Preview: Rangers face Steelheads in Mississauga Sunday
Mississauga, Ont. – The Kitchener Rangers are on the road Sunday against the Mississauga Steelheads for their final game before the Christmas Break. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga. The Rangers are on a five-game winning-streak and have won six of their last seven contests heading into Sunday’s game.
Notable Links:
- Tickets: Buy Online | (905) 502-9100
- TV: None (2nd-of-3 on 68-game schedule)
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: CityNews 570 AM CKGL
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
Hamara & Mešár at World Juniors:
Two Kitchener Rangers are set to compete in the upcoming 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, to be held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Halifax, N.S. and Moncton, N.B. Tomáš Hamara (Czechia) and Filip Mešár (Slovakia) have been named to their respective National Junior Team rosters and will not be in the line up for Kitchener in the coming weeks. Rangers’ fans can watch the World Junior Hockey Championship on National TV in Canada on TSN and in the United States on the NHL Network. (Read More)
Head-to-head:
Kitchener comes in to play with a 6-4-0-0 record in their last 10 games. More impressively, Kitchener is on a five-game winning streak and have won six of their last seven games. Most recently, Kitchener routed the Soo Greyhounds 9-0 with nine different goal scorers Friday and did not play Saturday. During the recent winning streak, the Rangers are averaging 5.40 goals per game and is only allowing 1.20 goals against per game.
Mississauga enters play with a 3-7-0-0 record over their last 10 games and also did not play Saturday. Most recently, Mississauga earned a 4-3 road victory over the Sudbury Wolves on Friday.
Between these two teams, in the past 11 contests, the Blueshirts are 6-3-2-0 against the Steelheads. Mississauga won the last contest at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory on Jan. 26, 2020. Francesco Pinelli recorded two assists in the game as the only current Ranger to find the scoresheet and Ethan Del Mastro and James Hardie joined the scoresheet for the Steelheads.
Scouting the Rangers:
Four Kitchener players have current point streaks. Carson Rehkopf leads the way with 15 points (8G, 7A) in seven games and raised his power-play goal total to 10 in Friday’s game, keeping him third overall for man-advantage goals in the league.
Matthew Sop is riding a five-game point streak with eight points (2G, 6A). New Ranger Lleyton Moore is on a four-game point streak, one game with Kitchener and the previous three as a member of the Oshawa Generals. He has one goal and five assists on his current streak. Reid Valade now has a three-game point streak of his own with four goals and one assist.
Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) also joined Lleyton Moore recorded two points in his Ranger debut. He extended his OHL leading goal tally to 24 scoring on Friday night. With the Captain and new linemate Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) recording five points in Friday’s game, they are now both tied for the Ranger points lead with 36 points-a-piece.
Marco Costantini recorded a 22 save shutout as well on Friday to join himself with the league leaders with two shutouts on the season. Both Kitchener goaltenders Costantini and Marcus Vandenberg have been stellar as a tandem on this run with a team goal against average of 1.20 on this five-game win streak.
Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars), Tomáš Hamara (Ottawa Senators), Filip Mešár (Montréal Canadiens), Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) are five Kitchener skaters that are both drafted and signed by their NHL clubs respectively.
Scouting the Steelheads:
The Steelheads are without star defenceman and Chicago Blackhawk, Ethan Del Mastro, as he was selected to represent Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. Del Mastro was the leading points-scorer on the Steelheads roster this season with 21 points (2G, 19A) in 22 games before departing for World Juniors.
James Hardie enters play recording a hat-trick in his last game with Mississauga in a victory over Sudbury and added an assist to finish with four points on the night. Hardie has the ninth most points in the OHL this season with 38 points (21G, 17A) in just 30 games.
The Steelheads are now led in points this season by Montréal Canadiens draft pick Owen Beck. Beck was selected 33rd-overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in Montréal and has recorded 39 points (16G, 23A) in 26 games. His 1.50 points-per-game total is good for eighth best in the league. Beck is currently riding a four-game point-streak in which he has 10 points (1G, 9A) in just four games.
Owen Beck (Montréal Canadiens), Luca DelBelBelluz (Columbus Blue Jackets), Ethan Del Mastro (Chicago Blackhawks) and Kai Schwindt (Florida Panthers) are the four Mississauga Steelhead skaters drafted by their NHL clubs respectively.
Broadcast Coverage:
Sunday afternoon’s contest is one of only three games on the 68-game schedule this season that will not have live television coverage. The game will also be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. 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. For more information on Kitchener Rangers broadcast coverage, click here.
Next up:
The Rangers will head home for the holidays and will return to OHL action Dec. 28 on the road against the Owen Sound Attack. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Kitchener will play their first home game after the Holidays at The Aud on Dec. 30 against the Peterborough Petes. Great seats are still available to be purchased online here.
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]
