Preview: Blueshirts hit the road for Saturday tilt in Owen Sound
Owen Sound, Ont. – The Rangers roll into Owen Sound Saturday night winners of three-straight and have earned points in eight of their last 10 games. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. for a sold out contest at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre (capacity 3,500).
Notable Links:
- TV: Rogers TV, cable 20 (Kitchener)
- TV: Super Sports Pack, cable 471 (Ontario)
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: CityNews 570 AM CKGL
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
Head-to-Head:
This is the sixth matchup between these two clubs this season. Although Kitchener has only one win, they have picked up at least one point in three-of-the-five games going 1-2-2-0. However, over the past five seasons, Kitchener is 21-13-4-1 against the Attack and 9-7-2-1 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
The East Avenue Blue are coming off a victory on Friday night against the Erie Otters in which they won by a score of 4-1. The Rangers have won three-straight games and are now 6-2-2-0 in their last 10. With Flint also winning Friday, the Rangers remain three points out of the seventh seed, but have two games in hand.
Owen Sound also played Friday night earning a 5-2 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Attack have also won three-straight but are 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games. The Attack sit in sixth place in the Western Conference on 63 points, just two points out of the fourth seed with multiple games in hand.
Scouting the Rangers:
Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) has been red hot for the Rangers with seven points (5G 2A) on a four-game goal streak. The star forward added another power-play goal Friday night to give him 17 on the season, which is good for third most in the OHL, and a total of 42 goals which is also good for third.
Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) recorded another two assists Friday to extend his streak to four-straight as well. Pinelli has seven points (2G 5A) in that span. Pinelli has the sixth most points this season in the OHL with 78 points (35G 43A) in 50 games.
Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg Jets) is on a four-game goal streak, earning six points in that time. He has 49 points (26G, 23A) in 51 games this year.
Hunter Brzustewicz leads the Rangers blueline in points this season with 48 points (5G 43A) in 57 games, adding two assists Friday night. Brzustewicz has the fifth-highest assist total in the OHL for a defenceman this season with 43 with 20 of those assists coming on the power-play.
Between-the-pipes, Marco Costantini holds the OHL’s ninth-best goals against average (GAA) with a 3.35 GAA and the seventh-best save percentage (.895) in 39 games this season. After playing 57 minutes of perfect hockey last night, Marcus Vandenberg now holds a 3.36 GAA and a .898 SAV% in 20 games with the Rangers.
Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars), Tomáš Hamara (Ottawa Senators), Filip Mešár (Montréal Canadiens), Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings), Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Danny Zhilkin are six Kitchener skaters that are both drafted, and signed, by their NHL clubs respectively.
Scouting the Attack:
The points leader on the Attack roster is 2023 draft eligible forward, Colby Barlow. Barlow has an A-Rating by NHL Central Scouting, indicating a first round candidate. Barlow has 73 points (43G 30A) in 53 games this season and is tied for the second most goals scored in the league with 43. He has scored five goals in his last three games, one of them being the overtime winner against Kitchener last week.
Sam Sedley leads the Attack blueline this season with 47 points (5G 42A) in 54 games this season. Sedley ranks eighth in points by a defenceman this campaign. He has one goal and two assists in five games against Kitchener this year. Sedley has points in three-straight with four assists.
Matthew Papais and Cedrick Guindon (Montréal Canadiens) both come into play on three-game active point streaks. Papais has one goal and three assists, while Guindon has three assists.
Nick Chenard and Corbin Votary have carried most of the load for the Attack in goal this season. However, Owen Sound has ran the tandem of Nick Chenard and Carter George over the past few games. George got the start in the last game making 48 stops on 50 shots he faced and earned the game’s first star.
Cedrick Guindon (Montréal Canadiens), Kaleb Lawrence (Los Angeles Kings), and Servac Petrovsky (Minnesota Wild) are three Owen Sound skaters drafted by their NHL clubs respectively.
Broadcast Coverage:
Saturday night’s contest will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20. In addition, the contest can be watched across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pack on channel 471 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 including 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. For more information on Kitchener Rangers broadcast coverage, click here.
Next Up:
The Highway-7 rivalry with Guelph resumes for the final time this season at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday is the Rangers’ International Women’s Day Game. The game will celebrate the amazing women who continue to change our sport for the better. Great seats are available 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]
