Rangers Report

Marcantuoni out a month, maybe more

Enjoying  a rare day off, but thought I'd update a few injuries.

It's bad news for forward Matia Marcantuoni.

The winger, who hurt his shoulder against Guelph eight days ago, is scheduled to have an MRI and won't be back with the Kitchener Rangers until after Christmas.

Marcantuoni ran into a Storm player and then lunged awkwardly after the collision in a weird play.

Things are looking up for Max Iafrate, who felt concussion-like symptoms this past weekend. The blueliner is symptom free and will begin return to play protocol.

And centre Andrew Crescenzi is feeling better as well. The 19-year-old has been nursing a sore hand but will practise with a stick on Monday for the first time in about two weeks.

He should be back in the lineup in about 7-10 days.

 

Murphy, Faksa talk world juniors

Ryan Murphy's favourite world junior hockey championship memory is watching former OHLer defenceman Ryan Ellis compete for Canada.

When he saw him play he told his agent that he wanted to follow in his footsteps, according to Murphy.

He'll get a shot next month. Murphy was one of 41 playes invited to Canada's camp and shares his thoughts about fulfilling his quest.

Radek Faksa chimes in too about being left off the Czech Republic roster. The bonus? He gets to go home for a week at Christmas.

Akeson rocks out

Not only has former Kitchener Rangers forward Jason Akeson moved on in hockey, but it appears he also has a rock career brewing.

 

Farm report

A weekly look at some Rangers prospects:

Forward Justin Bailey (7th round 2011) is off to a flying start with the Long Island Royals. He's up to 29 goals and 18 assists so far this season in league and tournament games.

Winger Stephen Cooney (7th round 2011)  picked up an assist in Pembroke's 4-0 win over Cumberland Sunday. Cooney, who missed the team's first 19 games with an injury, has two assists over his first 10 games.

Give defenceman Jacob McNamara (14th round 2011) one assist over three weekend games for Victory Honda. He's up to five assists in 14 games this season.

Zachary Aston-Reese (trade) clinched a 2-1 win for the Lincoln Stars over Sioux Falls. Aston-Reese has three goals this season and two of them are game-winners.

Chris Maniccia (10th round 2010) picked up two assists in two games on the weekend. He has 19 points in 28 games.

Murphy off to world junior camp

Kitchener Rangers defenceman Ryan Murphy was invited to Canada's world junior hockey camp this morning.

Forty-one players received invites, but only three from last year's squad.

Kitchener natives Tanner Pearson and Mark Scheifele, of the Barrie Colts, also got the call.

Cambridge native, and Guelph Storm coach, Scott Walker is one of the assistant coaches.

The selection camp runs Dec. 10-14, which means Murphy will likely not be available to the Rangers for their game against Windsor Dec. 9 and beyond.

The final team will be announced Dec. 14 and then the squad will play three pre-tourney games before competing in the worlds from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Calgary and Edmonton.

The Rangers could be without three players for about a month if Murphy makes the final cut. Tobias Rieder is already on the German team, that will compete in the Division B tournament early next month. Goalie John Gibson will likely represent the United States.

Canada's full roster.

Fanelli finds net

It was hard not to appreciate the goal by Ben Fanelli and the reaction from the team and crowd at this afternoon's game.

One of the best memories is watching forward Josh Sterk almost tackle Fanelli with a hug after he potted his first goal of his OHL career.

Fanelli had lots to say about the marker. He didn't stop smiling throughout the entire interview.

Kitchener 4, Sarnia 1

The blue line is receiving a boost this afternoon with the addition Harrison Scarfone of the Kitchener Dutchmen.

Scarfone has no points in three games for the Dutchies.

Even with his presence, the Rangers are still only dressing five defencemen. That will change Thursday when Jesse Young and Ryan Murphy join the lineup.

Max Iafrate remains out with concussion-like symptoms and Matia Marcantuoni is improving, but doctors in Toronto have yet to examine his shoulder.

Meanwhile, goalie John Gibson's back is feeling better and he will start Thursday in Brampton. Jack Moylan is backing up Frank Palazzese this afternoon.

Sarnia's Nail Yakupov is scratched for the game.

Lines:

Thomson-Catenacci-Rieder
Lorentz-Faksa-Ming
Francisco-Sterk-Grant
Pedersen-Meighan-Lesway

Sol-Melchiori
Fanelli-Genovese
Scarfone

Game summary

Puck points:

- Sarnia was missing several key players but the Rangers just simply outworked the Sting this afternoon.

- Make it five straight wins for Franky Palazzese. Nice to see him finding a groove, especially with John Gibson likely off to the world junior hockey championships.

