Jr. Rangers take games 1 and 2
The
5th seeded Kitchener Jr. Rangers Minor Midget AA Hockey club headed
down highway 6 on Friday to face the 4th seeded to face the Hamilton
Huskies in game 1 of the first to 6 points series.
Game #1
Both teams felt each other out and were scoreless after 1 period. Midway through the 2nd the Rangers fore-check and strong cycle game finally paid off and Nic Andreotte opened the scoring. The rangers added to the lead 4 minutes later when the line clicked again and Ryan Stahley deposited a great feed from Sahrung Sehra to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. The Huskies quickly responded and finally beat G Justin Osolnik lowering the lead to 1 goal. The Rangers did not let that phase them and were rewarded with a timely goal with 7 seconds left in the 2nd when Mathew Gudzak scored on a one timed pass from Luke Kozak. The Huskies pushed back in the 3rd period and scored to put them in striking distance but the Rangers tightened up defensively and secured the 3-2 win to take game #1. Justin Osolnik got the win with 18 saves.
1st: No Scoring
2nd:
3rd: No Scoring
Game #2
The Rangers took the momentum into the 2nd game and were looking to take a 4-0 point lead in the first to 6 point series. The Rangers came out of the gates flying and scored 8 seconds into the first period with a great passing play finished off by Matthew Gudzak. The Huskies pushed back and scored late in the 1st period and 5 minutes into the 2nd period to take a 2-1 lead. The Rangers did not change their game plan and responded when Nic Andreotte jumped on a rebound and tied the game at 2-2 going into the 3rd period. The Rangers continued to work and took the lead at the 9:17 mark with another nice finish from Matthew Gudzak. The Huskies with their backs against the wall pushed and got the game tying goal at the 2:58 mark of the 3rd period. The Rangers refusing to accept the tie, continued working, did not let the late goal phase them and the line of Zach Ribeiro, Matthew Gudzak and Luke Kozak responded again with Ribeiro scoring the game winning goal with 1:53 remaining. The Rangers held on and won the game 4-3 giving them a 4-0 pts lead in the first to 6 points series. Morgan Heinbuch got the win with 21 saves.
1st:
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14:52
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KIT
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Matthew Gudzak (2) ASST: Luke Kozak (2), Zach Ribeiro (2)
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2nd:
3rd:
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9:17
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KIT
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Matthew Gudzak (3) ASST: Luke Kozak (3), James Lemieux (1)
|
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1:53
|
KIT
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Zach Ribeiro (1) ASST: Luke Kozak (4), Nathan Von Hatten (1)
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The Rangers will try to finish off the Huskies when the travel to Hamilton Monday Feb. 16 at 8:00PM at Mohawk Arena. Go Rangers Go!