MacKinnon Strong in Loss to Storm
Guelph, ON: The Kitchener Rangers’ Chris MacKinnon had four points with three goals and one assist, but couldn’t put a stop to the Guelph Storm. Kitchener dropped a 7-4 decision to Guelph.
The Rangers opened the scoring on the power play when Matt Tipoff converted a John Moore pass to put the Rangers up 1-0 at 4:39. The Storm quickly replied on a Michael Latta wraparound 25-seconds later to tie the game. The Rangers got an extended power play when Carter Sandlak from the Storm took a double minor for boarding. Kitchener struggled during the man advantage managing only two shots on net. The Storm took the lead on a nice three way passing play on a goal by Taylor Beck at the 16:50 mark of the first period. The Storm out shot the Rangers 17-9.
Kitchener tied the game on a Chris MacKinnon power play goal at 4:39 of the second. The Storm quickly increased their lead on two quick goals. Beck’s second of the game at 6:09 and J.P. Labardo at 6:54 put the Storm up 4-2. MacKinnon converted a nifty Jeremy Morin pass for his second of the game to close the gap to 4-3 at 16:30. The Storm held the shooting edge in the 2nd, 11-8.
Matt Sisca restored the Storm’s two goal lead on the power play with a deflection past Rangers goaltender Brandon Maxwell at 1:09. Taylor Beck put the Storm up 6-3 with his hat trick goal at 6:34 of the third. Rangers coach Steve Spott made a bold move in calling his time out and pulling Maxwell at 10:44 while the Rangers were about to go on a power play resulting in a 5-3 skater advantage, and the move paid off with MacKinnon knocking in his third goal for the hat trick, narrowing the Storm lead to 6-4 with 8:13 left in the third period.Tyler Carroll closed out the scoring for the Storm with a power play marker at 18:46.
The Storm out shot the Rangers 38-33.
The Rangers return to action tomorrow night at 6:00 pm at the Auditorium when the Sudbury Wolves make their only visit of the regular season.
Scoring
1. KIT Tipoff, (12) (Randell, MacKinnon), 4:39 (PP)
1. GUE Latta, (9) , 5:04
1. GUE Beck, (13) (Sisca, Holland), 16:50
2. KIT MacKinnon, (13) (Moore, Morin), 4:09 (PP)
2. GUE Beck, (14) (Holland, Lofquist), 6:09 (PP)
2. GUE Labardo, (3) (McNaughton, Latta), 6:54
2. KIT MacKinnon, (14) (Morin), 16:30
3. GUE Sisca, (8) (Lofquist, Holland), 1:09 (PP)
3. GUE Beck, (15) (Holland, Sisca), 6:34
3. KIT MacKinnon, (15) (Kelly, Murphy), 11:47 (PP)
3. GUE Carroll, (5) (McNaughton, Lofquist), 18:46 (PP)
Three Stars
1. GUE – 19 Taylor Beck
2. GUE – 13 Peter Holland
3. KIT – 27 Chris MacKinnon