- Tobias Rieder has the second most goals (20) in the OHL. Radek Faksa is the OHL's highest scoring rookie.

- A big test ahead with three games in three days beginning Thursday - Brampton, Mississauga and Erie.

- I thought Cory Genovese played one of his better games this afternoon.

JB's top three Rangers: Franky Palazzese, Ben Fanelli, Tobias Rieder

Beat up Rangers tame Otters

The schedule is being kind to the Rangers.

Kitchener, who has been hit with a whack of injuries to key players, has lowly Erie three times over a two week stretch.

The Rangers beat Erie 8-1 last week, 7-3 last night and take on the Otters next Saturday in the States.

Talk about good timing.

But it's a tough time to be an Otter, losers of nine straight games.

D-line dilemma

So Jared Gilbert's injury brings up an interesting dilemma for the Kitchener Rangers.

The rookie, who was developping nicely, is out 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist. The injury leaves a hole on the Rangers' bue line.

Going forward the team will use Cody Sol, Julian Melchiori, Ben Fanelli and Max Iafrate. A solid top four. After that? They have rookie Cory Genovese.

Ryan Murphy is in the mix too, but he'll likely be gone for a month at the world junior hockey championships.

Jesse Young may join the back end once he gets his card situation straightened out.

A couple of things to consider:

- The current combo (assuming Murphy goes to the worlds) leaves the Rangers with two inexperienced defencemen as the third pairing in Genovese and Young, if the latter becomes a regular.

- The Rangers have six OHL cards left. Do they want to burn one on Young, which will happen if he plays 10 games for Kitchener, or use it for a more seasoned player?

- Even if they go with Young and Genovese as the third pairing, it doesn't leave the team with a backup if one of the six blueliners gets injured.

It all kind of points to the Rangers acquiring a defenceman. Surely Steve Spott is on the horn talking to GMs with spare rearguards. He kind of has to, doesn't he?

Kitchener 7, Erie 3

The Rangers are dressing five defencemen tonight with Jared Gilbert out 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist.

Blueliner Jesse Young is not in the game, despite being healthy. Young is currently on an option card and the team is trying to get him in on a Junior B card.

The problem is that the club is waiting on a transfer from Hockey Canada, which doesn't convene until Thursday. That means five defencemen for tonight and Sunday.

The Rangers have 30 OHL cards and have used 24 of them.

Backup goalie Jordan Lee is here tonight and Sunday. Rangers' pick Jack Moylan will skate with the club Saturday.

Lines:

Thomson-Catenacci-Rieder
Lorentz-Faksa-Ming
Francisco-Sterk-Grant
Pedersen-Meighan-Lesway

Sol-Melchiori
Fanelli-Iafrate
Genovese

Franky Palazzese gets the call with Jordan Lee backing up. Tyson Teichmann goes for Erie.

Game summary

Puck points:

- The Rangers had 10 defencemen to start the season but could only dress five tonight.

- Could be the ugliest 7-3 win in a while. But at this point, with all the injuries, the Rangers will take it.

- Nice to see the fourth line step up with a few goals. Didn't notice the top line much until Tobias Rieder's goal late in the third. Catenacci was critical of his play after the game.

- Big minutes logged tonight by Melchiori and Sol.

- Max Iafrate was rocked in the final two minutes and left the game. Another injury on its way? UPDATE: Upper body injury. Team was still looking at him when I went down for interviews. More information tomorrow.

JB's top three Rangers: Radek Faksa, Brent Pedersen, Ben Fanelli

The backup plan

With goalie John Gibson out with a sore back, and then potentially gone for about a month to the world juniors, it's Franky Palazzese's time to shine.

I had a good chat with the backup Thursday at the Aud. He's always a good quote and talked about his game day rituals, new helment and stepping up to help the Rangers.

Franky will start Friday and most likely Sunday.

He joked that some people will be upset that he has Don Cherry on his mask.

On Twitter

Finally caved and signed up.

Between the stories and the blog, not sure how much time I'll have to Tweet, but I'll give it a go.

Find me @BrownRecord

Rangers add goalie

Just a quickie for now, but it appears the Kitchener Rangers have added goalie Jordan Lee to the roster.

He'll serve as Franky Palezzese's backup Friday against Erie.

Starter John Gibson is out with a lower back injury and, if he returns, will likely miss about a month playing for the U.S. at the world junior hockey championship.

He's here to back up Franky for at least the weekend.

Lee plays for the Kitchener Dutchmen and is listed at 6-foot-1, 168 pounds. He's 2-10-1-1 on the season with a 4.58 goals against average.

Numbers game

Ever wonder how the Rangers choose their numbers? Take a look below.

