The Kitchener Jr Rangers MD Red team completed their series against the Brantford 99ers Saturday night with a 12 to 4 win on the road at the Gretzky Center.
The win marks the Rangers 50th victory of the season, dating back to early September. The win also moves the Rangers to their tenth straight playoff victory, keeping them perfect thus far in the playoffs with a 10 and 0 record. Although the top of the standings are clear, the Rangers will have to wait and see how the dust settles to see how the rest of the team’s seed. Currently, Kitchener Blue is in last and would play Red but all teams have a few more games to play before anything is set.
Jake Fisher opened the scoring with a pair of back to back goals. Fisher’s first goal was set up from Connor Coughlin and Caleb Cumming and his second from Coughlin and Matt Gallant. With his 2nd assist in the first period, Coughlin became the second Ranger this season to hit the 100 point mark. Denver Heiman scored from Logan Duke and Josh McDonald. Stephen Peppas scored from Evan Peori and Jacob Reid-Brant. Chad Morris dropped the hammer from Reid-Brant before Duke collected a hattrick. Duke first scored a power play goal from Gallant and Denver Heiman, then had a short-handed goal from Reid-Brant and McDonald and added an even strength marker from Cumming and Coughlin on a beautiful tic-tac-toe play. Peori had a rocket of a goal short handed as well right after the Duke short handed goal. Cumming scored off his own rebound from Fisher. Quinten Earle scored from Heiman and Duke and Coughlin had the final goal from Fisher and Cumming.
Owen Neomytka saw a lot of pucks despite the score and had a big part of the win with a few flashy glove hand saves and quick pad kicks. In fact, at times, the Rangers hung Neomytka out to dry and in his normal steady and calm fashion play battled hard without complaints.
As a whole, the Rangers defenders will need to tighten up and will need guys like Noah Park and Kodi Blackshaw to eat some big minutes as the team plans to roll five deep until the ever so important Toby Pryce rehabs a nagging injury.
Up next the Rangers will play the rival Blue squad before finishing up the playoffs against Burlington. The Rangers will need to work hard and stay focused as the teams they face have much more riding in the games, but it is important the team continues good habits all over the ice.
Go Rangers!