The K-W Kid Strikes Again

The Brampton Battalion are infamous for their puck-stifling defence, belligerent back-checking, and suffocating trap-style of play.

Trouble is, no one bothered to tell these new guys.

Zach Lorentz and Eric Ming were the lone goal-getters in a 2-2 draw with the Brampton Battalion Sunday afternoon in a post BBQ matinee.

Playing a team where not only is it dangerous to surrender the first goal to risk losing the game, but also risk losing the audience to an "Inception"-induced unconscious state (without the anesthesia or dream thieves), Lorentz's tally seemed to jolt the Rangers and their fans awake in the second period.

Captain-for-the-day Jason Akeson spotted the streaking Kitchener native Lorentz coming off the bench and sent him in alone on Battalion goaltending incumbent Jacob Riley (looking to take over from the departed Patrick Killeen) and Lorentz made no mistake with a bobbling puck, backhanding it between the wickets of Riley's pads.

Lorentz's marker seemed as good a time as any for the Rangers to come alive, and within seconds, Lorentz made another beautiful play, passing a seeing-eye puck to linemate Eric Ming who flipped the puck into the open net behind Riley.

And bam, the Rangers' two goals for the day were notched by their fourth line, a phenomenon that will need to continue from the blueshirts' depth if the team wants to make it deep into the playoffs.

Lorentz's two-point day followed a strong outing Friday night where he scored his first of the pre-season with a tip in front of the net.

The local boy is so far making a strong case for himself to be in the opening day roster come September 24th with three points in two games.

And with the Rangers' NHL draftees away at camp in late September and early October, Lorentz, Ming and fellow linemate Keli Grant will need to produce with the absences of Tyler Randell, Jeremy Morin, Jeff Skinner, Cody Sol, Julian Melchiori, and goaltender Brandon Maxwell all away with their respective NHL clubs.

Mike Morrison took the reins for the Rangers' goalkeeping duties on Sunday and once again proved that he belongs on a championship team, letting only two goals get by him on 28 shots.

The first was a tip in front by Craig Moore on a Battalion powerplay with just under a minute left in the second stanza. The second was on what seemed like a harmless rush from Sam Carrick, but the Toronto Maple Leafs' draftee showed why he will again be one of the league's premier forwards with a snipe shot that found a hole above Morrison's right shoulder pad.

Cody Sol recorded his first fight as a Ranger and after throwing a couple punches managed to get on top of his green-clad Battalion opponent. Spott brought Sol in mainly for his defensive prowess but also for his physical game and will hope to see more from his hulking blueliner as the season progresses.

Ryan Murphy seemed to take note as he laid out an uncharacteristic thunderous hip-check in the first period that sent the Battalion forward head over heels along the left wing. That garnered a large ovation from an appreciative crowd who knows the puck-whiz more for his water-bug velocity and puck-threading abilities than for his physicality.

The Rangers will visit the Battalion in Brampton on Monday for a rematch before traveling to Niagara for a date with the Icedogs on Saturday.

Rangers' Morin Puts on a Show in Possible Curtain Call

Well, if it was to be Jeremy Morin's last game in a Kitchener Rangers uniform, the 19 year-old left-winger made sure he would leave an impression for the Aud faithful who may possibly be deprived of No. 61's dazzling display of dominance in an 8-3 rout of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL.

Morin's NHL-drafted team, the Chicago Blackhawks, could make Morin a Mo-show in Kitchener this year and place him with their AHL affiliate in Rockford. It all comes down to an NHL ruling which will clarify where players drafted outside the OHL, but signed with an OHL team, can play as a 19 year-old.

The fogginess surrounding Morin's immediate future didn't stop the Rangers' sniper from putting on a show however.

Morin (pictured) put on a tantalizing display of his lethal release and notched two goals and two assists in a game which featured the Rangers' marksman up to his old tricks. His snapshot that can rival possibly anyone's in the AHL, let alone the OHL was on frequent display, but the top forward also broke out a couple of dekes which left his opponents' defencemen and the crowd wondering what just happened.

The Rangers' top line, assuming Morin and top centreman Jeff Skinner are returned from NHL training camps showed just how destructive they can be in their first exhibition game. Morin, Skinner and Gabriel Landeskog combined for an astounding 10 points. The Rangers barely felt the absence of graduated forward Chris Mackinnon, or the press-box sit-outs of Jason Akeson and Michael Catenacci.

Mind you, the Huskies are a very young team, in a different league, who may have been fatigued by travel, but if the boys in blue wanted to prove themselves as favourites early on, they answered any doubters by playing a solid 60 minutes full of defensively responsible backchecking by the rookies (which shows coach Steve Spott's mantra getting through to the kids early on).

The Rangers exploded for four goals in the second period after being knotted at twos after the first, and the top trio of Morin, Skinner and Landeskog who barely saw any action in the third period gave way to the youngsters to strut their stuff.

And strut they did. Matia Marcantuoni, the Rangers' top draft pick over the summer notched his first goal in his Rangers-crested jersey by flying (the kid's got wheels) down the right wing and faking a shot before placing it neatly under the crossbar in the third.

Zach Lorentz, a local native, closed out the scoring and put the Huskies to rest with his redirected tip-in off 16 year-old Evan McEneny's point shot.

If the third frame was a forum for his rookies to entice, Spott and company has got to be pleased with what they saw. The high learning curve of the jump to the O seemed minimized with the talent and work ethic instilled in his young pups during training camp. Promises of a bright future seemed aplenty with solid contributions by McEneny, Lorentz, Marcantuoni and made the Rangers more than a one-trick pony.

Overager Matt Tipoff showed why he belongs on the club as one of three for the upcoming season with two goals of his own, and Landeskog and Skinner also scored for the Rangers.

Junior Harris recorded two and Taylor Lambke notched a single for the Huskies.

The Rangers' second exhibition game falls this Sunday when the Brampton Battalion roll into town.