OHL Kitchener Rangers

Series Flips to Kitchener Tuesday, Rangers Have 2-0 Lead over First-Seed Windsor

Published on April 3, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Kitchener, Ont. - The eighth-seed Kitchener Rangers return home to The Aud for games three and four now having a 2-0 series lead over the first-seed Windsor Spitfires. Kitchener was the lone underdog seed to record two wins on the road in the OHL Playoffs last week. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. both nights and great seats are still available here. Tim Hortons is the proud sponsor of the Kitchener Rangers first round playoff series.

Notable Links:

Tickets: Buy Online | (519) 578-1570

TV: Rogers TV, cable 20 (Kitchener)

TV: Cogeco TV, cable 11 (Windsor)

TV: Super Sports Pack, cable 468 (Ontario)

Video Stream: OHLLive.com | CHL App

Radio: CityNews 570 AM CKGL

Kitchener Rangers Playoff Tickets:

The Rangers will host Games 3 & 4 this Tuesday, Apr. 4 and Thursday, Apr. 6, both at 7 p.m. Rangers' playoff tickets are available now and on sale online here. Fans can also call either (519) 578-1570 or (800) 265-8977 or can purchase tickets in person at the Activa Box Office at The Aud (400 East Ave. Kitchener, ON N2H 1Z6) or at Centre In The Square (101 Queen St. N. Kitchener, ON N2H 6P7).

Head-to-Head:

The Rangers enter the series as the Western Conference's eighth seed and face the first seed Windsor Spitfires. However, since the OHL Trade Deadline on Jan. 10, the Rangers racked-up the second-most points in the OHL (40), just four fewer than the Spitfires. Additionally, the Rangers' record after making a coaching change on Feb. 10, was 12-5-4-0. Of note, Kitchener finished the season with an impressive 9-3-2-0 record in their last 14 games.

Last season, the Rangers, as a seventh-seed, upset the second-seed London Knights in the first round by earning a road victory in game seven to complete the 4-3 series victory. Kitchener then faced Windsor in the second round where the Spitfires ended up advancing after a 4-1 series lead.

In the past five seasons, Kitchener holds an 11-10-3-0 record overall over Windsor. The Rangers are 6-5-1-0 on home-ice at The Aud and are 5-5-2-0 on the road at the WFCU Centre. Kitchener finished this year with a 0-3-1-0 record against Windsor and were 0-1-1-0 at the WFCU Centre.

Scouting the Rangers:

Kitchener is arguably one of the most talented eighth seeds to enter the OHL Playoffs in recent memory. The Rangers have six NHL players on their roster that are both drafted and signed already by their respective NHL clubs.

The Rangers are led up front by two 90-point scorers in Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) and Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings). Arcuri finished the OHL Regular Season just two goals shy of becoming a 50-goal scorer, a special feat in the OHL. He finished with the 10th-most points in the league with 91 points (48G, 43A) in 71 games. Pinelli finished with the 12th-most points with 90 points (41G, 49A) in 60 games played.

On defence, Michigan-native Hunter Brzustewicz finished with the eighth-most points among all defenceman in his first campaign in the OHL. Brzustewicz, who is a top prospect eligible for the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, racked up 57 points (6G, 51A) in 68 games this year.

In net, the Rangers boast the defending OHL Playoffs Champion with veteran CHL Memorial Cup experience in Marco Costantini. Costanini was the starting goaltender for the Bulldogs last season, earning four-straight best-of-seven series victories in the playoffs. Costantini was in net when Hamilton topped Windsor in the OHL Championship last season before going on to play in all five Memorial Cup games for Hamilton, including the championship game. This year, he finished with the ninth-best goals against average (3.23) and the sixth-best save percentage (.900).

Scouting the Spitfires:

Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders) finished as the leading point-getter in the OHL, recording 111 points (54G, 57A) in 66 games this season. Highly touted forward Shane Wright, who went fourth-overall in the most recent 2022 NHL Draft to the Seattle Kraken, averaged 1.85 points per game, recording 37 points (15G, 22A) in just 20 OHL games this season. Wright played in the NHL-maximum eight games this year with Seattle and played in five AHL games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

On the blue line, Rodwin Dionicio leads the Spitfires, tallying 50 points (15G, 35A) in 50 games for the 12th-most by defenceman in the OHL this season. However, he is serving a two-game suspension and will not be eligible to play until game three.

Between-the-pipes, second-year goaltender Joey Costanzo holds the fifth-best goals against average (3.03) and the fifth-best save percentage (.901). Aditionally, Waterloo-native Mathias Onuska, who played in 22 playoff games a season ago, has a 4.44 GAA and a .868 SAV% this campaign.

Broadcast Coverage:

All Rangers playoff games will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20. In addition, the games can be watched across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pack, with Tuesday's game slated for channel 468 for cable subscribers.

The game will be streamed live online in a web browser at OHLLive.com, and on the CHL App for mobile devices, including smart TV's such as Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire.

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. Fans can tune in to the radio pregame show 30 minutes prior to puck drop and can be a part of the broadcast with extended postgame shows as Farwell takes phone calls from Rangers Nation after all home games at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Fans can call 519-570-2545 during the radio postgame shows to talk Rangers Hockey.

Next Up:

The Rangers continue their best-of-seven series against the Spitfires Saturday. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. The series will switch back to Kitchener for Games 3 & 4 on Tuesday, Apr. 4 and Thursday, Apr. 6, both at 7 p.m. Rangers' playoff tickets are available now and on sale.

Check out the Kitchener Rangers Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 3, 2023


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