RANGERS EDGE SPITFIRES 2-1 IN GAME 2 OF WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
KITCHENER, Ont. — A power-play goal and a shorthanded marker in the middle frame were enough for the Kitchener Rangers, who held off the Windsor Spitfires 2-1 on Sunday evening in Game 2 of their OHL Western Conference Finals series at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Liam Greentree gave Windsor an early lead, beating Christian Kirsch at 6:51 of the first period. The Spitfires carried that 1-0 advantage into the first intermission, but the Rangers outshot the Spitfires 9-6 through twenty minutes.
Kitchener flipped the script in the second. Sam O”Reilly evened things up on the power play at 7:03, finishing off a sequence set up by Jack Pridham and Dylan Edwards. Less than two minutes later, the Rangers completed the momentum swing with a shorthanded tally. O’Reilly turned provider this time, teaming with Pridham on a 2-on-1 chance that converted at 9:00 to put Kitchener in front for good.
Kirsch was steady the rest of the way, turning aside all 10 Windsor shots in the third to finish with 27 saves and earn the victory. Joey Costanzo stopped 20 of 22 shots in a losing effort for the Spitfires.
Windsor went 0-for-4 on the power play while Kitchener cashed on one of three opportunities.
O’Reilly was named first star of the game, Kirsch second, and Greentree third.
Game 3 goes Monday in Windsor. Tickets www.windsorspitfires.com
Kitchener leads the series 2-0.
