Preview: Rangers face North Bay Friday at The Aud
Kitchener, Ont. – For the second consecutive weekend, the Kitchener Rangers will play three games in three days. The Blueshirts are back on home-ice Friday when the club hosts the North Bay Battalion. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. at The Aud.
Notable Links:
- Tickets: Buy Online | (519) 578-1570
- TV: Rogers TV cable 20 (Kitchener)
- TV: Super Sports Pak cable 470 (Ontario)
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: 570 AM CKGL
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
- Digital East Avenue Blue Magazine
- Game Day Video Preview
- Media Notes Packet
- Lines
Head-to-head:
Kitchener owns a 6-2-2-1 record over the Battalion in the last 11 meetings since 2015-16, which includes a Rangers’ victory in this past Sunday’s matchup in North Bay, snapping the Battalion’s seven-game winning streak. Five of those games have taken place at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, the venue for Friday’s contest. Kitchener has not lost in regulation over that span earning a 3-0-2-0 record on home-ice vs. the Battalion.
Of note, current Kitchener Rangers Head Coach Chris Dennis is the first cousin of current North Bay General Manager Adam Dennis.
North Bay owns the league’s sixth best power-play converting at a 23.8% rate, while Kitchener is converting at 18.8% which is the 16th best in the league. North Bay’s power-play rises to 24.4% on the road and Kitchener’s penalty kill at The Aud is at 84.6%. Kitchener’s last home game with Mississauga had no penalties called in the game, but the Rangers have killed off their last 10 penalties. The last power-play goal scored against Kitchener dates back to October 25th against Guelph in a 7-1 victory.
North Bay returned to winning ways Thursday after losing to Kitchener last Sunday. North Bay hosted Kingston at the North Bay Memorial Gardens and came away with a 6-2 victory. Sunday’s victory in North Bay was Kitchener’s last game and they will look to make it two in a row against the Battalion Friday at The Aud.
Scouting the Rangers:
Trent Swick recorded a goal in his first game back Sunday after missing seven games due to illness. Swick is riding a four-game goal-streak and a six-game point-streak dating back to Oct. 7. Ty Hollett is set to play against the team that drafted him in the fourth-round (64th-overall) in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. Hollett played six games for North Bay in the 2019-20 season before being acquired by Kitchener in September of 2021.
The Rangers have won six of their last 10 games and are led by Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) who has 19 points (10G, 9A) in 14 games. Francesco recorded a two-point night in North Bay with a goal and an assist and is now averaging a point per game. Matthew Andonovski recorded his first point of the season in the contest as the Kitchener defender recorded an assist on Joseph Serpa’s shorthanded goal in North Bay. Filip Mešár (Montreal Canadiens) and Matthew Sop both had two-point nights in Kitchener’s last game as well.
The Rangers have called up goaltender Nolan Chartrand on an emergency backup goaltender basis. Chartrand is a Kitchener-native and is currently playing Junior B locally at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex for the Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). He has a 1.95 GAA and a .925 SAV% in 12 games with the Siskins this season. Chartrand was a seventh-round (130th overall) selection by Barrie in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. He played in four games with the Colts during the 2021-22 campaign, posting a 6.72 GAA and a .755 SAV%.
Kitchener is in a three-way tie to lead all OHL teams for having the most first-time draft eligible skaters for the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft that will be held in Nashville this June 28-29. Matthew Andonovski, Hunter Brzustewicz, Cameron Mercer, Kyle Morey, Jackson Parsons, Carson Rehkopf, Blair Scott, and Adam Zidlicky are eight first-time skaters eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft, making up 32-percent, or nearly one-third, of the current Rangers’ roster.
Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators), Filip Mešár (Montréal Canadiens), Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) are four Kitchener skaters that are both drafted, and signed, by their NHL clubs respectively.
Scouting the Battalion:
North Bay and Saginaw made a trade Wednesday where the Battalion acquired Josh Bloom and Brayden Hislop. Both former Saginaw skaters recorded points in their first game for North Bay Thursday. Josh Bloom recorded a two-point night with a goal and an assist and Brayden Hislop picked up a secondary assist.
Kitchener-native Justin Ertel is the son of Tyler Ertel, who played for the Rangers during the 1987-88 season before being traded to the then North Bay Centennials from 1988-90. Ertel then played for the Windsor Spitfires before finishing his OHL career with the Rangers in 1992. Justin Ertel was a third-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2021 NHL Draft and comes into Friday night’s game with 12 points (5G, 7A) in 16 games. Justin also recorded one goal and one assist last night in North Bay’s win over Barrie.
Matvey Petrov currently owns the longest point-streak in the OHL with points in 15-straight games. Across those 15 games, Matvey has 20 points with seven goals and thirteen assists. Goaltender Dom DiVincentiis owns the leagues eighth–best goals against average and comes into the game with the most wins of any goalie on the OHL with 11. Ty Nelson leads the league with 97 shots on goal.
Liam Arnsby (Florida Panthers), Dom DiVincentiis (Winnipeg Jets), Justin Ertel (Dallas Stars), Kyle Jackson (Seattle Kraken), Tnias Mathurin (Detroit Red Wings), Ty Nelson (Seattle Kraken) and Matvey Petrov (Edmonton Oilers) are the seven Battalion skaters drafted by their NHL clubs respectively.
Broadcast Coverage:
Friday night’s contest vs. North Bay 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. Jason Hagholm (play-by-play), Dan Polischuk (colour commentary) and Mark Paré (host) will call the game on television. The game will be streamed live online on OHL Live on CHL TV. 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. For more information on Kitchener Rangers broadcast coverage, click here.
Ticket Information:
Tickets to Rangers’ home games are $21 for children and $25 for adults and can be purchased online now by clicking here. Additionally, fans can purchase tickets via the phone by calling the Centre In The Square Box Office at (519) 578-1570. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Activa Box Office at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium at 400 East Ave. Kitchener, ON N2H 1Z6 or at the Centre In The Square Box Office at 101 Queen St N, Kitchener, ON N2H 6P7.
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Next Up:
The East Avenue Blue are back at The Aud this Sunday for a rare 6 p.m. puck drop against the Windsor Spitfires. It’s the Rangers’ ’70’s Retro Night!’ Wear your best 70’s, look and celebrate peace and love at The Aud. The game will honour the Rangers’ 70’s history, include activations, music and more from the decade. Tickets can be purchased online now by clicking here.
In case you missed it:
- Player Feature Story: Mathew Sop
- Rangers Vision – The Insider: Roman Schmidt
Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton / Kitchener Rangers
For inquiries, contact:
Dominic Hennig
Senior Director, Broadcasting, Communications & Hockey Operations
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
519-497-9342
[email protected]
