GameDay Video Preview: Rangers host Oshawa on TSN Friday at The Aud
Kitchener, Ont. – Following a five-day road trip, the Blueshirts return to East Avenue Friday night to host the Oshawa Generals in a game that will be televised nationally across Canada on TSN 1, 3, 4 & 5. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium and great seats are still available here.
Notable Links:
- Tickets: Buy Online | (519) 578-1570
- TV: TSN 1, 3, 4, & 5 (National TV)
- Video Stream: TSN | CHL TV
- Radio: CityNews 570 AM CKGL
- Live Stats
- Live Tweets
- Game Video Preview
- Media Notes Packet
- Lines
- Digital East Avenue Blue Magazine
Promotions:
Long-time Kitchener Rangers head trainer and equipment manager Dan Lebold will be honoured in a pregame ceremony for working 2,000 games in the Ontario Hockey League. Originally from Stratford, Ont., the 58-year-old Lebold got his start at Wilfrid Laurier University in the late 80’s before spending three seasons as head equipment manager of the Sudbury Wolves. Now in his 30th OHL season, and 27th consecutive season with the Rangers, Lebold has been with the Rangers since 1995, winning an OHL championship before hoisting the Memorial Cup in 2003 while also winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup in the club’s 2008 OHL championship. Lebold has also accrued international experience throughout his tenure, winning gold with Canada’s National Junior Team in Geneva, Switzerland in 1997. He also won back-to-back silver medals with Canada at the World Juniors in 2010 and 2011. The OHL and the Kitchener Rangers extend congratulations to Dan Lebold, one of the longest tenured staff members in the Ontario Hockey League
Head-to-Head:
The Rangers and Generals have not faced off since Dec. 6, 2019. In the last five meetings Kitchener holds a 2-2-1-0 record in that span. The Rangers are 5-4-1-0 over the Generals across the past five seasons and are 3-1-1-0 on home-ice at The Aud.
Both teams are in a bit of a rut recently with records at .500 and below. Kitchener is 4-4-2-0 over their last 10 games. Oshawa won their last game in Hamilton on Sunday but are 3-6-0-1 in their last 10. Both teams currently sit in ninth place in their respective conferences. Although similar league positions, the teams seem to be going in opposite directions. Oshawa has traded away many of their older and NHL drafted players in return for younger players and draft picks. Kitchener has put their front foot forward and is trying to make a strong playoff push making four recent major acquisitions to bolster their roster.
It will be a battle between power-play juggernauts in this game as both teams rank in the top four in power-play percentage. Oshawa owns the best power-play rank converting at 26.3% while Kitchener sits in fourth at 23.6%. Kitchener’s power-play on home ice improves by almost 4% to 27.4%. It is a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde for the Generals on special teams this season as their penalty kill ranks 16th in the league at 74.4% and 17th on the road at 69.6%. Kitchener’s penalty kill has been a strength lately and ranks seventh overall in the league at 80.7%
Scouting the Rangers:
Rangers’ captain Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) has been out of the lineup for nearly two weeks with an upper body injury and is expected to return Friday. Pinelli leads the Rangers with a 1.59 points-per-game average, totaling 43 points (21G, 22A) in 27 games. Dating back to Dec. 8 before his injury, Pinelli is on a six-game point streak and has 15 points (4G, 11A) in that time.
Highly touted forward Mitchell Martin had 40 points in his rookie season during the 2021-22 campaign. This season, he was averaging more than a point-per-game with 15 points in 13 games before suffering an upper body injury on Nov. 8. He has now missed 21-straight games. Martin is also expected to return to the Rangers’ lineup Friday.
Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars) now holds the Ranger lead in points this season with 45 points (26G 19A) in 37 games thus far. With two goals Saturday in Flint, Arcuri now ranks third in OHL goal scoring with 26, three goals behind the league lead of 29 (Avery Hayes – PBO). Arcuri is also tied with teammate Carson Rehkopf for second most power-play goals in the OHL with 13-a-piece this season.
