Game Preview: Rangers back from Holiday to face Flint Firebirds on Friday at The Aud

Game Preview: Rangers back from Holiday to face Flint Firebirds on Friday at The Aud

Kitchener, ON – The Kitchener Rangers return to OHL action against the Flint Firebirds after a 10-day holiday break. The Rangers are looking to keep going full steam ahead in first in the standings through the second half of the season. The Aud will be packed for a 7 pm puck drop at The Aud.

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HEAD-TO-HEAD

This Season:

The Rangers have travelled to Flint twice to face the Firebirds, with Kitchener winning both of those games. The most recent game concluded with a final score of 3-1 on November 26^th while the Rangers’ second game of the season on September 30^th was an 8-0 victory. Adrian Misaljevic has Flint’s number having recorded five points over these two games. Matthew Sop and Hunter Brzustewicz have also put up points against the Firebirds this season recording four points each against them.

Over the Years:

The two clubs have faced off 23 times dating back to the 2017-18 season. Kitchener owns a 10-10-3-0 record and when playing at The Aud, the Rangers’ record is 3-5-2-0. The Rangers and Firebirds have a three-goal differential when playing against each other in this time, Kitchener has scored 90 goals and Flint has scored 93.

Team Statistics:

The Rangers sit fourth in the league’s overall power play converting at 28.6% and take the second spot when playing at home at 32.8%. While the Firebirds sit 14^th in the league’s power play at 18%.

The Rangers’ penalty kill is currently placed fifth in the league at 82.4% and when playing at home jumps to the best at 89.6%. The Firebirds’ penalty kill is ranked 12^th at 79.5% and when playing on the road rises to fourth at 85%.

The Rangers and Firebirds have a 51-goal differential on the season with Kitchener netting 165 goals in 34 games and Flint having 114 goals through 31 games. The Rangers have allowed 106 goals while the Firebirds have allowed 136.

WORLD JUNIORS ASSETS

Filip Mesar and Carson Rehkopf are away at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Rehkopf has scored two goals for Team Canada while Mesar has registered three assists for Team Slovakia through their first two games of the tournament.

Flint is also missing a key component to their lineup in Gavin Hayes, as he is competing for Team USA and will not be available in the Firebirds lineup for Friday’s game. Hayes has suited up in one game for the Americans so far and has yet to tally a point.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS (24-8-2-0)

1^st in the Western Conference, 1^st in the OHL/ 4^th in Week 12 of the CHL Power Rankings

Last Time Out:

The Rangers last travelled to Barrie to face the Colts on Saturday, December 16^th for the last game before the holiday break. They entered the holidays victorious with a 4-3 overtime win. Justin Bottineau opened the scoring nine minutes into the first period assisted by Tanner Lam and Hunter Brzustewicz. Trent Swick netted his 15^th goal of the season with Simon Motew and Cameron Reid assisting. Blair Scott scored his first OHL goal making the score 3-0 to start the third. The Colts took the game to overtime after tying the game 3-3 in the third frame. In the extra period, Matthew Sop scored his third overtime goal of the season with assists from Brzustewicz and Misaljevic.

Rangers to Watch:

• Hunter Brzustewicz (Vancouver Canucks) has had a career start to his season as he leads the OHL in points with an impressive 7-48-55 stat line. He is only the second blueliner in OHL history to lead the league in scoring at Christmas, following Bryan Fogarty of the Niagara Falls Thunder, who did so in 1988. Brzustewicz has gone pointless in only five of the 34 games played so far.
• Matthew Sop is third in points in the OHL behind his teammates Brzustewicz and Rehkopf with 22 goals and 34 assists for 53 points. Sop has had 18 multi-point nights with two games being the longest he’s gone without recording a point. Sop is tied for first place for game-winning goals in the league with six.
• Trent Swick is currently ranked as the fourth top point-getter for the Rangers with a 15-22-37 stat line. He is currently on a five-game point streak with three goals and four assists for seven points in those five games.

Goaltenders:

• Jackson Parsons currently has the best goals-against average in the league at 2.77 along with the third-best save percentage at .906, he has the most wins with 17, and the most shutouts with four. Parsons has played in 26 games this season with 15 of these games having above a .900 save percentage.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS (13-16-2-1)

8^th in the Western Conference, 16^th in the OHL

Last Time Out:

The Firebirds head into Friday’s match on a six-game losing streak, the last game they won was on December 2^nd in Ottawa. Flint hosted Sarnia on December 16^th for their last game before the holidays where they lost 5-2. Coulson Pitre grabbed the game’s first goal assisted by Nolan Dann and Kaden Pitre. With just under a minute left in the first period, Jimmy Lombardi registered his first OHL goal.

Firebirds to Watch:

• The Kitchener native and Firebird veteran, Braeden Kressler is currently Flint’s second top point-getter with 36 points and leads the team in assists with 21. Kressler signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in October 2021.
• Zacharie Giroux is third in points for the Firebirds with 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points. The Firebirds veteran has had 10 multi-point nights this season. Giroux scored the only Firebirds goal against the Rangers this season on November 26^th.
• Coulson Pitre (Anaheim Ducks) is currently the fourth top in points with a 14-16-30 stat line. C. Pitre is fifth in the league for scoring the first goal of the game with 5. He has played in nine games against the Rangers dating back to the 2021-22 season and has four goals and four assists in this time.

Goaltenders:

• Nathan Day was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the sixth round, 187^th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Day has played in 27 games for the Firebirds this season with a .859 save percentage and 4.00 goals against average. Day has recorded 11 of the Firebirds’ 13 wins.

BROADCAST COVERAGE

Friday’s contest vs the Flint Firebirds will be available to watch on OHL Live on CHL TV and will not be televised on Rogers. Fans can also listen to Friday night’s action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.

UP NEXT:

The Rangers hit the road for the last time in 2023 as they head to Owen Sound on Saturday, December 30^th to face the Attack. Puck drop is set for 7 pm at The Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. They will then start the New Year off on the road against the Oshawa Generals on January 1^st. The Rangers will return to the Aud on January 4^th for Next Gen Night. Grab your tickets to all the home action at The Aud Box Office sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online here.

For inquiries, contact:

Lindsay Eastwood
Manager of Communications and Team Services
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
613-793-0168
[email protected]

Photo Credit: Tiffany Luke / Kitchener Rangers