Kings of Kitchener- Steelheads squash Rangers win streak
Kitchener, ON- The Brampton Steelheads squash the Kitchener Rangers six-game win streak in 5-2 victory. Carson Rehkopf also made a triumph return to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium as he put up a three-point game: two goals and one assist.
Coming off a big win on Wednesday, the Steelheads headed to Kitchener hoping to continue their win streak. With Rehkopf facing off in his first matchup against his former team, the Trout looked to squash the Rangers’ six-game win streak and showcase their power at full strength.
It was no easy task as they went up against netminder Jackson Parson, who has held a .928 save percentage in his last 30 games. However, after a Steelheads-dominated first period, the Trout proved they were a force to be reckoned with as they took an early four-goal lead.
Mason Zebeski got things started for the Steelheads, sneaking the puck past the five-hole of Parsons. Kieran Witkowski drove into the Rangers zone and went for the wrap-around but it was blocked out front and sent back to Finn Harding at the point. With traffic out front, Harding fired it on goal, but it was blocked again. Collecting the bouncing puck out front, Zebeski shot it on goal and got it past Parsons to take the lead.
Not even two minutes later, the Steelheads extended their lead to two. Porter Martone got the puck on the boards and sent the puck down behind the net for Rehkopf. Finding Angus MacDonell out front, Rehkopf sent him a backhand pass, setting him up for a one-timer.
The Trout continued to dominate the period as they put up two more unanswered goals. Macgregor Richmond got the third goal for the Steelheads with a wicked shot from the high slot.
After a series of Brampton chances out front – including one from Zebeski, who sent it off the crossbar- Harding picked up the loose puck out front and sent it to Jakub Fibigr at the blue line. Settling it down at the point, Fibigr sent it back to Harding, who made a cross-ice pass to an awaiting Richmond. With an open lane, Richmond set up and sniped one past Parsons.
Looking to make a big return to his former home arena, Rehkopf got into the scoring action to bring the Steelheads lead to four. MacDonell started the rush into the Kitchener zone before passing it to Martone, who was waiting down low on the right side. Driving towards the net, Martone covered off Parsons before making a quick pass to Rehkopf, who one-timed it into the open net.
Despite the impressive effort by the Steelheads to establish a four-goal lead, the Rangers did not back down easily and were able to finish the first within two. Max Dirracolo got Kitchener’s first goal after Alexander Bilecki kept the puck in the Steelheads’ zone to get the play in motion.
After settling the puck down, Bilecki passed it to Andrew Vermeulen, who was waiting in the high slot. Not finding an angle for the shot, Vermeulen spun around and sent the puck to Dirracolo, who was rushing into the zone. Winding up, Dirracolo fired one on goal, which slipped past Jack Ivankovic five-hole.
The Rangers got their second and final goal on the power play after MacDonell was called for hooking. Getting a pass up in the high slot, Luke Ellinas made another quick pass down to Jack Pridham. Instead of taking the shot, Pridham sent the puck over to Tanner Lam, who got the one-timer in the open right side.
The first period ended with the Steelheads leading 4-2, and the score remained the same until late in the third.
Although scoring was not a trend in the second, there were lots of end-to-end action and scoring opportunities for both teams. The Steelheads especially got some chances on the power play but would not generate any goals.
Looking for a comeback, the Rangers put all strength ahead in their offence, but they were no match for Ivankovic. The Brampton netminder put on an outstanding show in the second and third as he made several saves that kept the Steelheads’ lead.
In one Rangers offensive rush, Ivankovic made the initial save off a shot from the point before quickly stretching out to cover off the incoming rebound on the open right side with his pad. With several sequences of insane saves throughout the remaining 40 minutes of play, Ivankovic worked to ensure the Trout victory.
Alongside Ivankovic’s incredible performance between the pipes, Carson Rehkopf got a late third-period empty net goal to extend the lead to five and secure the victory.
The Steelheads return to action tomorrow at home as they face the North Bay Battalion in their First Responders game. For tickets, click here.