Recap: Rangers earn third-straight victory, beat Erie 4-1 Friday
Kitchener, Ont. – Four different Rangers scored goals and Marcus Vandenberg was 2:47 away from his first career OHL shutout before Erie found twine, but the Rangers posted their third-consecutive victory and have now picked up points in eight of their last 10 games after earning a 4-1 victory in front of 7,036 fans at The Aud Friday. Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) and Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg Jets) both extended their goal-streaks to four games in the win.
Kitchener wasted no time getting themselves on the board as they capitalized on their first shot on goal, just over a minute into the game. Kitchener-native Matthew Sop parked himself at the back post and made himself a target for Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) to find him for the backdoor tap-in.
Kitchener doubled down on their lead with Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg Jets) circling around the net and finding Reid Valade in the slot to one-time home his 28th of the season. The Rangers weren’t done there as they capped off a three-goal first period just 47 seconds later, this time with Zhilkin getting the goal. Simon Motew set him up for a slapshot from the point that he blasted into the top left corner.
Kitchener led the Otters 3-0 after 20 minutes of play and held a 12-7 advantage in the shot totals.
The Rangers scored the lone goal in the middle frame. It was Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) scoring on the power-play with a wrist shot that beat Kyle Downey through the glove arm at the midway mark of the period. The Rangers killed off 30 seconds of a 5-on-3 power-play from the Otters at the end of the period to keep Erie off the board.
Through 40 minutes of play, Kitchener held a 4-0 lead and shots favoured the Rangers 18-12.
Erie got their goal late on the power-play in the third period to snap the shutout for Marcus Vandenberg and make it a 4-1 game. Liam Gilmartin fired a shot that deflected off a Rangers’ defender’s stick and past Vandenberg. Final shots in the game ended 34-24 in favour of the Rangers.
Kitchener finished the game 1-for-2 on the power-play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. Marcus Vandenberg earned the game’s third star stopping 23 of the 24 shots he saw, Francesco Pinelli got the game’s second star with two assists, and Danny Zhilkin was the game’s first star with one goal and one assist.
Next Up: The East Avenue Blue are on the road Saturday in Owen Sound. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. The game will be televised live on Rogers TV, cable channel 20, and will also be broadcast on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.
Photo Credit: Tiffany Luke / Kitchener Rangers
For inquiries, contact:
Dominic Hennig
Senior Director, Broadcasting, Communications & Hockey Operations
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
519-497-9342
[email protected]
