Game Day Video Preview: Rangers host Flint for final home game of regular season Friday
Kitchener, Ont. – Another capacity crowd of more than 7,000 fans is expected at The Aud Friday night as the Blueshirts face-off against the Flint Firebirds for Kitchener’s final home game of the regular season. Kitchener is 9-2-1-0 in their last 12 games and with a win tonight, can jump the Flint Firebirds to earn the five-seed in the OHL Playoffs. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. and limited seats are still available here.
Notable Links:
- Tickets: Buy Online | (519) 578-1570
- TV: Rogers TV, cable 20 (Kitchener)
- TV: Super Sports Pack, cable 471 (Ontario)
- Video Stream: OHLLive.com | CHL App
- Radio: CityNews 570 AM CKGL
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
- Game Video Preview
- Media Notes Packet
- Lines
- ‘East Avenue Blue’ Game Day Magazine
Promotions:
Join us as we celebrate YOU with special giveaways all night long. We also celebrate our amazing billet families and overage players in a pre-game ceremony. The Rangers will once again wear the Retro “Tex” Jersey. Fans can enter to win one of these game-worn jerseys at the game by scanning a QR Code around the building or on the videoboard. More details here.
Also, don’t miss the Rangers’ Mega Jackpot 50-50 Raffle, presented by Arnold Hearing Centres. Rangers Reach will have a guaranteed minimum prize jackpot of $20,000 with the winner being announced at Friday’s game. Tickets for the Rangers’ Mega Jackpot are on sale now and can be purchased online at Rangers5050.com.
Head-to-Head:
The East Avenue Blue are 9-9-2-0 overall in the last five years against Flint and are 3-5-1-0 at The Aud. This season, Kitchener is 1-2-0-0 against Flint, earning the victory in the only game on home-ice in Kitchener. Kitchener last hosted Flint on Oct. 16, where the Rangers won 6-2.
Most recently, Kitchener has won three-straight games, is 9-2-1-0 in their last 12 contests, has earned 19 of a possible 24 points in those last 12 games and have jumped two spots in the OHL Western Conference Standings. The Rangers are now only two points behind the fifth-place Flint Firebirds, who visit The Aud this Friday night for the final regular season home game in Kitchener.
The Rangers are coming off a 6-1 road victory over the Erie Otters Wednesday night.
Flint has also been hot as of late losing just once in regulation in their last 10 games, going 9-1-0-0 in that stretch. Flint holds a two-point lead as the sixth seed, but also trails Saginaw by four points with two games remaining on their schedule.
Scouting the Rangers:
Rangers captain Francesco Pinelli has the seventh-most points in the OHL with 90 points (41G, 49A) in 59 games played. Francesco Arcuri is three goals away from hitting 50 on the year with two games remaining. He has the third-most goals and the ninth-most points (47G, 42A) in the OHL.
Four Rangers enter the game Friday with active point streaks on the line. Carson Rehkopf with six points (3G 3A) in four games, Filip Mešár (Montréal Canadiens) with four points (4A) in three games, Matthew Sop with three points (2G 1A) in three games, and Roman Schmidt with three points (3A) in three games.
Hunter Brzustewicz leads the Rangers blueline with 56 points (6G 50A) in 66 games. The 2023 draft eligible defender has the seventh highest points total by a defenceman this season and has the fourth most power-play assists with 22.
Marco Costantini recorded his 24th win of the season in what was his 46th game of the season becoming a new milestone for the OA goaltender. Costantini has the fifth-best save percentage this season at .901 and a 3.17 GAA. Marcus Vandenberg just recorded his first-career OHL shutout, blanking the Kingston Frontenacs 6-0 at home on Mar. 17.
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 (Winnipeg Jets) are six Kitchener skaters that are both drafted, and signed, by their NHL clubs respectively.
Scouting the Firebirds:
Braeden Kressler is a native of Kitchener and signed a three-year NHL Entry-Level Contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kressler has 51 points in 46 games this year.
Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) owns the team lead in points this season with 97 points (43G 54A) in 66 games. Lombardi has the third most points by any OHL skater this season. He also enters play on a five-game point streak with two goals and nine assists.
Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks) is the other Firebird skater with an active point streak. Hayes is averaging over two points per game with nine goals and three assists in five games.
Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) leads the blueline in points for the Firebirds this season with 59 points (14G 45A). Kuzmin is tied with Brandt Clark (Barrie Colts) for the fifth most points by a defenceman this season.
Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues) and Nathan Day have split time between-the-pipes for the Firebirds. Cranley has a 3.84 GAA and a .884 SAV% in 43 games and Day has a 3.86 GAA and a .874 SAV% in 31 games.
The Firebirds have six players with NHL ties consisting of Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings), Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitri Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) and Artem Guryev (San Jose Sharks).
Broadcast Coverage:
Friday night’s contest against Flint 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. Jason Hagholm (play-by-play), Dan Polischuk (colour commentary) and Sean Furfaro (host) will call the game on television.
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 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 and can be a part of the broadcast with extended postgame shows as Farwell takes phone calls from Rangers Nation after all home games at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Fans can call 519-570-2545 during the radio postgame shows to talk Rangers Hockey.
Rangers Mega Jackpot 50-50 Raffle:
Don’t miss the Rangers’ Mega Jackpot 50-50 Raffle, presented by Arnold Hearing Centres. Rangers Reach will have a guaranteed minimum prize jackpot of $20,000 with the winner being announced at Friday’s game. Tickets for the Rangers’ Mega Jackpot are on sale now and can be purchased online at Rangers5050.com.
Next Up:
The Rangers travel to London to close out the 68-game regular season with a battle against their number-one rival in the London Knights. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. Sunday night at the Budweiser Gardens and tickets can 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]
