By Jeff Hicks
Record staff
KITCHENER —
Thirteen seconds left on the clock.
It’s Friday the 13th and the London Knights have just bagged two short-handed goals in 54 seconds to give the Kitchener Rangers -- and an Aud crowd of 6,957-- a Friday night fright.
A 5-2 chuckler became a gastro-grinder finish in the final two minutes.
The Rangers clung to a 5-4 lead. The faceoff was in Kitchener’s zone.
“We had a chance,” said Knights defender Steve Tarasuk, who scored a splendid shortie with 30 seconds left to make for a dramatic finish in the Rangers’ 6-4 Ontario Hockey League win.
Ex-Ranger Nazem Kadri won the draw back to Tarasuk, another ex-Ranger.
The Rangers got a friendly hop of the puck.
“Unfortunately, it just bounced over my stick,” Tarasuk said.
“Bad ice or whatever you want to call it.”
Hey, it was Friday the 13th. Besides, it’s 58 years of bad ice and counting at the Grand Olde Aud.
Jeff Skinner then scored his second goal of the game, into an empty-net to lock up a Rangers win.
The Knights and Rangers both came into their first clash of the season eager to prove they were the true top contenders to mighty Windsor in the Western Conference.
The Rangers, who visit Plymouth on Saturday, made the best case for 58 minutes.
The Knights used to slay foes with a potent power-play. This year, they’re perimeter pass-around patsies. The Rangers got three power-play goals to London’s one.
A bloody nose at mid-game didn’t slow Skinner’s determined charge.
“Just fixed it up and went back in,” Skinner said.
The win was nice but the Rangers will ponder what almost went wrong.
“It’s a pretty quiet dressing room right now,” Rangers coach-GM Steve Spott said.
“You’ve got guys who are upset even after a win.”
Meanwhile, Knights GM Mark Hunter needs a quarterback for his power play if he wants his club to contend. Niagara GM Dave Brown was spotted at the game.
Spott wouldn’t mind adding a 19-year-old blueliner, either.
Insert your Alex Petriangelo rumours right here.
The St. Louis Blues could still return Petro to junior.
jhicks@therecord.com
Record staff
KITCHENER —
Thirteen seconds left on the clock.
It’s Friday the 13th and the London Knights have just bagged two short-handed goals in 54 seconds to give the Kitchener Rangers -- and an Aud crowd of 6,957-- a Friday night fright.
A 5-2 chuckler became a gastro-grinder finish in the final two minutes.
The Rangers clung to a 5-4 lead. The faceoff was in Kitchener’s zone.
“We had a chance,” said Knights defender Steve Tarasuk, who scored a splendid shortie with 30 seconds left to make for a dramatic finish in the Rangers’ 6-4 Ontario Hockey League win.
Ex-Ranger Nazem Kadri won the draw back to Tarasuk, another ex-Ranger.
The Rangers got a friendly hop of the puck.
“Unfortunately, it just bounced over my stick,” Tarasuk said.
“Bad ice or whatever you want to call it.”
Hey, it was Friday the 13th. Besides, it’s 58 years of bad ice and counting at the Grand Olde Aud.
Jeff Skinner then scored his second goal of the game, into an empty-net to lock up a Rangers win.
The Knights and Rangers both came into their first clash of the season eager to prove they were the true top contenders to mighty Windsor in the Western Conference.
The Rangers, who visit Plymouth on Saturday, made the best case for 58 minutes.
The Knights used to slay foes with a potent power-play. This year, they’re perimeter pass-around patsies. The Rangers got three power-play goals to London’s one.
A bloody nose at mid-game didn’t slow Skinner’s determined charge.
“Just fixed it up and went back in,” Skinner said.
The win was nice but the Rangers will ponder what almost went wrong.
“It’s a pretty quiet dressing room right now,” Rangers coach-GM Steve Spott said.
“You’ve got guys who are upset even after a win.”
Meanwhile, Knights GM Mark Hunter needs a quarterback for his power play if he wants his club to contend. Niagara GM Dave Brown was spotted at the game.
Spott wouldn’t mind adding a 19-year-old blueliner, either.
Insert your Alex Petriangelo rumours right here.
The St. Louis Blues could still return Petro to junior.
jhicks@therecord.com
