Game Preview: Rangers pay tribute to the Korean War Armistice in Remembrance Day Game
Kitchener, On – The Rangers start an at-home weekend on Friday hosting the defending OHL Champions the Peterborough Petes. Puck drop is set for 7 pm at The Aud for their Remembrance Day game in recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice and the Korean Veterans Association of Canada.
- TV: Rogers Channel 20 (Kitchener)
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: 570 AM CKGL
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- East Avenue Blue Magazine
- Game Preview Video
PROMOTIONS:
The Kitchener Rangers are widely recognized for the club’s Remembrance Day Game, annually paying tribute to those who have been a part of the Canadian Forces by wearing commemorative jerseys. Since its inception, the Rangers’ commemorative jersey auction has raised over $350,000 for its beneficiaries. This year’s edition is inspired by the Korean War Armistice and the Korean Veterans Association of Canada. 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which ended over three years of fighting on the Korean Peninsula.
Fans can place bids to purchase the special jerseys through a silent auction before and during the game. New this season, fans not attending the game can also bid on five of the Remembrance Day Jerseys online through DASH. The auction opens online on Friday and will run until Sunday, November 12th. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the 78th Fraser Highlanders Fort Conestoga Garrison and the Kitchener-Waterloo Poppy Fund through Rangers Reach. Link to Auction
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Over the years:
In the past seven matches between the two clubs dating back to the 2017-18 season, the Rangers own a 5-2-0-0 record against the Petes and when playing on home ice they have a 2-1-0-0 record. Last season the Rangers and Petes faced off twice. Kitchener won the first matchup 4-3 on December 8th. Peterborough then traveled to Kitchener on December 30th responding with a 6-2 victory.
Special Teams:
Kitchener’s power play sits as the league’s sixth-best converting at 24.6%. Peterborough is currently ranked 10th in the league at 19.7% while playing on the road the Petes jump to fifth place converting at 28.6%. The Rangers own the league’s fifth best penalty kill at 83.1%, and when playing on home ice the Rangers hold the second-place spot at 88%. The Petes follow behind the Rangers with the sixth-best penalty kill at 82.3%.
SCOUTING THE RANGERS (12-5-0-0)
Ranked first in the Western Conference, 1st in the OHL / 10th in Week 6 of the CHL Rankings
The Blueshirts have won their last three games. Shifting things back to The Aud for their next three games they have had a lot of success on home ice winning every game but one in Kitchener to bring them to a 7-1 record at home so far this season.
Last Time Out:
The Rangers traveled to Owen Sound facing the Attack on Wednesday night where they had a commanding 5-0 win. Nine Rangers were marked on the game sheet with at least one point. Filip Mešár (Montreal Canadiens) had a three-point performance (2G, 1A) for the game’s first star and Jackson Parsons stood tall stopping all 30 shots for the shutout.
Rangers to Watch:
- Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) continues to lead the league in points with 32. He also leads the league in goals with 18 and has a five-goal padding between him and the next leading goal scorer. On Wednesday he kept up his four-game point streak collecting one goal and one assist against Owen Sound.
- Matthew Sop has the second most points in the league with 28 (10G, 18A). In his last two games, Sop has recorded four points (2G, 2A).
- Jackson Parsons is playing at a .915 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average to bring him to the league leaderboards. Parsons currently has the third-best goals-against average, and fourth-best save percentage, first in shutouts (3) and tied for first in wins (8).
SCOUTING THE PETES (8-2-3-0)
Ranked 2nd in the Eastern Conference, 4th in the OHL
Last Time Out:
Peterborough hosted Sarnia on Thursday night where they lost 2-1 in a shootout. This loss snapped the Petes six-game win streak. Tommy Purdeller scored the Petes lone goal and Liam Sztuska stopped 36 of 37 shots in the game.
Petes to Watch:
- Jonathan Melee (6G, 8A) and Jax Dubois (4G, 10A) lead the Pete’s with 14 points each through 12 games for Peterborough.
- Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens) is the Petes leading goal scorer with seven through nine games played. Beck is fourth on the Petes in points with 11. The centreman was drafted by Montreal, 33rd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. He also competed at the 2022 World Juniors where he won gold with Canada.
- Between the pipes, Liam Sztuska has played 10 games to start the season with five of those being wins. Sztuska currently leads the league’s goaltenders with a .931 save percentage.
Drafted Petes:
Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens) and Konnor Smith (Anaheim Ducks) are two Petes skaters drafted to their NHL Clubs respectfully. Goaltender Zach Bowen and forward Sam McCue have been recognized on the preliminary 2023-24 NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch List.
BROADCAST COVERAGE
Friday’s contest vs the Peterborough Petes will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20, and can be watched across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pak on channel 470 for cable subscribers. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. Additionally, fans can listen to Friday night’s action on the radio on CityNews 570 AM CKGL.
RANGERS REACH
Support our community while cheering on your Rangers! Rangers Reach 50/50 Raffles take place at each Rangers home game and proceeds go to support our many community initiatives, including Scholarships, Community Impact Grants, in-kind donations, and more! Get more bang for your buck tonight while making a difference in our community! Tickets can be purchased online anywhere in Ontario at Rangers5050.com
UP NEXT:
The Rangers and the Soo Greyhounds will battle it out at The Aud on Sunday for the top spot in the OHL. Get your tickets for the 2:00 pm Sunday matinee at The Aud Box Office sponsored by White Way Plumbing or online here.
Photo credit: Tiffany Luke / Kitchener Rangers
For inquiries, contact:
Lindsay Eastwood
Manager of Communications and Team Services
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
613-793-0168
[email protected]