Rangers defeat Storm in second straight game
The Kitchener Rangers earned wins in back-to-back games against the Guelph Storm after a 4-1 victory at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday night.
With the victory, Kitchener improves to 11-13-0-0 while Guelph’s record falls to 9-15-2-1. With wins in back-to-back games against the Storm, the Rangers move ahead of Guelph in the Western Conference with 22 points.
Francesco Pinelli opened the scoring 4:17 into the first perod with his team-leading 17th goal of the season when he fired a wrist shot that found its way into the back of the Storm net.
Michael Buchinger scored Guelph’s lone goal of the game to tie it up at one when he cashed in on a cross-crease pass from Max Namestnikov midway through the first period. The goal was his fourth of the season, he leads Storm defencemen in points with 18.
Filip Mesar scored the game-winner when he slid the puck between the pads of Guelph goaltender Jacob Oster with 2:50 left on the clock in the second period.
The Rangers added a pair of goals in the first 2:18 of the third period to put the game out of reach. Mesar scored an insurance marker 31 seconds into the third period to bump the Kitchener lead up two goals with his second of the game. Adrian Misaljevic scored his first goal of the 2022-23 regular season 1:47 later when he fired a one-timer on a centring pass from behind the Storm net.
The Highway 7 rivals will meet again on Friday, February 3, 2023 when they face off in a rematch at the Aud in Kitchener.
Next Up
The Storm return to Guelph to kick off a busy weekend with the first of back-to-back games against the Owen Sound Attack on Friday night at 7:30pm. They’ll head to Owen Sound to take on the Attack again on Saturday night at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre with puck dropping at 7:30pm. Then on Sunday, they return home to cap off the busy weekend with a matinee against the Ottawa 67’s at 2:00pm. Tickets for the next home game at the Sleeman Centre can be found here.
Game Notes
Guelph Storm 1 at Kitchener Rangers 4 – Status: Final
Tuesday, December 6, 2022 – Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
Guelph 1 0 0 – 1
Kitchener 1 1 2 – 4
1st Period-1, Kitchener, Pinelli 17 4:17. 2, Guelph, Buchinger 4 (Namestnikov, Poitras), 10:03. Penalties-Swick Kit (check to the head), 19:49.
2nd Period-3, Kitchener, Mešár 7 (Rehkopf, Motew), 17:10. Penalties-Buchinger Gue (holding), 13:05.
3rd Period-4, Kitchener, Mešár 8 (Sop, Pinelli), 0:31. 5, Kitchener, Misaljevic 1 (Joseph Serpa, Fishman), 2:18. Penalties-Allen Gue (high sticking), 19:36.
Shots on Goal-Guelph 16-8-15-39. Kitchener 12-13-13-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Guelph 0 / 1; Kitchener 0 / 2.
Goalies-Guelph, Oster 6-11-2-0 (38 shots-34 saves). Kitchener, Vandenberg 3-2-0-0 (39 shots-38 saves).
Timeouts —
A-6,644
Referees-Brent Coulombe (22), Ryan Elbers (9).
Linesmen-Ryan Cadwell (82), Dustin McCrank (68).