Rangers Halted by Wolves 5-3
The Kitchener Rangers fell 5-3 to the Sudbury Wolves as exhibition play continued on Friday night. Brandon Lesway scored his second of the preseason for the Rangers, and was joined on the score sheet by Curtis Meighan and Josh Sterk.
The Wolves jumped to an early 1-0 lead when sophomore forward Nathan Pancel pounced on a rebound and banked it past Rangers netminder John Gibson. His goal came three minutes into the game and was assisted by Jake Ryan and overage forward Michael Kantor.
Kantor and Ryan connected again near the midway point of the opening period to put Sudbury ahead 2-0. Ryan was on the receiving end of a centering pass from Kantor and fired it into the back of the net. Veteran rearguard Frank Corrado was credited with the secondary assist.
The Wolves extended their lead to 3-0 before the first intermission. Newcomer Ray Huether collected the puck near the crease and lifted it over Gibson, with assists from Chad Thibodeau and Conor Cummins.
The Wolves led shots on goal 9-8 through 20 minutes.
Kitchener got on the board 7:20 in the second. Curtis Meighan beat Wolves starter Joel Vienneau, recording his first of exhibition play. The goal was assisted by Rangers newcomer Justin Bailey
Brandon Lesway’s second of the preseason would pull the Rangers within one goal before the end of the second period. With less than a minute to play in the frame and Kitchener on the penalty kill, the second-year winger was sprung on a breakaway by new addition Domenic Alberga and snapped a shot past Vienneau to cut the Wolves lead to 3-2.
Sudbury continued to lead shots on goal through 40 minutes, with an 11-4 advantage in the middle frame.
Less than six minutes into the final period, the Wolves reestablished their two-goal lead. From his post in front of the net, Jacob Harris batted down the puck from mid-air, past Gibson. Corrado picked up his second assist of the night on the play. Zach McFadden also recorded a helper on the goal.
Harris picked up a second point on the night, collecting an assist after Justin Sefton received his pass at the point and fired a quick shot by Gibson to give the Wolves a 5-2 lead. Huether also recored his second point of the night with a helper on the play.
The Rangers cut Sudbury’s lead to two goals with 2:25 remaining on the clock. Second-year forward Josh Sterk caught Vienneau on the move on the power play and slid the puck past for his first of the exhibition season. Veteran winger Ben Thomson and blueliner Stephen Midensky were credited with assists on the goal.
That is as close as Kitchener would get. The Wolves out-shot the Rangers 11-7 in the final frame and 31-19 overall.
Scoring
1. SBY N. Pancel, (J. Ryan, M. Kantor), 3:09
1. SBY J. Ryan, (M. Kantor, F. Corrado), 9:36
1. SBY R. Huether, (C. Thibodeau, C. Cummins),18:32
2. KIT C. Meighan, (J. Bailey), 7:20
2. KIT B. Lesway, (D. Alberga), 19:07 (SH)
3. SBY J. Harris, (F. Corrado, Z. McFadden), 5:44
3. SBY J. Sefton, (J. Harris, R. Huether), 10:52
3. KIT J. Sterk, (B. Thomson, S. Midensky), 17:35 (PP)
The Kitchener Rangers’ exhibition season continues on Sunday, September 9 when the team travels to Barrie for a 2:00pm game against the Colts. The Rangers’ final home exhibition will be Friday, September 14 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, when they host the Barrie Colts at 7pm. Tickets will available on game day, please visit our website for details.
