Feb 22, 2026 | Daryll Smith | 85 views
Playoff's Round #1 vs. Stratford
The Kitchener Lady Rangers U18 “A’s” faced off in round one of the playoffs against the Stratford Aces.
Opening game one in Stratford, the Lady’s started strong in the first with the first four shots on goal. A mid period PK was followed by a no set up PP. With just over a minute left in the first, the Lady’s would go on a four-minute PP which quickly turned into a Stratford 4 v. 3 (please don’t try this at home with your other daughter’s or son’s team). Halfway through the second, a low shot on net would give the Lady’s the lead heading into the break. A stronger third had the Lady’s surviving a last-minute goaltender pull to take game #1.
Returning to Kitchener for game #2, the game remained close in both shots and opportunities. A strong first saw some nice PP set up and a solid PK. Early in the second, a sleeper FO would put the Lady’s on the board. This was a timely goal as for much of the second the Lady’s struggled to get out of the DZ. A strong third limited the Aces to just four shots. With the goaltender pulled once again, with almost two minutes left to play, some smart puck possession choices and options saw the Lady’s take game #2 and advance to round #2 of the playoffs.
Having split the regular season games with Stratford, round one could have gone either way. Playing hard and smart hockey is always preferable. Although not a fan of game #1, game #2 exhibited more of the kind of hockey we would like to see you play game in and game out. Continued hard work and staying out of the box will be key in your continued playoff success. On behalf of the Kitchener Lady Rangers players and staff, we would like to thank Stratford for a great 2025 / 2026 regular season and wish all the players and staff good luck going forth in Provincial Playdowns.