Attack Double-up Rangers 6-3

It was just that one 4-0 game, right? The Attack couldn't possibly keep up their incredible pace from two weeks ago against this historically one-sided matchup between the once-dominant Rangers and the surprise of the year in the OHL's Owen Sound Attack.

Sorry, Rangers fans. Once upon a time two weeks ago, the Attack placed their foot in the door of OHL elite status when they rang off a few straight wins after an opening night loss to Guelph.

Now they've blown the door wide open.
And the traditional league powers, such as the Kitchener crew are starting to take notice.

Last night's 6-3 win for the Attack forced a better-prepared, but still not-good-enough Rangers team to fight in the game of their lives, and still come up empty-handed, for the first time at home.

Even without team offensive superstar Joey Hishon, out with a hurt hand, the Attack found a way to pot six against these Rangers.

It was strangely reminiscent of last year, where always the matches were tightly fought, but the blueshirts seemed to pull the rabbit out of the hat at the end, just while the Attack were still searching where that quarter behind their ear came from.

This year, things are going to be a little different in the Midwest.

If there were any lingering nay-sayers out there, Owen Sound have proved to the league they're for real.

Now 7-1, the Attack lead the Western Conference with 14 points, and the Rangers' only two gaffes in their 6-2 record have come via the Bayshore Boys from the Sound.

The Rangers played catch-up all night and never commanded a lead, as Attack captain Garrett Wilson (pictured) led the charge with two markers, and 16 year-old sensation Jarrod Maidens added a single, as did tough-guy Mike Halmo and Brendan Childerley.

Halmo had a Mascioli-on-Tavares-esque exchange on top of Rangers centre Andrew Crescenzi after battling along the boards with the puck, holding and beating on the oversized Rangers forward while the play was light years away from them.

Halmo got away with a roughing minor. Crescenzi got a holding call.

Attack head coach Mark Reeds also got into it with referees Matt Parlette and Craig Spada.

Reeds was incensed his Attack were called for five minor infractions in the first and the Rangers were seemingly escaping the whistle with murder.

Reeds was tossed, but stayed to complete the game.

A fine may be forthcoming to the team for his decision to stay with the team and not take part in some early Oktoberfest festivities next door.

While the Rangers may have had some chances to put the Attack away on Spada's and Parlette's calls, the squad again failed to produce anything of significance, finishing a pitiful 1-7 on the powerplay, a trend all too common this season.

The penalty-kill must also improve. The Rangers sit dead last at a meagre 68.4% efficiency rate.
Specialty teams have the ability to kill elite teams and win games.

The Rangers have sensed all too late, that Owen Sound is a foe needed to be put away by an extraordinary effort.

And aside from Andrew Crescenzi and a select few (namely Ben Thomson and Tyler Randell who all scored), the Rangers' lacklustre effort just wouldn't cut it on a night where the Attack's red-carpet entrance into official league stardom was ingrained into the blueshirts' collective conscience.

Rangers Win Thanksgiving Game in OT vs. Erie

Thanksgiving seems quite the appropriate time of year for the Erie Otters to come looking for a fight in Oktoberfest-crazed Kitchener.

Because boy, have these Rangers feasted on the team across the border.

With Monday's 4-3 overtime thriller, make that 11 straight W's in the win-loss column dating back to an eight-game sweep last season of the water-cats.

If any game had the make-up to halt the excessive bleeding, it was surely this one.

Coming off a disheartnening 6-5 loss on Saturday night at home in the Tulio arena, the Otters lacked the intensity the Rangers brought in the first, yet skated to the dressing stalls with a 1-0 advantage.

Credit Toronto Maple Leafs' standout draft pick and Otters' captain Greg McKegg for that. You can also hand some responsibilty to new Rangers overager Jamie Doorbosch.

McKegg, applying the necessary offensive forecheck pressure on an early Rangers power-play, scooped up a how-do-you-do cough up by the former Peterborough Pete, Doornbosch, and flipped it over the shoulder of Mike Morrison.

Doornbosch was shown the door by Petes' General Manager Dave Reid for being a defensive disaster in his own end.

Potent on the power-play he may be, his defensive tendencies haven't seem to have left his repertoire in Kitchener.

