Rangers Report

Murphy returning to Rangers

It has been a week of good news for the Kitchener Rangers.

First word came out that centre Radek Faksa is set to return to the lineup Friday against Owen Sound after missing about a month with a knee injury.

Now, captain Ryan Murphy is heading back to Kitchener after a four-game stint with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Murphy was called up as an emergency injury replacement but has to be sent back to junior now that defencemen Jamie McBain and Tim Gleason are healthy.

Murphy went scoreless in four games and was minus-four for the 'Canes, but was among the ice-time leaders on the squad while he was in Raleigh.

The Rangers have eight games left in the regular season and are in a tough fight to secure home ice advantage. The club is currently fourth, two points behind Owen Sound and five up on fifth place Guelph.

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Former Rangers' overager Nick Czinder has 16 points in 18 games for the Peterborough Petes. He had nine in 31 games in Kitchener. Looks like the change of scenery did him some good.

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An update from practice -- Murphy will play vs. Owen Sound Friday.

Goalie John Gibson also practised with the club for the first time since mid-January, but he will not dress this weekend.

Radek Faksa needs to pass one more medical test tonight to be cleared to return Friday. The team feels confident he's ready to go, so expect him in Owen Sound.

Farm report

Some good Rangers' prospects are in the pipeline but getting a few of them to Kitchener may prove challenging.

Forward Jake Evans (8^th round 2012) was named to the OJHL’s first all-prospects team. He has 44 points in 50 games in his rookie season for the St. Michael’s Buzzards. Evans has committed to the University of Notre Dame.

Centre Chris Maniccia (10^th round 2010) is fourth in Central Canada Hockey League scoring with 75 points in 51 games for the Smith Falls Bears.

Winger Ryan MacInnis (third round 2012) has six goals and three assists with Team USA’s Under-18 squad in USHL action.

Blueliner Pat Gazzillo (9^th round 2011) has eight points in 49 games and is plus-12 for the Soo Eagles in the North American Hockey League.

Forward Nick Magyar (12^th round 2012) tore it up for the Cleveland Barons minor midget squad with 42 goals and 52 assists in 59 games before leaving to join the USHL’s Sioux City late last month.  His 1.59 points per game average was tops for the Barons.

Sioux City has won just 12 games all year, but six since Magyar joined the club. The 16-year-old has two points in 10 games with City. Magyar is expected to head to Ohio State on a scholarship.

Meanwhile, Keli Grant (3rd round, 2009) was named a GOJHL second team all-star. Grant led the Kitchener Dutchmen in scoring this season.

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The OHL, and its members, have issued several suspensions this week.

Among them:

- Owen Sound forward Daniel Zweep will sit five games for a cross check against Saginaw.

- London's Matt Rupert is out the rest of the season and one playoff game for a charging major vs. Saginaw (why is everyone picking on the Spirit?)

- Windsor head coach Bob Boughner has suspended Emerson Clark and John Bowen for three games due to disciplinary reasons.

- Erie's Hayden Hogdson is gone for 10 games for an interference major vs. Kingston.

Century club

A car accident may drive a wedge between Tobias Rieder and a major milestone in a Kitchener Rangers uniform.

The German centre is 10 goals away from joining some elite goal scoring company - the Century Club.

Rieder has 90 goals with eight games left in the season. He was blistering hot before getting rear ended in a fender bender earlier this month. The 20-year-old missed three games because of the accident.

The feat  is still within reach, but sitting out that trio of games hurt the cause.

RANGERS' CENTURY CLUB
(goals scored with Kitchener)

158 – Dwight Foster
147 – Derek Roy
127 – Bill Barber
127 – Wayne Presley
125 – Shawn Burr
124 – Jeff Larmer
123 – David Latta
118 – Doug Sulliman
116 – John Tucker
116 – Steven Rice
115 – Mike Richards
111 – Paul Evans
110 – Tim Spitzig
108 – Jason Firth
107 – Justin Azevedo
107 – Ron Goodall
106 – Trevor Gallant
105 – Grant Martin
100 – Jerry Byers

Weekend wrap

Just eight games to go until the playoffs.

