PATERSON AND RANGERS SHUT OUT BULLS
Jake Paterson made 29 saves in his Kitchener Rangers debut, lifting the team to a 5-0 shutout victory over the Belleville Bulls. Darby Llewellyn scored a pair for the Rangers, while rookies Connor Bunnaman, Gustaf Franzen and Adam Mascherin also netted goals in the win.
Rookie Connor Bunnaman put the Rangers on the board early, notching his fifth of the season at the 4:30 mark of the opening frame. Bulls netminder Charlie Graham made the initial save, but the freshman was at the crease to collect the rebound and tuck it behind the goalie’s right skate. Arizona Coyotes prospect Ryan MacInnis picked up the lone assist on the play, his fourth point in three career meetings with Belleville.
Gustaf Franzen added a power play maker near the midway point to push Kitchener’s lead to two goals. The Swedish import picked up a pass from Adam Mascherin at the side of the net and leaned into a shot, chipping the puck past Graham for his 11th of the year. The draft-eligible forward has points in five of his last six outings. Overage rearguard Max Iafrate also picked up a helper on the play.
Darby Llewellyn lifted the Rangers to a 3-0 lead with less than three minutes remaining before the intermission. With Kitchener on the penalty kill down two players, Llewellyn intercepted the puck near centre ice and took off, patiently waiting for an opening and sliding a shot under Graham’s pads. The unassisted, short-handed goal was the Ann Arbor, MI native’s eighth of the year.
The Rangers led shots on goal 15-9 in the first period.
Llewellyn added his second of the night in the middle frame, collecting a pass from Mason Kohn in the slot and snapping it past Graham. The third-year winger has recorded five goals in his last three games against the Bulls, and is riding a four-game point streak. Nick Magyar earned the second assist on the goal at 11:31.
Mascherin added a goal for Kitchener in the final second of the period, putting his team ahead 5-0. Brandon Robinson’s shot slid through the blue paint, but the Rangers’ 2014 first rounder was waiting on the other side, banking a shot off Graham’s skate and into the net. Dmitrii Sergeev picked up a helper on Mascherin’s eighth of the season.
Kitchener out-shot Belleville 25-9 in the second period. The Bulls elected to make a goaltending change during the intermission, sending Connor Hicks to the crease in relief of Graham.
The teams skated through a scoreless period, with the Rangers outshooting the Bulls 16-11. Newly acquired goaltender Jake Paterson made 29 saves to pick up a shutout in his Rangers debut, and was named the contest’s first star.
Scoring
1. KIT C. Bunnaman, (5) (R. MacInnis), 4:30
1. KIT G. Franzen, (11) (A. Mascherin, M. Iafrate), 11:24 (PP)
1. KIT D. Llewellyn. (8) (unassisted), 17:07 (SH)
2. KIT D. Llewellyn, (9) (M. Kohn, N. Magyar), 11:31
2. KIT A. Mascherin, (8) (B. Robinson, D. Sergeev), 19:59
Attendance: 7130
Three Stars
1. KIT – 57 Jake Paterson
2. KIT – 27 Darby Llewellyn
3. KIT – 23 Adam Mascherin
The next Rangers home game is Friday, January 16 when we host the Oshawa Generals at 7:30pm. Tickets to all Kitchener Rangers home games are now available by phone at 519-578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977, via the internet at www.centre-square.com or in person at the Centre In the Square Box Office or the Kitchener Auditorium Box Office.
