken in the 2022 draft, six who were selected in the 2023 draft, and five who were picked in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Landon Sim (St. Louis Blues) was taken in 2022. Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs), Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks), Jacob Julien (Winnipeg Jets), Jesse Nurmi (New York Islanders), Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers), and Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) were selected in the 2023 draft. Sam O'Reilly (Edmonton Oilers), Blake Montgomery (Ottawa Senators), William Nicholl (Edmonton Oilers), Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks), and Jared Woolley (Los Angeles Kings) were picked in the 2024 draft.

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 rangersjersey.com.

BROADCAST COVERAGE

Tuesday's game 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 466 for cable subscribers. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. Additionally, fans can listen to Tuesday's action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.

UP NEXT:

After facing the Knights on Tuesday, the Blueshirts will remain in Kitchener to host the Windsor Spitfires on Friday, November 22nd before the club will travel to Erie on Saturday, November 23rd to wrap up the weekend. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. against the Knights at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

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