Sports stats



OHL Kitchener Rangers

Rangers Host Guelph in Annual Teddy Bear Toss Game Presented by Canadian Tire Jumpstart

December 5, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Kitchener, ON - The Kitchener Rangers are set to host their Highway Seven rivals the Guelph Storm for their annual Teddy Bear Toss game presented by Canadian Tire Jumpstart. Grab your Teddy Bears and get set for the 7 pm puck drop.

TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)

Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV

Radio: 570 AM CKGL

PROMOTIONS

It's the 28th Annual Kitchener Rangers Teddy Bear Toss and fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears to the game and, immediately following the Rangers' first goal, throw their bear onto the ice surface. Bears will be collected and turned over to local charitable organizations just in time for Christmas. The Kitchener Rangers are partnering with Canadian Tire's Jumpstart program, a national charity dedicated to providing children from financially disadvantaged families with the opportunity to experience the benefits of organized sport and physical activity.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This Season:

On November 25th, the Rangers fell short against the Storm 8-6 on the road. The Rangers had a 5-2 lead which Guelph rallied back and scored six unanswered goals to win the game. Nine Rangers contributed to the scoresheet highlighted by Simon Motew's three-point performance (1G, 2A), followed by Matthew Sop and Trent Swick who tallied a goal and assist in the game. In Guelph's comeback, 13 skaters registered a point. Braeden Bowman led the way with a hat trick and an assist against his hometown team to receive the game's first star. Jake Karabela (Washington Capitals) followed up with a solid performance as well scoring a goal and two assists.

Over the Years:

The two clubs have taken the ice against each other 18 times over the past two seasons with the Rangers owning a 10-7-1-0 record and when playing at home they hold a 7-2-0-0 record. This past season the Rangers went undefeated in all four games at The Aud against the Storm.

Team Statistics:

As we near the halfway mark of the season the Rangers have remained a top competitor in the league sitting first in the standings with a 20-7-1-0 record and an impressive 11-2-1-0 record on home ice. The Rangers goal differential has been exceptional this season as it is currently plus 57 with 140 goals for and 83 goals against.

Since playing the Rangers on November 25th the Storm has picked up six of eight points and moved their record to 16-9-0-1. The Storm is slightly below .500 when they play on the road with a 6-6-0-1 record so far this season. They are currently second behind the Rangers in the Midwest Division and fourth in the OHL with a goal differential of plus-13, and despite their differential not being nearly as high as the Rangers, they have allowed 13 fewer goals.

The Rangers' powerplay sits fourth in the league at 29% and when playing at home it rises to third converting at a 32.7% rate. Guelph's powerplay is ranked sixth in the league at 22.9%. Kitchener owns the best penalty kill in the league when playing on home ice at 89.1%. Although Guelph's penalty kill is also first in the league for away PK's at 92.5%.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS (20-7-1-0)

1st in the Western Conference, 1st in the OHL / 4th in the week 9 CHL Power Rankings

Last Time Out:

The Rangers made their second trip of the season to Sarnia on Sunday afternoon, securing a 6-3 victory. As they entered the third period, the Rangers held a 4-1 lead. However, Sarnia quickly grabbed two goals in under a minute, narrowing the gap to just one goal midway through the third period. Carson Rehkopf and Matthew Sop sealed the game, extending the Rangers' lead to three goals and securing the win.

Rangers to Watch:

Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) hit his 50-point marker of the season on Sunday in Sarnia through 28 games played. Last season Rehkopf had a 30-29-59 stat line in 68 games. This season Rehkopf is one goal shy of his OHL-high 30 goals in a season. The centreman is currently on four CHL leaderboards, first in insurance goals (6), second in goals (29), third in points (50), and fifth in game-winning goals (5). Rehkopf also leads the OHL in goals and points. Over the past two games, he has five points (3G, 2A).

Hunter Brzustewicz (Vancouver Canucks) continues to lead CHL defencemen in points with 40 assists, and six goals. Brzustewicz is currently on a three-game point streak with six assists in those He has only gone pointless in four of 28 games this season.

In the crease, Jackson Parsons is leading the league goaltenders in wins (14), shutouts (4), and goals-against average (2.50), and his save percentage is the second-best in the OHL at .918. Parsons is tied for third in CHL wins at 14 and is second in the CHL with four shutouts.

SCOUTING THE STORM (16-9-0-1)

4th in the Western Conference, 6th in the OHL / 4th in Week 10 of the OHL Power Rankings

Last Time Out:

The Guelph Storm hosted the Oshawa Generals on Sunday afternoon where they won 3-2. Jett Luchanko recorded two goals and one assist, Braeden Bowman got the game-winning goal, and Vilmer Alriksson and Gavin Grunder assisted on both Luchanko's goals. Goaltender Damian Slavik played in his sixth OHL game and recorded his third win. Slavik faced 29 shots and allowed two, to finish the game with a .931 save percentage.

Storm to Watch:

Kitchener native, Braeden Bowman leads the Storm's attackers with 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points. Bowman recorded his first career OHL hat trick against the Rangers this season to add to his total of 15 points (10G, 5A) versus Kitchener over the last three seasons.

Defencemen Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues) is leading the Storm's blueline with 23 points, six goals, and 17 assists. In the first meeting of the season against Kitchener, Buchinger recorded one goal and one assist. This past season Buchinger registered two goals and six assists against the Rangers.

Goaltender Brayden Gillespie has played 21 games for the Storm this season. Gillespie owns the league's third-best goals-against average (2.60) and save percentage (.913). Gillespie follows behind Parsons with 12 wins ranking second in the league. Gillespie started the last game against the Rangers but was replaced after the first period by Slavik. He faced 14 shots and allowed four against in those 20 minutes played.

RANGERS REACH

BONUS PRICING TONIGHT! Support our community while cheering on your Rangers! Rangers Reach 50/50 Raffles and a game-worn jersey raffle takes 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! Get more bang for your buck tonight while making a difference in our community!

5050 Tickets

Game worn Carson Rehkopf jersey raffle tickets

BROADCAST COVERAGE

Tuesday's contest vs the Guelph Storm 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 Rangers will kick off a three-in-three weekend against the Brantford Bulldogs for a 7 pm start at The Aud for a home and home with the Bulldogs, the only time the two teams will face each other this season. Grab your tickets to the action at The Aud Box Office sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online.

Check out the Kitchener Rangers Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board...

Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 5, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central