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OHL Kitchener Rangers

Rangers Travel to Brantford for Second Half of Home-And-Home with Bulldogs

December 9, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Brantford, ON - The Kitchener Rangers venture to the Brantford Civic Centre for the only time this season against the out-of-conference Brantford Bulldogs. The Rangers pulled off a miraculous comeback victory last night in a 6-5 overtime win at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, led by the team's four-goal third period. Saturday's matchup will be the final time the two teams meet in the regular season, in the second half of a back-to-back. The puck drop is set for 7:00pm.

TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)

Video Stream: ‚ OHL Live on CHL TV

Radio: 570 AM CKGL

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Over the Years:

After Friday's battle, Kitchener improved their overall record to 7-4-0-0 against the Bulldogs since the 2016-17 season and are 1-2-0-0 when playing them on the road. However, overall this season the Rangers are 9-5-0-0 on the road.

Team Statistics:

The Rangers currently have three of the top five point producers in the OHL; Carson Rehkopf (55), Hunter Brzustewicz (50), and Matthew Sop (49). The team has collectively scored the most goals across the OHL in 30 games (151) and has shown no signs of slowing down averaging 5.03 goals a game. On top of their 9-5-0-0 road record, the Rangers hold an impressive 30.0% overall power-play percentage (4th), with an even 25% power-play conversion percentage in away games this season (7th). Defensively, the Rangers hold themselves to an 83.6% overall penalty kill percentage (4th) with a penalty kill success rate of 77% (14th) on the road this year.

On the other end, the Bulldogs' power play is ranked 19th out of 20 teams at just 12% with this number increasing to 13.3% (17th) on home-ice. Being a man down, the Bulldogs have a 77.7% penalty kill percentage overall (14th) while holding a 78.4% penalty kill rate (11th) at the Brantford Civic Centre this season.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS (22-7-1-0)

1st in the Western Conference, 1st in the OHL/ 3rd in Week 10 of the CHL Power Rankings

Last Time Out:

Last night the Rangers pulled off an unthinkable comeback against the Bulldogs as they scored five unanswered goals ‚ after trailing 5-1 heading into the third period, winning by a score of 6-5 in overtime. Through the third period heroics from Trent Swick, who scored two goals in the final frame and added a primary assist on the overtime winner, the Rangers forward laid the groundwork for the late-game surge earning first-star royalty. Leading OHL blueliners in points, Hunter Brzustewicz scored his 7th goal of the season, surpassing his season high from last year in just 29 games. Mešár added a goal and an assist to the scoresheet winning the rights to the second star, and Carson Rehkopf added his 31st goal of the season along with 3 assists, beating out his season high in goals from last season (30), as well as increasing his point streak to four games (5G, 5A).

Rangers to Watch:

After a challenging performance Friday that saw a goalie change for just the third time this season, Rangers netminder Tristan Malboeuf had the opportunity to step in and play against his former team. In relief of Jackson Parsons last night, Malboeuf stopped all seven shots he faced. Malboeuf has been solid as the last line of defense for the Rangers this season posting a 7-2-0 record in the crease with a 3.40 goals-against average.

Carson Rehkopf is currently on a more than a goal-per-game pace, leading the OHL in points (55), and riding a four-game point streak (5G, 5A), he will be an x-factor Saturday before he heads to Team Canada's National Junior Team Selection Camp in Oakville, ON.

Trent Swick has been producing at a better-than-point-per-game pace (31 points in 30 games) this season on the Rangers' top line and quietly has had six points in his last four games.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS (13-9-5-1)

5th in the Eastern Conference, 10th in the OHL/ 14th in Week 10 of the OHL Power Rankings

Last Time Out:

Still earning a point but dropping to 13-9-5-1 on the season, the Bulldogs could not hold off the Rangers' late-game efforts that resulted in a 5-1 third-period blown lead on Friday night. The Bulldogs are in search of their 5th of 6 total points on SSaturdayim the last game of a three-in-three weekend. The Bulldogs started their three in three on Thursday in Peterborough where they picked up a 4-2 victory.

Bulldogs to Watch:

Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators) found the back of the net on Friday with a highlight-reel goal and earned third star of the game honours. Donovan was recently selected to attend Team Canada's National Junior Team Selection Camp, showcasing Friday his two-way abilities as an offensive defenceman. Donovan is currently the fourth-leading scorer for the Bulldogs this season (21).

Florian Xhekaj (Montreal Canadiens) has been an offensive source for the Bulldogs this season as he's totalled 21 points in 26 games (11G, 10A), tacking on another assist against the Rangers on Friday. Playing in his sophomore season, Xhekaj has taken a step within his game, nearly beating out his point total in the 2022-23 season (25). Xhekaj was selected 101st overall in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadians.

Matteo Drobac has been solid between the pipes for Brantford this season. On Thursday night he posted a 4-2 victory over the Peterborough Petes stopping 34 of 36 shots that he faced. On the season, the poised netminder has 10 wins, 1 shutout, with a 3.34 goals-against average and 0.894 save percentage.

BROADCAST COVERAGE

Saturday's match vs the Brantford Bulldogs 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 Saturday night's action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.

UP NEXT

The Rangers have a quick turnaround on Sunday when the team travels to Guelph to take on the Storm at 4 pm for their final game of a three-in-three weekend. With a five-day gap in between, the Rangers will take on the OHL's second-place team the Soo Greyhounds on Friday, December 15th at 7 pm as their last game at home before the holiday break. Grab your tickets to the action at The Aud Box Office sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2023


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