And for more on what numbers are off limits, in demand or sacred, read here.

How they got their number

3 — Cory Genovese: Is a fan of Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf.

4 — Ben Fanelli: Someone told him Bobby Orr was cool when he was a kid.

7 — Julian Melchiori: Uncle Mike Murphy wore No. 7 with the L.A. Kings.

9 — Tobias Rieder: A number he wore in soccer as a child.

10 — Michael Catenacci: A big Pavel Bure fan growing up.

11 — Brandon Francisco: Used to wear No. 9. Birthday is Feb. 11.

12 — Eric Ming: Given to him at training camp, but wore it as a youngster.

14 — Zach Lorentz: Always wore No. 14 in honour of Derek Roy.

15 — Ben Thomson: Wore the same number on his lacrosse team.

16 — Brent Pedersen: Used to wear No. 10, took 16 for no big reason.

17 — Josh Sterk: Birthday is Jan. 17.

18 — Brandon Lesway: Was a Mike Richards fan as a kid.

20 — Andrew Crescenzi: Used to wear No. 8 but it was taken. Was given No. 20.

23 — Jesse Young: In honour of Triple-A coach Todd Gardiner.

24 — Ryan Murphy: A fan of Bryan McCabe.

25 — Keli Grant: Birthday is May 25.

32 — Frank Palazzese: Wore 44 and 52 in past. Rangers like goalies to choose between 29-35.

34 — Max Iafrate: Same number as his dad Al.

35 — John Gibson: Same number he wears with Team USA.

36 — Curtis Meighan: In honour of grandma Nora, who was born in 1936.

41 — Cody Sol: Chose No. 41 in Saginaw after his usual No. 4 was taken.

55 — Jared Gilbert: Wanted No. 10. Five and five equals 10.

91 — Matia Marcantuoni: A nod to Steve Stamkos and Sergei Fedorov.

94 — Radek Faksa: 1994 is his birth year.

Rangers get national attention

The team says it doesn't care, but for what it's worth the Kitchener Rangers got an honourable mention in today's CHL top ten rankings.

It's the first time this season that the team has graced the weekly list. Winning six of their last seven games has certainly helped.

Here's how it broke down:

1. London Knights (18-4-0-1)
2. Quebec Remparts (20-4-2-1)
3. Saint John Sea Dogs (21-7-0-1)
4. Saskatoon Blades (18-6-0-1)
5. Tri-City Americans (16-6-0-0)
6. Plymouth Whalers (16-6-2-1)
7. Sarnia Sting (15-4-1-3)
8. Shawinigan Cataractes (17-8-1-2)
9. Victoriaville Tigres (18-9-0-1)
10. Kootenay Ice (16-5-1-2)

HM: Ottawa 67's (14-6-3-1), Brandon Wheat Kings (16-8-1-1), Kitchener Rangers (15-7-1-0)

Injury update:

John Gibson: Still experiencing lower back pain and will not play Friday. Franky Palazzese gets the start. No backup has been selected yet. Draft pick Jack Moylan (knee) has still not been cleared to play.

Andrew Crescenzi: Hand injury has him out indefinitely. The Leafs aren't reassessing his injury for at least one week, maybe two.

Ryan Murphy: Has been cleared to play. Carolina wants him to practise for one week. He will return next Thursday in Brampton.

Matia Marcantuoni: Left shoulder is still in a sling. He will not play Friday. Still too much swelling to get a diagnosis. He was injured on an innocent play. His shoulder swung in a weird way after colliding with a Guelph Storm player Tuesday.

Jared Gilbert: His right wrist is in a bandage. Day to day for now.

World junior update:

Tobias Rieder leaves for the world junior championships B Division tournament Dec. 7 and returns after Christmas.

Ryan Murphy should be off to the Canadian selection camp Dec. 11th.

No timetable has been announced for the American camp, but it will be around early to mid December. John Gibson, if healthy, is a virtual lock to make the squad. His mentor, Joe Exter, is one of the coaches picking the team.

Radek Faksa was not invited to the Czech Republic camp, according to officials at the Czech Ice Hockey Association.  At just 17, he's too far down the pecking order.

From midget to Rangers

Hear from Zachary Shomphe, the Kitchener midget goalie who was called up for one game in the OHL last night.

He was in math class at high school when he got the call for Tuesday's game against the Storm. He didn't see any action but, as a lifelong fan of the Rangers, enjoyed every minute of it.

That's him wearing No. 33 on the right.

Meanwhile, despite injuries, the Rangers keep rolling along. Add goalie John Gibson and forward Matia Marcantuoni to the injured list that already includes Andrew Crescenzi.

