Minor Midgets Show Well at Brantford Showcase Tournament, News, Minor Midget, 2015-2016, AAA (Kitchener Minor Hockey)

Game 1:   v Brampton  (3-0 KJR)

Wanting to get a good start in their first game Friday the KJR Minor Midgets came out flying outshooting their opponents 28-3 in the first period scoring 3 times.  After that the Brampton goalie stood tall stoning the Rangers the rest of the way.  The pucks that did get behind the goalie found the post or crossbar instead of the twine.   Rhett Kimmel, despite not seeing much action made the key saves when necessary for the shutout.

Rangers: 3

Brampton: 0

Shots: 60-11 KJR

PP: KJR 2/9  Brampton 0/8

Goal scorers:

1. Eric Uba from Addison Macey

2. Sean Kawalec from Jacob Schnittke (pp)

3. Nathan George from Ben Demoe and Carter Lennon (pp)

Game 2: v Ajax Pickering (4-1 KJR)
Wanting to build off of their first game of the day the Jr. Rangers faced Ajax Pickering in their 2^nd game Friday afternoon.  The back and forth 1^st period ended in a scoreless tie.  The Rangers took control in the 2^nd period when they limited Ajax to only 2 shots on net and scored 3 goals themselves.  Untimely penalties the last half of the 3^rd period found the Rangers playing the final 7 minutes shorthanded and most of that time 2 men short.  However the penalty killers did a great job with Brandon Romany scoring shorthanded while Rhett Kimmel stood tall once again as the Rangers won 4-1 to finish day 1 of the tournament with 2 wins.

Rangers: 4

Ajax: 1

Shots: 46-23 KJR

PP: KJR 2/4  Ajax 1/7

Goal scorers:

1. Ben Demoe from Eastan Eckert (pp)

2. Luke Bignell from Eric Uba and Sean Kawalec (pp)

3. Brandon Romany from Luke Bignell

4. Brandon Romany from Luke Bignell (sh)

Game 3: Richmond Hill Coyotes (3-1 KJR)

The boys in blue started day 2 with an early morning game against a physical and pesky Richmond Hill team.  The early morning saw the boys start slowly but found their legs in the 2^nd period with special teams again playing a key role in the game.  The Rangers were relentless on the forecheck frustrating their opponents time and time again to earn their 3^rd win of the tournament.

Rangers: 3

Richmond Hill: 1

Shots: 35-14

PP: KJR 2/4  Richmond Hill 0/3

Goal scorers:

1. Liam Holwell from Austin McCombs and Nathan George (pp)

2. Eric Uba from Sean Kawalec (pp)

3. Justin McCombs from Luke Bignell (sh)

Game 4: v Honey Baked hockey club (3-3 Tie)
With very little turnaround time between games the Rangers faced their American counterparts the Honey Baked Hockey Club.  Both teams entered the game 3-0.  The winner would receive a bye to the semi-finals while the losing team would be forced to play their 3^rd game of the day in the quarterfinals Saturday night.  Coming into the game Kitchener had outscored their opponents 10-2 and Honey Baked had outscored their opponents 18-4.  Initially the Rangers found themselves back on their heels from the speed and transition of their opponents.  As a result too much respect and free ice was given allowing the opposition to jump into a 3-0 early in the 2^nd period.  The Rangers persevered and battled as a team all the way back and tied their opponents 3-3.  As a result of the tie both teams finished 1-2 overall and received byes to Sunday’s semi-final game avoiding the dreaded quarter final game Saturday night.  Jackson Dewar made some outstanding saves to keep his team in the game all night.

Rangers: 3

Honey Backed: 3

Shots: 38-17 Honey Baked

PP: KJR 3/6  Honey Baked 2/4

Goal scorers:

1. Jacob Schnittke from Eric Uba and Carter Lennon

2. Carter Lennon from Sean Kawalec and Jacob Schnittke

3. Sean Kawalec from Luke Bignell and Jacob Schnittke (pp)

Semi-Finals: v Burlington (2-1 KJR)

In their semi-final match up the Jr. Rangers found themselves playing the hard working Burlington club that finished first in their division and 3^rd overall.  The Rangers came out hitting and found themselves on the wrong end of some questionable calls once again relying on the goaltending of Rhett Kimmel and their penalty killers to stand tall.  Despite the penalties the Jr. Rangers badly outshot their opponents but required a power play goal late in the game to get the win and advance to the finals.

Rangers: 2

Burlington: 1

Shots: 39-16 KJR

PP: 1 / 2 KJR  Burlington 0/8

Goal scorers:

1. Gianfranco Commisso

2. Sean Kawalec (pp)

Finals: v Honey Baked (4-1 Honey Baked)

The Jr. Rangers found themselves facing the fast and skilled Honey Baked club for the 2^nd time.  Playing their 6^th game in 3 days took its toll and the Rangers found themselves down one 11 seconds into the game.  Trying to play catch up for the 2^nd time against this hockey club proved to be too much as Honey Baked skated to a 4-1 victory and the championship.

Rangers: 1

Honey Baked: 4

Shots: 36-25 KJR

PP: 0/8 KJR  Honey Baked 2/3

Goal scorers:

1. Gianfranco Commisso from Josh Helgerman and Addison Macey

Despite not getting the outcome they wanted in the finals the players should be proud of their accomplishment as one game doesn’t define who they are and how they played in their 6 games over 3 short days.

Kitchener’s captain Luke Bignell was named outstanding forward of the tournament.

The Kitchener Jr. Rangers Minor Midget AAA hockey club is back in action this Wednesday night when they take on the 1^st place Huron Perth Lakers.  Game time is 8:00 pm at Activa.  Come out and support your Kitchener Jr. Rangers Minor Midget AAA hockey club.