Game Day Video Preview: Kitchener hosts Guelph Tuesday for final battle of Highway-7 clash
Kitchener, Ont. – The Rangers have won four consecutive games and have earned points in nine of their last 11 contests. All eyes will be on Kitchener and Guelph Tuesday night as the Highway-7 rivalry takes place for the final time this season and is the only OHL game in action Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at The Aud and great seats are available online here.
Notable Links:
- Tickets: Buy Online | (519) 578-1570
- TV: Rogers TV, cable 20 (Kitchener)
- TV: Rogers TV, cable 20 (Guelph)
- TV: Super Sports Pack, cable 463 (Ontario)
- Video Stream: OHLLive.com | CHL App
- Radio: CityNews 570 AM CKGL (Kitchener)
- Radio: 1460 AM CJOY (Guelph)
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
- Game Video Preview
- Media Notes Packet
- Lines
- ‘East Avenue Blue’ Game Day Magazine
Promotions:
Tuesday’s Game will celebrate the amazing women who continue to change our sport for the better. Staff members and volunteers of the Rangers and the Storm will take part in a ceremonial puck drop, highlighting their continual efforts for their respective hockey clubs. Members of the Waterloo Ravens and Lady Rangers will also take part on the ice for the pre-game ceremony. In an effort to amplify female voices and provide information to younger generations of women who want to be involved in a career in hockey, behind-the-scenes videos and interviews with the staff members will be shown on the videoboard. Additionally, female Rangers employees will be featured throughout the day and game Tuesday on both CityNews 570 AM CKGL and on the Rogers TV, cable channel 20 broadcast. For more information, click here.
Head-to-Head:
The Rangers have had the better of the Highway-7 rivalry this season, playing to a 5-2-0-0 record against the Storm and have won all three games (7-1, 4-1, and 4-3) played on home-ice at The Aud. Over the past five seasons at home, the Rangers are 13-7-0-0 in Kitchener and are 25-14-2-0 overall against Guelph.
The Rangers are putting together a nice stretch of play to finish the season as the club is currently on a four-game win streak, have points in nine of their last 11 games and are 6-2-2-0 in their last 10 games. Kitchener is averaging just 1.6 goals against in their last five games and trail the Guelph Storm by just five points, with two games in hand.
The Guelph Storm had a six-game win streak snapped Saturday night with a 10-3 loss at the hands of the Flint Firebirds. Despite the loss, Guelph is still 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games and are in the fifth seed in the Western Conference on 65 points.
Scouting the Rangers:
Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) is producing at a 1.53 points per game pace this season for the Rangers and continues to lead the roster in points. In 51 games this season, Pinelli has 35 goals and 43 assists. Pinelli is tied for the eighth-most points in the OHL this season. He also leads the Rangers with 12 points (8G 4A) in seven games against the Storm.
Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) has the longest active points-streak for the Rangers with points in five-straight. Arcuri has six goals and three assists. Arcuri has the third most goals in the OHL with 43 and second most power-play goals with 17. Arcuri has also been clutch for the Rangers with seven game-winning goals, which is also top three in the league.
Kitchener-native Matthew Sop and Montréal Canadiens prospect, Filip Mešár both have active three-game point streaks. Sop has two goals and two assists in that time and Mešár has four assists.
Marco Costantini has won his last three starts and earned at least a point in his last four. Costantini also has two shutout performances in that time where he combined for 74 saves. He is now tied in second in the OHL for the most shutouts on the year with four. Costantini has reached the 40-game mark for the second time in his career and has a 20-16-3-0 record this year.
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 are six Kitchener skaters that are both drafted, and signed, by their NHL clubs respectively.
Scouting the Storm:
Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins) owns the longest active points-streak in the OHL with points in 13-straight, having three goals and 19 assists. Poitras leads the Storm roster with 78 points (35G 43A) in 51 games.
Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues) signed an NHL Entry-Level Contract with the St. Louis Blues on Mar. 1 of this year. Buchinger leads the Storm blueline this season with 57 points (13G 44A). He has the fourth most points by a defenceman this season.
Buchinger (2G 6A) and Poitras (2G 6A) are tied for the most points against the Rangers this season having played in six and seven games respectively.
Patrick Leaver who spent some time at the beginning of the year in Oshawa with Lleyton Moore has played in the most games for Guelph this season. Leaver played in one game against the Rangers for Guelph making 33 saves in a 4-3 loss. He has a 22-17-1-2 record with a .887 save percentage and 3.64 goals against average.
Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues), Jake Karabela (Washington Capitals), Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins), and Chandler Romeo (Ottawa Senators) are four Guelph skaters that are drafted by their NHL clubs respectively.
Broadcast Coverage:
Tuesday night’s contest against Guelph will be televised live throughout Kitchener and the Waterloo Region in addition to the City of Guelph 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 463 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 including 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.
Next Up:
After earning a 3-0 road victory in Owen Sound Saturday, the Rangers will host the Attack at The Aud for the final time this season this Friday night. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. and great seats are available 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]
