Teams from
the Alliance are not usually taken seriously when they travel east down the 401. With every Alliance team participating in the
tournament the Alliance wanted to show well and prove everyone wrong over the
Christmas holidays. One Alliance team
did just that; the Kitchener Jr Rangers Minor Midget AAA hockey club.
The Kitchener Jr. Rangers Minor Midget AAA hockey club made others stand up and take notice at the Annual Toronto Marlies Holiday Classic. The tournament saw 57 Minor Midget AAA teams participate from across Ontario and the USA at the annual event.
KJR v Clarington Toros (round robin) 6-1 KJR
The Jr. Rangers started their tournament on Boxing Day facing the Clarington Toros from the OMHA. Hockey players filled with Christmas turkey and stuffing were noted the first half of this game but soon the boys in blue found their legs and work ethic which led to 4 third period goals and they cruised to a 6-1 victory. Kitchener outshot the Toros 33-14 and received strong goaltending when needed from Jonathan Heise.
Goal scorers:
Austin Benko from Simon Galvao and Owen Lane
Benton Hayes from Ryan Kieswetter (shorthanded)
Owen Lane from Jason Willms and Ryan Kieswetter
Owen Lane from Jason Willms
Benton Hayes from Chase Spencer and Peter Cascagnette
Andrew McIntyre unassisted.
KJR V York Simcoe Express (round robin) 5-3 KJR
Day 2 saw the boys in blue facing the fast and physical York Simcoe Express (OMHA). The Express entered the tournament ranked 10th in the province. Every member of the Jr. Rangers contributed in this game through their team tenacity, work ethic and sacrifice. After a scoreless first period the Jr. Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd period. Each time the Express scored and thought they had momentum the Jr. Rangers would stay grounded and responded with their own goal. The Jr. Rangers jumped out to a 5-2 lead and hung on for a 5-3 victory. Each team scored 3 goals in the 3rd period. The Express added their final goal in the last minute when the game was out of reach. Nic Munroe, Benton Hayes and Ryan Kieswetter were outstanding on the penalty kill while Quinton Stronach’s forecheck and puck pressure every shift brought energy to the entire team. Kitchener outshot York Simcoe 25-21. YSE went 1/5 on the pp with their only goal being during a 5v3. Kitchener went 2/4 on the pp.
Goal scorers:
Jason Willms from Owen Lane and Simon Galvao
Keenan Dawdy from Austin Benko and Andrew McIntyre
Owen Lane from Jason Willms and Simon Galvao
Owen Lane from Jason Willms
Owen Lane from Sam Shaw and Jason Willms
KJR v Sudbury Jr. Wolves (round robin) 3-3 Tie
In their 2nd game of the day Kitchener faced a Sudbury Wolves team that had something to prove v the Jr. Rangers. The last time these 2 teams met the Jr. Rangers badly outshot the Jr. Wolves. Sudbury came out flying but Kitchener hit the score board first and took a 1-0 lead into the 2nd period. Sudbury battled hard and jumped into a 3-1 lead with less than 6 minutes to go in the 3rd period. The Jr. Wolves thought they had the game in hand with a late power play. The Jr. Rangers scored shorthanded and tied the game up with 3 minutes left. Jonathan Heise was the story in the this game. Although Sudbury didn’t have a lot of shots all of their shots were of high quality and dangerous scoring opportunities. Jonathan held his team in the game till the very end. Kitchener outshot Sudbury 34-16.
Goal scorers:
Owen Lane from Andrew McIntyre
Jason Willms from Sam Shaw
Owen Lane from Jason Willms and Andrew McIntyre
KJR v Mississauga Senators (round robin) 3-1 KJR
In their final game of the round robin the Jr. Rangers needed a win to ensure they advanced to the round of 16. The Jr. Rangers got on the board 18 seconds into the game and played a strong team game from start to finish to seal their win. Quinton Stronach, Austin Benko, Peter Cascagnette, Keenan Dawdy and Simon Galvao were dominating every shift.
Goal scorers:
Andrew McIntyre from Benton Hayes and Nicolas Munroe
Owen Lane from Jason Willms and Nathan Schell
Andrew McIntyre from Owen Lane and Jason Willms
With a 3-0-1 record in round robin play Kitchener advanced to the round of 16.