At least Ryan Murphy will be back. Coach Steve Spott said the Carolina Hurricanes want him to practise for one week before returning.

I saw Gibson this morning at the Aud and he was walking around just fine. No back brace or anything like that. I'll get more on the MASH unit at this afternoon's practice.

Murphy cleared to return

Concussed Rangers defenceman Ryan Murphy has passed all the necessary tests to return to play.

But the Carolina Hurricanes want their first round draft pick to practise with the Rangers for a week before returning to action.

That means Murphy will be back next Thursday in Brampton.

The 18-year-old left for Carolina Monday to meet with team doctors and should be back in Kitchener Wednesday.

He has been skating on his own for about a week and has looked sharp.

Murphy was sidelined earlier this month when he was hit into the boards at the Aud by Niagara's Tom Kuhnhackl. The IceDogs' forward was suspended 20 games for the hit.

Kitchener 6, Guelph 1

First up, John Gibson is out with a back injury.

The Kitchener Rangers No. 1 netminder has been suffering from a sore back after being cross-checked against Plymouth Saturday night.

The Pittsburgh native did not dress for tonight's game.

The Rangers made an emergency call up of Zachary Shomphe, a 17-year-old goalie for the Kitchener midget Rangers. The goalie found out that he would be on the bench this afternoon.

Franky Palazzese is starting. But Gibson's injury is a major concern.

The line of Shomphe - 5-foot-7, 133 pounds, undrafted, quick feet.

Lines:

Thomson-Catenacci-Rieder
Lorentz-Faksa-Marcantuoni
Francisco-Sterk-Ming
Pedersen-Meighan-Lesway

Melchiori-Sol
Fanelli-Iafrate
Genovese-Gilbert

 Game summary

Puck points:

- Lots of news from tonight's 6-1 pasting. Matia Marcantuoni left the game in the third period with a shoulder injury. He had an ice pack and sling over his left shoulder. Coach/GM Steve Spott said the team doesn't know the extent of the injury just yet.

- Tobias Rieder and Michael Catenacci continued their hot streak, combining for six points.

- Max Iafrate scored his first goal in a Rangers' uniform. Dad Al was on hand to see it.

- Brandon Francisco was wearing a cage after chipping a few teeth against Plymouth.

- Best game of the season for Franky Palazzese, who stopped 44 shots.

- Backup Zach Shomphe got called up to the Rangers Tuesday afternoon. In a nice gesture, the lads helped make sure his parents could attend the game.

JB's top three Rangers: Frank Palazzese, Tobias Rieder, Julian Melchiori

Crescenzi out indefinitely

Andrew Crescenzi may be out a while.

The second line centre is suffering from a hand injury and can't practise or hold a stick.

He's wearing a splint on his left hand and said Toronto Maple Leafs doctors will re-examine it in a week or two.

It's too bad because Crescenzi was finding his stride and putting together his most productive season in the OHL.

It seems like just when one Ranger returns, another one goes down. Pretty frustrating for coach/GM Steve Spott.

But the Rangers aren't the only ones ailing.

At least Ryan Murphy looks to be close to returning.

In other OHL news, the North Bay Nugget talks about the city re-entering the league.

It would be nice to see the OHL return up north. Not sure what other cities in Ontario could support a club.

Farm report

A weekly look at Rangers' prospects from weekend action.

Zachary Aston-Reese (trade) had one goal in two games for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL. Aston-Reese has four points in 13 games this season.

University of Denver defenceman Scott Mayfield (6th round 2010) has just two points this season but upped his status to plus-7 in weekend action.

Goalie Mike Stiliadis (9th round 2010) took a shootout loss as his Oakville Blades lost 4-3 to Milton. Stiliadis is 8-1-1-2 with two shutouts this season.

Give winger Jordan Delaurier (12th round 2010) two assists in Abitibi's 10-4 win over the Soo in the Northern Ontario loop.

Goalie Jack Moylan (8th rond 2011) remains out with a lower body injury in Woodstock.

In Kitchener, defenceman Ryan Murphy was skating again today with assistant coach Troy Smith. Murphy, who still has to consult doctors in Carolina about his concussion, was flying around the Aud and even scored a few breakaway goals on netminder Franky Palazzese.

He looks ready to return, but still has to get the official OK from doctors down south, which may take some time.

UPDATE: Murphy left for North Carolina this afternoon to see team doctors.

Meanwhile, no love for any Rangers on the OHL Propects blog of the league's top ten for 2010.

Also, Barrie Colts forward Tanner Pearson, who hails from Kitchener, was named OHL player of the week. Rangers' winger Tobias Rieder was in the running after collecting seven points in three games.