Penalties- Friend or Foe? Steelheads lose second Preseason Game against Rangers.
KITCHENER, ON- In a game driven by power plays and penalty kills, the Brampton Steelheads fall to the Kitchener Rangers 5-4 following a shootout.
The penalties seemed to be on Brampton’s side for the first and second periods, allowing them to score two power-play goals and take the lead. Things, however, took a turn in the third, as too many penalties caused a Kitchener comeback and eventual shootout victory.
Looking to secure their first preseason win, the Steelheads came out hard in the opening period. Angus MacDonell scored the first and only goal of the period, following a quick pass from Porter Martone from Lucas Karmiris’ face-off win.
The rest of the period did not see much scoring action but was rivalled by the beginning of a penalty-filled game. Brampton saw two power plays in the first following Evan Headrick’s tripping and Cameron Reid’s high-sticking penalties, while Kitchener received a 2-minute advantage with a hooking call on Ben Lalkin.
Luca Romano opened the scoring for the second period after receiving a centring pass from Trent Swick. The duo continued this momentum a few minutes later as Romano scored his second goal of the night, giving Kitchener the lead.
Still, down by one, the Steelheads gave the Rangers a two-man advantage following another set of penalties. However, this would not stop them, as Jack Ivankovic kept the score the same with some outstanding saves during the penalty kill.
Later in the period, the tables turned for the Steelheads as they were put on the power play, leading to a two-man advantage and two power play goals. The game got heated between the teams, leading to a 2-minute minor penalty for Karmiris and a 5-minute major for Matthew Hlacar.
With the three-minute power play, the Steelheads quickly began their comeback as Jack Van Volsen tied the game with a tip off of Finn Harding at the point. Still, on the previous power play, Brampton gained a two-man advantage following a trip from Swick. Martone scored the second power play goal and gave the Steelheads the lead following a riffle shot from the bottom of the left circle.
The Steelheads closed out the second period with another point as Troy Patton followed the puck inside the Rangers’ end and scored his first OHL goal from the right circle. However, the third would be a bigger challenge as the team would start on the penalty kill.
Anthony Paolini made his start in net for the game’s final period. He made consecutive saves, and with a man down, he worked hard to keep the Steelheads lead. However, with too many penalties for Brampton, the Rangers were able to come from behind and tie the game up.
The game ended in a tie, forcing both teams into a shootout. Paolini made a valiant effort to keep the Steelheads alive in the shootout, but with only one goal from Martone, the Rangers were victorious.
The Steelheads look to come back at home for their third preseason game tomorrow against the Barrie Colts.