KJR v Whitby Wildcats (round of 16) 4-2 KJR
The boys in blue west of the GTA met the boys in blue from the East side of the GTA in this back and forth game. Whitby jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead before the 1st period was half over. The Jr. Rangers remained composed and by the end of the first period had tied the score. The Rangers strong team game and attention to detail allowed them to continually pressure Whitby into turnovers and the Rangers skated to a 4-2 victory and a date in the quarter finals. Daniel Chenard was solid in this game standing tall when Whitby made their big push in the 3rd period.
Kitchener outshot Whitby 28-22 and scored on their only power play opportunity. Whitby went 0-2 with the man advantage thanks to solid penalty killing from Jacob Salters, Austin Benko, Benton Hayes and Ryan Kieswetter. Tyler Dam was very steady in the back end for the Jr. Rangers.
Goal scorers:
Jacob Salters from Nicolas Munroe and Benton Hayes
Owen Lane from Tyler Dam and Jason Willms
Karson Massey from Austin Benko and Owen Lane
Owen Lane from Ryan Kieswetter and Jason Willms
KJR v Toronto Titans (Quarter Finals) 3-2 KJR (overtime)
The Jr. Rangers met up with the Toronto Titans in the quarter finals. The Titans finished the round robin portion of the tournament with a 4-0 record scoring 19 goals and not giving up a single goal against in round robin play. The Titans, a very fast, highly skilled transition team, were ranked 4th in the province entering the tournament. The Jr. Rangers didn’t allow that to bother them and played a solid team game. The Jr. Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead entering the third period. The Titans pressed and tied the game up scoring 2 goals a minute apart half way through the 3rd period. The Jr. Rangers once again showed composure and simply continued playing their game. The checkers battled, the defense cleared pucks, the goalie made the big save when needed and the offense drove the net. The game ended in a 2-2 tie and both teams headed to overtime. The Titans were awarded a power play less than 2 minutes into the overtime period but the Jr. Rangers penalty killing stood tall and killed the penalty. The Jr. Rangers would see their hard work draw their own power play with under 5 minutes to go in the first overtime period. A minute into the power play the Jr. Rangers found the back of the net to take the victory and head off to the semi-finals. The Titans outshot the Rangers 38-21 but couldn’t solve Daniel Chenard between the pipes.
Goal scorers:
Gianfranco Commisso from Andrew McIntyre
Simon Galvao unassisted
Jason Willms from Owen Lane and Peter Cascagnette
KJR v Toronto Jr. Canadiens (Semi-Finals) 3-2 KJR (overtime)
In the Semi-Finals the Jr. Rangers faced the Toronto Jr. Canadiens who were the top ranked team in the province. Facing their 2nd top 10 opponent in less than 24 hours and an 8:30 am start didn’t affect the work ethic brought by the Jr. Rangers. The Rangers penalty killers were outstanding as they killed off 3 Jr. Canadien power plays in the first period as the first period ended scoreless. The Jr. Rangers got on the scoreboard first with a power play goal early in the 2nd period. Jr. Canadiens stormed back and took the lead mid way through the period with 2 goals 28 seconds apart. The Rangers maintained their composure and tied the game with their 2nd power play goal of the game late in the 2nd period. The game remained tied through regulation which forced the Rangers 2nd overtime game in 14 hours. This back and forth sudden death saw the Jr. Rangers carry the play and they were finally rewarded for their hard work when they found the back of the net with 1:48 remaining in the first overtime period. With the victory the Rangers were headed to the finals.
Goalie scorers:
Tyler Dam from Jacob Salters
Owen Lane from Andrew McIntyre and Peter Cascagnette
Owen Lane from Jason Willms
KJR v Toronto Marlboros (Finals) 3-0 Toronto
The Jr Rangers found themselves in the finals of this prestigious event and facing the tournament hosts who would be the Jr. Rangers 3rd provincially ranked top 5 opponent in less than 24 hours. This grueling event and tough opponents proved to be too much for the Jr. Rangers who battled hard, hit 2 cross bars but were unable to find the back of the net losing 3-0.
The Rangers should be proud of their accomplishments at this 5 day, 57 team tournament:
GP: 8
Record: 6-1-1
GF: 27 GA: 17
Power Play: 7/25 = 28%
Penalty Kill: 21/22 = 95%
Your Jr. Rangers have 6 regular season games remaining as they battle for their playoff position:
Jan 3 at Chatham 3:30 pm
Jan 4 at Sarnia 2:00 pm
Next Home Game:
Saturday January 10 v 1st place London Jr. Knights 2:00 pm at Activa
Come out and support your Minor Midget AAA Jr. Rangers Hockey Club