Even with the score 3-2 with 20 seconds left in the period, and a late goal by the usual suspect McKegg, the Rangers never panicked over their 10-game gargantuan gold-mine of Ontario Hockey League points that the Otters have morphed into becoming in the eyes of the blueshirts.

Or make that redshirts. Kitchener sported their new third jerseys, donning the crest of a soldier's mug, honouring both the Canadian veterans from both world wars, as well as the popular Remembrance Day jerseys from the very first game of the Memorial Cup tournament held in the same Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in 2008.

Landeskog buried a rebound on an overtime man-advantage to send the Otters back home to once again contemplate what more they can do to beat their division rivals.

Ryan Murphy and Matt Tipoff tallied the other markers for the Rangers while Adam pelech added a bank-in job off Rangers' forward Ben Thomson's stick to go along with McKegg's deuce.
Monday's game also signalled a coming-out party for 2010 first-round draft pick Matia Marcantuoni (pictured).

While draft picks with much less fanfare and hype surrounding them racked up the points out of the starting gate in the O, (see Sarnia's Alex Galchenyuk and Belleville's Brendan Gaunce), Marcantuoni sputtered and despite getting his chances early, perpetually came up short when it came to putting the puck behind the keeper.

And while the kid may still only have one goal to his name so far, his play has caught fire, collecting that goal and five assists in his past three games while being promoted to second-line centre accompanying fellow rookie scoring sensation Tobias Rieder and Tipoff with the absence of Carolina's Jeff Skinner.

While the OHL's learning curve is steep, it seems the 16 year-old's hands have caught up with his blazing speed.

On this day, Marcantuoni's drive to the net gave Rieder and the Kitchener Rangers their go-ahead third goal of the match and was named first star for his efforts.

The Rangers can claim to become even more lethal as the next crop of stars in Marcantuoni and Rieder, 16 and 17 respectively, get more and more acclimatized to the league (Rieder's six goals in seven games have helped him claim eighth spot in league scoring).

Meanwhile, the Otters can circle their next date with the Rangers, November 27, on their calendars because something's gotta give.

And as always, the team across the pond eternally hopes they'll find the secret formula sooner, rather than later.

Rangers Run and Gun to a 7-5 Victory over Barrie

Throw the tape out coach.

Yes, your Rangers scored seven after being held to a goose egg last week.

Yes, you chased OHL top tender Peter DiSalvo from his crease late in the game.

Yes, you got the powerplay rolling with a 2-6 effort after a quasi-horrendous opening two weekends with the man-up.

But you can be sure Steve Spott will be tossing this one faster than Kobe Bryant tosses a last-second swish.

"We had some players have a disgusting effort tonight," Spott told 570 News after the 7-5 win against the young, but tenacious Barrie Colts.

"There are nights where you can lose in this league and have a good night's sleep after; and you can win and not get a wink."

Spott's Rangers should be without some shut-eye tonight according to the coach's assessment, but it won't be due to the christening of Oktoberfest festivities in the region.

Surrendering five goals surely wasn't in the game plan, especially to the wide-eyed OHL break-in youngsters from Barrie (featuring a surprisingly large contingent of players from the region, including Tanner Pearson, Mark Scheifele and Colin Behenna, who had one, two, and three points respectively in Friday's matchup).

But thank the Rangers propensity to come out like gangbusters in the third period as has been the case in all four of Kitchener's wins this season.

With the way the Rangers come out into the third in each one of the victories, it almost signals a different team, a team that the coaching staff would much rather see sooner than later.

The blueshirts scored five times in the third, including two goals by Jason Akeson (pictured) 18 seconds apart from one another to start the frame.

Ryan Murphy added a wraparound dazzle, Matia Marcantuoni banged home his first in the uniform and Andrew Crescenzi capped off a fine physical game, netting a gimme in the final minutes to seal the win, for the now 4-1 Rangers.

But if Kitchener hopes to contend in any fashion come April, these 7-5 games will have to disappear.

Mike Morrison began the game, and after allowing three goals, was pulled in favour of starter Brandon Maxwell, less in discipline towards a poor game by Morrison, who made some admirable stops, and more to do with re-energizing a nonchalant squad who should have been firing on all cylinders to avenge a dreadful 4-0 loss at the hands of Owen Sound last weekend.

