CHLTV GOTW preview: Rangers vs. Attack, Nov. 8, 2022
The matchup
Two OHL Midwest Division rivals collide in the CHLTV Game of the Week as the Kitchener Rangers (5-7-0) host the Owen Sound Attack (9-5-0).
Kitchener shut out Saginaw 1-0 Friday and are 5-2-0 over their last seven games. The Rangers are 4-3-0 at The Aud this season but find themselves in fourth place in the Midwest Division, in large part due to an 0-5-0 start to the season.
The Rangers, whose offence is led by Francesco Pinelli (LA), have only scored 43 goals this year, tied for the fifth fewest in the OHL, but their 45 goals against are the second fewest in the league despite a blue line that features first year players Hunter Brzustewicz and Tomas Hamara (OTT).
Tomas Hamara has officially opened his account for the @OHLRangers! 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/QLAC0OxJmN
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 1, 2022
Owen Sound has enjoyed a tremendous start to the year as they sit atop the Midwest Division as they look to extend their consecutive streak of playoff appearances to 10.
The Attack are 7-3-0 over their last 10 but were beaten 4-1 by London Saturday night. Their 40 goals against are the fewest in the OHL’s Western Conference with netminder Nick Chenard leading the league in save percentage among goaltenders who played at least five games although he has missed time recently due to injury.
A lot of eyes on the Attack are on Colby Barlow who was recently named as one of 11 CHL players with a ‘Grade A’ ranking from NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft.
First career #OHL hat trick for Colby Barlow on Friday as the @AttackOHL got back into the win column 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/Wpr9UiCV1A
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) October 15, 2022
Despite their solid start, Owen Sound ranks 20th in power play percentage at 14.8 but their penalty kill places them seventh at 83.6 per cent.
Who to watch
He’s only played five games, but Filip Mesar (MTL) has made an immediate impact for the Rangers. In his OHL debut Oct. 21, he had four points (1G, 3A) and the following night scored the overtime winner.
In five games, Mesar has four goals and eight points with half of his points coming on the power play. The Slovak was the ninth overall pick by the Rangers in the 2021 CHL Import Draft.
OT magic from Mesar 🪄@CanadiensMTL | @OHLRangers pic.twitter.com/Df1iYL3DV7
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 23, 2022
After an exceptional first season last year where he scored 30 goals and tallied 59 points, Cedrick Guindon (MTL) has enjoyed a great start to 2022-23 with five goals and 18 points in 14 games for the Attack.
In half of his games this year, the Rocland, Ont., native has had at least two points and had a season high three-point effort Oct. 30 in a 4-1 win against Kingston. His 13 assists and four power play assists are the most on the team while he has won 52.3 per cent of his faceoffs.
Picture perfect passing sets up the eventual game-winner for the @AttackOHL! 🎯@CanadiensMTL prospect Cedrick Guindon goes water bottle hunting on this wrister for the third straight win for the Bears 🐻 pic.twitter.com/CnHEPkHAD4
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) October 30, 2022
Stats leaders
Pinelli’s nine goals and 15 points leads all Kitchener skaters while first year d-man Hunter Brzustewicz has 13 assists in 12 games.
Mitchell Martin, Carson Rehkopf and Reid Valade all have registered double-digit points with Rehkopf’s four power goals a team high.
Between the pipes, Marco Costantini is 4-3-0 since he was acquired from Hamilton with a 2.88 GAA and .914 save percentage.
Guindon’s 18 points are tied for the team lead in Owen Sound alongside Deni Goure, whose nine goals are a team high.
Barlow has seven goals and 14 points in his sophomore OHL season, a year after he scored 30 as a rookie. Servac Petrovsky (MIN) has played at a point-per-game pace through 12 contests while Ethan Burroughs and Matthew Papais, who was acquired from Niagara Oct. 11, have each tallied double-digit points.
Chenard has a .921 save percentage but hasn’t played since Oct. 21 due to injury. Corbin Votary has started four of Owen Sound’s five games since.
Where to watch
Tuesday’s contest can be seen live for free on CHL TV at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.