And the Kitchener Rangers salvaged the weekend by posting back-to-back wins after a 6-3 stinker at home Friday night against Saginaw.

A recap:

Kitchener downs Sudbury 3-2 on home ice Saturday.

The Rangers edge Brampton 2-1 in a roadie Sunday.

February wasn't all that bad. The club went 6-3-0-2 with points in eight of 11 games.

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March's schedule is tough.

Kitchener plays Guelph, Saginaw and the Soo twice and has singles against London and Owen Sound.

A 5-3 record over that stretch is doable.

As it stands now, the Rangers would open against the Guelph Storm, if the playoffs started today. I think that's a winnable series.

It's tight in the west, but I think it's safe to say the Rangers will either face Guelph, the Soo or Sarnia in the first round. Not sure Saginaw, currenlty eighth, can leapfrog those three teams.

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As mentioned yesterday, the team expects to have centre Radek Faksa back for Friday's game against Owen Sound.

Faksa has been out for more than a month with a knee injury.

He has been skating for about a week and will slot back in as a pivot, moving Matia Marcantuoni to the third line centre job.

That'll mean more line juggling with Josh Sterk likely moving back to the wing.

***

Carolina Hurricanes' defenceman Tim Gleason is nearing a return, so expect captain Ryan Murphy back for weekend action.

That will only leave goalie John Gibson on the sidelines. But the netminder has been working out and skating for a week and is improving, according to the team.

Kitchener 2, Brampton 1

Apologies for the late start to the blog game day notes.

Had some internet issues at the Powerade Centre, but it's all good now.

It's the last time in the barn before the move to North Bay (unless the clubs meet in the OHL final).

I've always been a fan of this rink. It's a quick drive, free parking, ample pressbox room and always full of Rangers' fans.

Anyway, on to the action.

Kitchener:

Ben Thomson-Tobias Rieder-Josh Leivo
Matt Puempel-Matia Marcantuoni-Justin Bailey
Brent Pedersen-Josh Sterk-Derek Schoenmakers
Domenic Alberga-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming

Ben Fanelli-Frank Corrado
Evan McEneny-Max Iafrate
Jared Gilbert-Owen Stewart

Joel Vienneau (25-14-2-7) starts.

Brampton:

Francis Menard-Jamie Lewis-Barclay Goodrow
Brandon Robinson-Patrik Machac-Nick Paul
Blake Clarke-Mike Amadio-Matt MacLeod
Connor Jarvis-Nicholas Foglia-Brendan Childerley

Cameron Wind-Zach Bell
Dylay Blujus-Marcus McIvor
Brenden Miller-Mark Raycroft

Matej Machovsky (21-15-3-4) starts.

Game summary

Puck points:

- Rangers’ goalie John Gibson stayed behind in Kitchener for a workout with team strength and conditioning trainer Brandon Merli.

- Centre Radek Faksa is expected to return Friday against Owen Sound. Faksa has been out with a knee injury since Jan. 19.

- A local media member told me that the Battalion have about 200 dedicated fans. No surprise they're moving.

- A wonderful pace to Kitchener's game this afternoon. Perhaps the best end to a three-in-three I've seen this season.

- Ben Fanelli played a key shutdown role yet again and NHL scouts are taking note. He got the game puck.

- Nice to see the Josh Leivo-Tobi Rieder combo at it again. The duo has combined for two goals and two helpers in the past two games.

- Goalie Joel Vienneau has certainly moved past the fluky goal from Friday night. That's back-to-back solid efforts for the Hearst native. Thought today's game may have been his best.

- In fact, the Rangers as a team took an important step by proving they could move on from the 6-3 dud on Friday.

- Spott credited Merli for keeping team in shape to put in efforts like today's.

