Friday Highlights: Hometown hero Sop puts Rangers back in win column

Kitchener Rangers 3 vs. Guelph Storm 2 – OT

Trailing 2-0, the Kitchener Rangers scored three unanswered to defeat rival Guelph in front of 7,035 at the Aud
Matthew Sop tied the score at two with 41 seconds remaining before converting on a penalty shot 1:53 into OT for his 30th goal of the season
Trent Swick picked up a pair of primary assists for the Rangers
Zander Veccia and Jett Luchanko scored Storm goals
Jackson Parsons made 23 saves for the win opposite Guelph’s Damian Slavik, who made 20 saves
Kitchener gets back into the win column, erasing a five-game slide to improve to 31-16-2-0
The Storm have lost three straight, sitting four points up on Owen Sound for fifth in the Conference with a 25-18-3-1 record

Brantford Bulldogs 5 vs. Sudbury Wolves 3

Bulldogs captain Lawson Sherk scored twice, scoring the game-winner on a shorthanded breakaway 21 seconds into the third period
Jake O’Brien scored and added an assist, giving him 43 points (8-35–43) in 39 games this season
Washington Capitals prospect Patrick Thomas scored in his return to the lineup following an 11-game absence
Evan Konyen scored his 20th goal of the season for Sudbury
Both teams had 29 shots while Brantford went 3-for-6 on the power play
Matteo Drobac made 26 saves for the win, helping the Bulldogs improve to 25-13-6-2 for first place in the Eastern Conference
Sudbury’s four-game winning streak comes to an end

Barrie Colts 4 vs. Flint Firebirds 2

2024 NHL Draft prospect Cole Beaudoin scored his 21st goal of the season unassisted with 1:36 left in the third period for the game winner
Rookie forward Shamar Moses scored his fifth goal of the season, reaching the 20-point mark
Overage blueliner Thomas Stewart had a goal and an assist for the Colts
Oliver Peer scored both Flint goals, giving him 28 on the season
Barrie netminder Ben West was the game’s first star, stopping 31-of-33 for the win
The Colts snap their run of 12 consecutive road losses, winning away from Sadlon Arena for the first time since Nov. 10th
The Colts have won all seven of their games at the Dort Financial Center and improve to 19-24-2-0, good for eighth in the Western Conference
The Firebirds fall to 19-24-2-1, tied with Sarnia for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference

Oshawa Generals 5 vs. Kingston Frontenacs 3

Tyler Graham’s fourth goal of the season 4:04 into the third period stood as the game winner
January’s OHL Player of the Month Calum Ritchie had a goal and an assist in the win
Minnesota Wild prospect Rasmus Kumpulainen scored his 20th goal of the campaign
Luke McNamara, Tyler Hopkins and Gage Heyes were Kingston goal-scorers
Jacob Oster made 22 saves to record the win as the Generals stretch their point streak to seven games, climbing to 25-16-4-2
Kingston has lost seven of their last 10, falling to 21-23-1-0 for seventh in the Eastern Conference

London Knights 5 vs. Erie Otters 3

Ruslan Gazizov scored twice, eclipsing the 20-goal and 50-point marks in the win
Philadelphia Flyers prospect Denver Barkey scored his league-leading seventh shorthanded goal of the season
Easton Cowan joined Barkey with a goal and an assist in the win
Sophomore forward Malcolm Spence scored twice for the Otters, giving him 14 goals on the season
Owen Willmore made a third straight start for London, making 19 saves for the win
The Knights sit atop the OHL standings with a record of 33-11-0-3, unbeaten in regulation over a span of 18 games
Erie falls to 22-20-4-0, sitting seventh in the Western Conference

Sarnia Sting 4 vs. Ottawa 67’s 3 – SO

Zach Filak tied the score at four with 1:09 remaining before Daylen Moses would win the game for Sarnia in the 11th round of the shootout
Kai Schwindt and Nathan Omeri joined Filak in the goal-scoring department
Braeden Kressler scored his 20th goal of the season for Ottawa before Samuel Mayer and Thomas Sirman also lit the lamp for the 67’s
Karsen Chartier made 26 saves before stopping 9-of-11 shootout opponents for the win
Ottawa rookie Jaeden Nelson was solid in his first career OHL start, making 21 saves before stopping 8-of-11 in the shootout
Sarnia gets a key two points, improving to 19-26-3-0 and into an eighth place tie with Flint in the Western Conference
Ottawa pushes their point streak to five games, owning a record of 23-17-4-1, falling behind Mississauga and into sixth in the Eastern Conference

Mississauga Steelheads 6 vs. Soo Greyhounds 3

Dallas Stars prospect Angus MacDonell along with sophomore winger Jack Van Volsen both scored twice for the Trout
2024 NHL Draft prospect Lucas Karmiris was the game’s first star with four assists on the night
Adam Zidlicky also scored for the Steelheads as they won despite being outshot 40-30
Bryce McConnell-Barker, Jacob Frasca and Gavin Hayes scored for the Hounds
Draft eligible netminder Ryerson Leenders made 37 saves for the win
The Steelheads improve to 24-19-4-0 for fifth in the Eastern Conference
The Greyhounds have their six-game winning streak snapped, falling to 32-13-2-1