Lleyton Moore will suit up Friday for the first time against the team he captained. Moore amassed an impressive 109 points (15G 94A) in 157 games with the Generals leading their back end for the better part of three seasons. He currently has 30 points (5G 25A) in 35 games this season and six points (1G 5A) in eight games since being acquired by Kitchener in December.
Friday also marks the first home game back at The Aud for both Ottawa Senators’ prospect Tomáš Hamara (Czechia) and Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Filip Mešár (Slovakia) who competed in the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey Championship. Hamara won Silver with Czechia, falling to Canada in the Gold Medal game. Mesar competed with Slovakia.
Marco Costantini has seen a lot of the Oshawa Generals in his time with the Hamilton Bulldogs. In 14 games against the Gens, Costantini has an 8-3-1-0 record, recording three shutouts, a .923 save percentage, and 2.40 goals against average. Marco is currently tied for the league lead in shutouts this season recording two, both with Kitchener. This season, Costantini has a .895 SAV% and a 3.40 GAA. Marcus Vandenberg holds a .913 SAV% and a 2.85 GAA.
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 Generals:
Ryan Gagnier leads the Generals with 36 points (13G, 23A) in 36 games this season.
Former Kitchener Ranger Joseph Serpa returns to The Aud for the first time since being traded to Oshawa on Dec. 13. Serpa was drafted in the fourth round by the Rangers in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection before suiting up for 146 regular season games and recording 104 points (35G, 69A). He also exploded in the post-season run he had in Kitchener, recording 15 points (6G 9A) in 12 playoff games. Serpa has 25 points (13G 12A) in 34 games this season and has five points (3G 2A) in nine games as a member of the Generals.
Stuart Rolofs comes into play as the hottest General skater currently riding a four-game point streak. On this streak, Rolofs has four goals and one assist. Rolofs is third on the Generals roster in points production this season with 28 points (14G 14A) in 30 games.
Beckett Sennecke ranks second in points among OHL rookies with 27 points (12G 15A) in 32 games, is third in goals with 12, and fifth in assists with 15.
Goaltender Jacob Oster was acquired by the Oshawa Generals before the trade deadline from the Guelph Storm and holds a .847 SAV% and a 4.63 GAA. Oster has appeared in five games already against Kitchener in his career and has a 1-3-1-0 record. Oster has been chased from the net in two of the five games he started against the Rangers, holding a 5.96 goals against average and .817 save percentage.
Rangers reassign Scott:
The Rangers announced Thursday that the club has reassigned defenceman Blair Scott to the Ayr Centennials (Jr. B) in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). Scott signed with the Rangers on Oct. 29 and has played in 12 games this season. Additionally, goaltender Luca DiFelice is currently playing for the Toronto Marlboros Midget U18 AAA hockey club in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). DiFelice signed with the Rangers on Dec. 6.
Broadcast Coverage:
Friday night’s contest will be nationally televised live across Canada on TSN 3 & 4 and will be joined in progress on TSN 1 & 5 at 9 p.m. The game can be found on channels 30, 518 & 519 for Rogers cable subscribers in Ontario, channel 497 for Bell satellite TV subscribers, channel 406 for Bell Fibe IPTV subscribers, and channel 99 for Shaw Direct satellite TV subscribers. Victor Findlay (Play-by-Play), Marc Methot (Colour Analyst) and Raegan Subban (Rinkside Reporter) will call the game on TSN.
The game will be streamed live online in a web browser on TSN.ca, and on the TSN App for mobile devices including smart TV’s such as Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox One, LG Smart TV, Roku TV, Samsung SmartTVs, and Amazon Fire TV Stick. Additionally, it will be streamed live online in a web browser on OHLLive.com, and on the CHL App for mobile devices including Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire.
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.
For more information on Kitchener Rangers broadcast coverage, click here.
Next Up:
After Friday night’s game vs. Oshawa, the Rangers will head to Saginaw, Mich. for a Sunday contest against the Spirit. Puck drop is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Dow Event Center. The Rangers return home to The Aud this Tuesday against the London Knights at 7 o’clock. Great seats are still available and 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]
