The Kitchener Jr Rangers MD Red team learned a good lesson from their rival Blue team about playing with intensity and focus dropping their Sunday afternoon matchup 3 to 2. Credit to the Blue team for their hard work and determination in this one.
It has been a string of meaningless games for the Rangers as of late, having clinched first long ago, and the team was getting a tad sloppy and almost just going through the motions at times. Perhaps, a silver lining in the lose is renewing the team’s hunger.
Aiden Radatus certainly had the hunger to win and played one of his best games of the season stopping just shy of 30 shots. Radatus fought hard for loose pucks and was acrobatic at times keeping the puck out of the net for his team.
The teams captain, Jacob Reid-Brant, was on his game as well scoring a pair of goals with his first from Evan Peori and Quinten Earle and his second from Connor Coughlin and Caleb Cumming. With his second goal of the game, Reid Brant has reached the 50 goal plateau this season, something the Rangers Captain has worked hard for.
The team was without Toby Pryce so that meant extra ice for Matt Gallant, Kodi Blackshaw, Noah Park, Chad Morris and Josh McDonald. Many of the team’s forwards did a great job of back checking with Jake Fisher, Stephen Peppas, Logan Duke, and Denver Heiman battling hard for the team. In the end however team discipline hurt the team, something that will need to be corrected and a focus moving forward.
The Rangers will close up the playoffs with a game against Burlington next weekend and have to wait and see how things play out to learn who will be the first-round opponent in play downs. It will be important for the team to take the lessons and continue their hard work towards reaching the triple banner season, with 2 banners in the bank the coaches are confident the third is within reach come Alliance Championships!
Go Rangers!