With the
Alliance extending the Minor Midget AAA season the Kitchener Jr. Rangers were
able to attend the Peterborough Tournament of Champions this past weekend and
the Jr. Rangers didn’t disappoint.
Game 1:
The Jr Rangers faced the 20th ranked Barrie Jr. Colts Friday morning. After a scoreless 1st period both teams exploded for a combined 6 goals and the Jr. Rangers found themselves heading into the 3rd period up 4-2. The Jr. Rangers would add 2 more in the 3rd period and frustrate the Jr. Colts with their forecheck.
Shots on Goal: KJR: 37 Barrie 17
Power Play: KJR: 2/4 Barrie 0/2
Keenan Dawdy from Owen Lane and Andrew McIntyre
Jacob Salters unassisted
Owen Lane from Sam Shaw
Keenan Dawdy from Peter Cascagnette
Andrew McIntyre from Tyler Dam and Sam Shaw
Peter Cascagnette from Andrew McIntyre
Game 2:
In their 2nd game on Friday the Jr. Rangers faced the Detroit Little Caesars who were ranked 5th in the USA entering the tournament. The Jr. Rangers got off to another slow start but slowly found their legs. As they found their legs they started to control the game but couldn’t find the back of the net despite peppering the Little Caesar’s goalie with shots from everywhere. The Jr. Rangers entered the 3rd period up 4-3 and scored 2 more in the 3rd for a 6-3 victory.
Shots on Goal: KJR 43 Detroit: 13
Power Play: KJR 1/ 2 Detroit: 2/3
Owen Lane from Peter Cascagnette and Ryan Kieswetter
Nicolas Munroe from Benton Hayes
Owen Lane from Ryan Kieswetter
Owen Lane from Jason Willms
Benton Hayes from Andrew McIntyre and Sam Shaw
Jason Willms from Peter Cascagnette and Owen Lane
Game 3:
Saturday morning the Jr. Rangers faced the 16th ranked Southern Tier Admirals and both teams sporting a 2-0 record. These two opponents faced each other in the Gold Puck Tourney in the same situation where the winner of the game looked to advance further. Kitchener won that game 3-1 so Southern Tier was looking to avenge that loss. The Jr. Rangers were not their disciplined selves in this game and became frustrated with some inconsistent calls. As a result Southern Tier found themselves with numerous power play opportunities. Kitchener’s penalty killing was strong and the team answered back with stronger shifts as the game progressed. Goalie Jonathan Heise stopped a Southern Tier penalty shot with 6:23 remaining in the game and Kitchener leading 4-3. Southern Tier pulled their goalie late in the game but the Jr. Rangers hung on for the victory.
Shots on Goal: KJR 32 Southern Tier 22
Power Plays: KJR 1/ 2 Southern Tier 1/6
Tyler Dam unassisted
Owen Lane from Ryan Kieswetter
Sam Shaw unassisted
Keenan Dawdy from Jacob Salters and Sam Shaw
Game 4:
The Jr Rangers faced the 25th ranked Eastern Ontario Wild in their 2nd game Saturday afternoon. Eastern Ontario was a fast, big and physical opponent that initially put the Jr. Rangers on their heels. After another slow start the Jr. Rangers started to find their legs and physical game and took control. Undisciplined play accompanied by inconsistent refereeing for the 2nd game of the day took its toll on the Rangers. Eastern Ontario threw everything they had at the Rangers but strong penalty killing, strong goaltending by Daniel Chenard and timely goals proved to be the difference as the Jr. Rangers won 3-1. With the win the Jr. Rangers finished the round robin portion of the tournament in 1st place with a 4-0 record and advanced to the semi-finals.
Shots on Goal: KJR 32 Eastern Ont.: 32
Power Play: KJR 1/5 Eastern Ont.: 0/7
Owen Lane from Andrew McIntyre and Jason Willms
Quinton Stronach from Keenan Dawdy and Jacob Salters
Benton Hayes from Simon Galvao and Ryan Kieswetter
Semi-Finals:
The Jr Rangers played their 5th game in less than 48 hours and faced the big, fast and physical Ottawa Jr. 67’s who are ranked 6th in the province. The Jr 67’s came out flying and had the Jr. Rangers on their heels for much of the game. The Jr. Rangers found themselves down 2-0 entering the 3rd period. A late push saw the Jr. Rangers get within a goal. They continued to battle right to the final buzzer and even hit a post but the Rangers weren’t able to find the back of the net and lost in the semi-finals 3-2.
Shots on Goal: KJR 17 Ottawa: 31
Power Play: KJR 1/3 Ottawa: 0/2
Austin Benko from Benton Hayes
Owen Lane from Andrew McIntyre and Peter Cascagnette
The Jr. Rangers find themselves in a playoff battle and have 3 games this week to finish up their regular season:
Tuesday Jan. 20 – 8:00 pm v Cambridge Hawks at Activa
Thursday Jan. 22 – 8:00 pm v Hamilton Huskies at Chedoke
Saturday Jan. 24 – 2:00 pm v Brantford 99ers at Activa
Come out and support your Kitchener Jr. Rangers Minor Midget AAA hockey club