The team will get a chance to rectify their defensive lapses against an Erie squad they've victimized in the past, winning 7-3 in their third game of the season.

Tobias Rieder added two on the night for the Rangers, and Darren Archibald and Behenna produced deuces for the Colts while Pearson added another.

Championship teams find ways to win, and you can't fault the Rangers for overcoming their defensive failures to outgun their opponents.

But what happens when that offensive faucet runs dry?

When that time comes, those five goals against, will look awfully larger than they do in a scratched-out, by the skin of their teeth victory versus a rebuilding group of Colts in the regular season.

Attack Hand Rangers Their First Loss

There would be no cavalry galloping across the second period intermission to revive the Kitchener Rangers' ailing 3-0 hole entering the final frame, much like it had in the blueshirts' first three games, where the group found 10 goals over the past three third periods.

In fact, the Rangers couldn't even manage one in a 4-0 decision against a sizzling-hot Owen Sound Attack team which has reeled of three straight wins against Midwest division foes Kitchener, London, and Guelph.

Even more impressive is the air-tight defensive game the Attack have employed, surrendering only six goals in four games to start the season.

Rangers head coach Steve Spott and his crew walked into the Harry Lumley Bayshore Arena Saturday, perhaps expecting to replicate a lot of what last year bestowed upon the team, a six game season sweep, and instead was met with an entirely renewed and entirely revamped Attack squad that looked like a team possessed and hungry for revenge, signalling a role reversal of a year ago.

First round NHL pick Joey Hishon led the way, having a hand in three of the four markers by the Bayshore boys, adding a goal and two assists to dispell the notions of any lingering effects of injuries sustained earlier in the Colorado Avalanche training camp, as well as last year that kept the centreman to just 36 games with his mates.

Scott Stajcer (pictured) recorded his first shutout of the season, stopping 36 shots, and his boyhood Cambridge-based opposite at the other end of the ice, Brandon Maxwell, managed to halt 41 of 46.

The last goal to beat him on this night was an ugly one; as Maxwell went to bat the puck to the corner, the black disc had ideas of its own and deflected off the keeper's poking stick and into the cage.

The Rangers couldn't get their legs under them all night, as the crew went 0-5 on the power-play, and the Attack were much more fruitful in their man-advantage attempts, converting two of five.

A very unexpected and largely unassuming foe to start the campaign, if the Attack can keep their extraordinary defensive pace up, and their relentless puck-pursuing offence going throughout the duration of a full season, the Rangers just may have one more pesky Midwest-division rival on their plate in their hopes for a conference title.

Robby Mignardi, Garrett Wilson and Jesse Blacker contributed goals for Owen Sound, all three a part of the forgettable Bayshore season just one year ago.

It's got to make Rangers fans think, if a culture change is truly possible and sustainable in Owen Sound this year, the high-flying Kitchener team from one year ago, sans defensive powers John Moore, Dan Kelly, ex-Attack member Chris Mackinnon and perhaps Jeff Skinner and Jeremy Morin is also starting to look very different from their current selves.

The question quickly becomes, which team can sustain their impressive starts and elevate their season to greater heights, and command that coveted Western Conference title that the Rangers came so close to claiming one seemingly short year ago?

The Attack have put forth their nomination, and so far, the bid is standing up.

Rangers Continue Dominance over Erie with 7-3 Beating

It was familiar territory for Rangers fans.

The Kitchener Rangers were continuing their mastery over divisonal rivals Erie, with their 9th straight win against the Otters; a 7-3 thrasing, continuing last year's Otter slaughter of an eight-game season sweep of 2009-2010.

With one exception... free delicious winter smoothies?

With all the cheering and jeering that the Aud's spectators are known to dish to Rangers and visitors alike each Friday, a very new, and very different sound erupted from the stands when public address announcer Dave Schneider mentioned a Wendy's promotion that seemed to entice and delight the Rangers' faithful with unexpected glee.

Every stub-carrying attendee who mentions that the Rangers netted five against the Otters to Wendy's workers today receive a free small frosty.

Folks from Kitchener sure like their treats, don't they? Especially in the current economic climate, when they're free.

Take note Mr. Carl Zehr, the key to Kitchener's vote this coming election is in their stomachs.

It was fitting then, that the Otters would come to town when the Kitchener crowd receives a very rare, but nevertheless gratifying gratuity.

Kitchener and Erie stand in stark contrast in terms of marketing the on-ice product.

Erie can't seem to give their tickets away in a tough hockey market south of the border, let alone bait their fans with free provisions attached to their attendance.

Kitchener on the other hand has no trouble warming seats with bodies, who, judging by their audible reaction to Schneider's good tidings, apparently like to chill down once in awhile, even as October welcomed the area with a cool breeze Friday.

But even with the prospect of chilly snacks, the Rangers' following got their Friday-night filling of icy goodness in what has seemed to define the Rangers in the still-young season- a third period blitz.

Ryan Murphy (pictured), Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Tipoff all capitalized in the Rangers' new favourite frame to turn a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes into a 7-3 show-off.

Landeskog recorded two on the night, and Tipoff took a Ryan Murphy blueline blast off the chops- and converted the puck behind Otters keeper Chris Festarini via his martyred mug to cap off the seven goal outburst.

It was a night for the veterans to break out, as Jason Akeson, Andrew Crescenzi, and Michael Cattenaci all converted their firsts of the campaign.

Cattenaci and Akeson was akin to a chocolate and vanilla frosty, never failing to find each other last night, as each was threading no-look passes to the other all night long, with Akeson potting a slam-dunk back door pass from the Cat, and Catenacci wheeling for a highlight-reel, Matt Halischuk-esque, breakaway, backhand blitz in the first to put the Rangers ahead by two in the first.

David Shields, Anthony Luciani and Mitch Gaulton replied for the Otters, who drop to 1-3 on the year.

Don't look now, but the Kitchener crew have notched 18 goals in just their first three games.

That leads the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference, tied with Sault Ste. Marie, who have played one more game than the Rangers.

The blueshirts are quickly proving that life without ex-snipers Jeremy Morin and Jeff Skinner isn't all doom and gloom that prognosticators had expected.

Tipoff, Landeskog, and Murphy are the emerging faces of the 2010-2011 season, and the return of either Morin and Skinner is quickly looking like the icing on an already structurally strong cake.

The Rangers will look to make it four straight to start the season when they face the red-hot Owen Sound Attack at the Bayshore Arena tomorrow night.

Four-Goal Third Period Lifts Rangers Past Storm

Two years ago, at the outset of the post-Memorial Cup-run rebuild, fans were advised to stay in their seats until the last ticks of the clock had run their course.

The Kitchener Rangers were young, but they had a flare for the dramatics, usually scoring in the last possible moments on unsuspecting opponents who thought they had their foot firmly on the throats of the blueshirt crew.

Flash forward to the present, specifically Sunday's 6-4 victory against arch-rival Guelph at the Sleeman Centre in front of 3,394, and you'll find a similar pattern emerging.

But these older and grizzled veterans have learned. They're starting to find the net earlier.

Slightly.

Just call them the third period throttle boys.

When those last 20 minutes are upon the boys in blue, they turn it up a notch.

A third-period four goal outburst on Sunday followed a third-period triple strike-delight versus Saginaw on Friday.

It seems when it matters most, the Rangers wake up just in time.

It didn't seem to matter that the Rangers were able to take a nap in the second frame, and Guelph's top trio of Peter Holland, Michael Latta and Taylor Beck combined for five points and helped pot three against starting goalkeeper Mike Morrison and the Rangers.

Beck, Latta, Holland and Cody McNaughton had the Storm up 4-2 after two.

But they were unable to keep pace with the Rangers' new favourite tradition featuring the third period feeding frenzy.

The Storm didn't help their cause by taking 10 minor infractions, with three in the Rangers' favourite frame.

Ryan Murphy arrived to his sophomore season by scoring twice in the final minutes, Matt Tipoff (pictured) added another and Tobias Rieder started it all off 3:24 into the final frame to together record four unanswered goals and leave the second-period-dominant Storm with some gaping jaws.

It's a dangerous game the Rangers are playing.

Teams in the Ontario Hockey League are not known for napping during games and still emerging with the W.

But the Rangers have managed to do it twice to open the campaign.

Coach Steve Spott will be looking for a complete 60-minute effort during practice this week if he wants the wins to rack up.

The afternoon affair lived up to its rivalry-renewed billing.

The Storm showed flashes of why they're considered to be a contender.

Their top line of Holland, Latta, and Beck can devastate opponents and may even be the best line in the league when each are hot.

But it was the Rangers' depth that wore down the star-heavy Storm.

Tipoff recorded two goals and a fight, Jamie Doornbosch notched his first as a Ranger, Murphy's two-goal outburst and Rieder's second goal in two games proved that the team down Highway 7 is more than just absentee-NHL busy stars; Jeremy Morin and Jeff Skinner.

Kitchener and Guelph will have many more chances to get re-acquanited, seven to be exact as the young season wears on.

Until then, the Rangers will need to devise a plan to stop the Storm's top three guns, as well as halt that annoying habit of sleeping on the job.

That third period throttle thing though... Spott may want to keep that new pattern intact.

Rangers Open Season with 5-2 Victory over Spirit

The monkies were flying tonight.

Sadly, the hats weren't.

Shedding the proverbial primate on season opening night for the Kitchener Rangers included oversized forward Tyler Randell and incoming German whiz, Tobias Rieder.

Perhaps even Gabriel Landeskog could say he threw the monkey off his back with a hat trick performance in a 5-2 Rangers victory over the Saginaw Spirit in front of 6, 397 fans who showed up for the opening night festivities.

Randell, who knows he must have a splendid season to offset a very forgettable season last year in which he battled through a nagging back injury (the monkey was too heavy?) needs to produce.

The Boston Bruins expect it. That contract won't re-sign itself.

Consider that first goal out of the way. It couldn't have been timelier for his teammates either- the 19 year-old scored what turned out to be the game's deciding marker with just 11 minutes left in the contest, and Randell and his teammates never looked back from there.

Perhaps inspired by his fellow forward's simian-ridding tendencies, Rieder who was brought in to provide goal-scoring gumption, proved he too can clear his largest initial hurdle in the Ontario Hockey League, and scored his first goal in North America with 2:50 left to seal the deal for the blueshirts.

Rieder, who was welcomed to the league early on in the game by a crushing check as he made his way around the net to collect the puck, learned very early on, that protecting the body is of paramount importance in the O.

The German wobbled his way to the bench, and woke up in a hurry, finishing the night with a goal and an assist.

Fellow import Swede, and donning the 'A' for the first time, signalling his assistant captain duties, Landeskog, meanwhile had himself a night to remember.

If there were any doubters that the Swedish sophomore sensation couldn't live up to his billing as a bona fide top line scorer, "Gabe" quelled those nay-sayers with a hat trick despite top linemates Jeff Skinner and Jeremy Morin away, reporting for their NHL teams.

Sadly, the only headgear that was tossed in tribute to the trick was a lone promotional Rangers plastic helmet given to the fans during a recent playoff run.

While that line did dominate in the pre-season, Landeskog proved he could put up more than respectable numbers without his superstar sniper brethren, thank you very much.

If he wasn't already coach Steve Spott's choice to succeed ex-Ranger Dan Kelly as captain, his case just became that much stronger to be the Rangers' first European captain in its 48-year history.

The Rangers will need him to continue his hot start. They will need all the offensive help they can find to replace the 97-goal gap that Skinner and Morin may leave if they stick in the big show.

While the game was tied for most of 50 minutes, the last 10 proved favourable, as the boys in blue shed their opening night jitters and peppered former Rangers goalie Mavric Parks with 45 shots, with three beating him in the last 11 minutes.

Parks was sharp, but couldn't match Kitchener's just-returned netminder of their own, Brandon Maxwell.

Maxwell's 35 saves on 37 shots was a far cry from the 6-5 wild opening day win, one year ago in a see-saw affair to the Kingston Frontenacs. In that game, whoever shot last, won.

Josh Shalla and Michael Sgarbossa were the only Spirit to beat Maxx on this night.

The Rangers now head to Guelph on Sunday for a divisional rival date with the Storm at 2:00.

Now that the nerves and monkeys are out of the way, the Rangers are hoping that while they may not want to have to use them, the same late game heroics prevail throughout the course of the long and arduous 68-game grind to the show.

Sixty-seven left, boys.