JB's top three Rangers: Joel Vienneau, Ben Fanelli, Max Iafrate

Kitchener 3, Sudbury 2

It's starting to feel like Groundhog Day at the Aud.

Another day, another game. Should have just slept over at the rink last night.

It's an exciting game ahead with the Sudbury Wolves in town. As mentioned, it's the return of the ex-Rangers three in Franky Palazzese, Cory Genovese and Matt Schmalz, all dealt north at the deadline.

Of course, Palazzese is pumped and predicted a win.

Kitchener has shuffled the lines, or at least kept the combos they had late in last night's 6-3 loss to Saginaw.

Ben Thomson-Tobias Rieder-Josh Leivo
Matt Puempel-Matia Marcantuoni-Justin Bailey
Brent Pedersen-Josh Sterk-Derek Schoenmakers
Darby Llewellyn-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming

Ben Fanelli-Frank Corrado
Evan McEneny-Max Iafrate
Jared Gilbert-Owen Stewart

Joel Vienneau (24-14-2-7) starts.

Sudbury:

Nathan Pancel-Mathew Campagna-Dominik Kubalik
Chad Thibodeau-Danny Desrochers-Frank Vilardi
Jacob Harris-Michael Kantor-Nicholas Baptiste
Matt Schmalz-Dominik Kahun-Ray Huether

Cory Genovese-Charlie Dodero
Conor Cummins-Kevin Raine
Evan de Haan-Zach McFadden

Franky Palazzese (15-11-3-6) starts.

Game summary

Puck points:

- Wolves defenceman, and ex-Ranger, Cory Genovese wore an 'A' in the game, but I'm told by Sudbury staff that it was a trainer mistake and that he's not in fact an assistant captain.

- Not sure the emotion in the game translated up to the press box but I'm told by players that it was there in a match pitting former teammates against one another.

- What a difference in the back end. Maybe it just took a day to get used to the absence of Ryan Murphy, but the entire defensive unit played tighter and more controlled this afternoon.

- It didn't take long for Tobias Rieder's hot hand to return. The centre had a 12 game scoring streak put on hiatus after he was in a car accident and missed a trio of games. The streak ended last night in his first game back but he had a goal and a helper today.

- A classic rookie game by Darby Llewellyn. He picks up a point and makes a miscue on the second Sudbury goal. All apart of the learning process for the promising winger.

- Some chants for Franky Palazzese broke out before the national anthem. He clearly has lots of fans left in Kitchener.

- The win puts Kitchener two points back of the third place Owen Sound in the west.

- The struggling Rangers power play showed some life today going 2-for-3.

JB's top three Rangers: Evan McEneny, Max Iafrate, Tobias Rieder

Murphy's moment

Kitchener Rangers captain Ryan Murphy talks about his NHL debut this past Thursday, courtesy of 'Canes Vision.

Carolina's injured defenceman are now day-to-day, making Murphy's return to the Rangers sooner rather than later.

 

Saginaw 6, Kitchener 3

Saginaw rolls into town on a two-game winning streak while Kitchener is coming off a 5-3 loss to Guelph.

Both teams are fighting for playoff positions.

It's a busy weekend for the Rangers. How's this for scheduling? Sudbury plays tonight at home and then has to be at the Aud for a 2 p.m. start Saturday.  Brutal.

The Rangers are in Brampton Sunday for a matinee as well.

No Ryan Murphy for the Rangers, who dazzled in his NHL debut last night for the Carolina Hurricanes. Tobias Rieder rejoins the lineup after a three-game absence.

Kitchener's lines:

Matt Puempel-Tobias Rieder-Josh Leivo
Ben Thomson-Matia Marcantuoni-Derek Schoenmakers
Brent Pedersen-Josh Sterk-Justin Bailey
Domenic Alberga-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming

Ben Fanelli-Frank Corrado
Evan McEneny-Max Iafrate
Jared Gilbert-Owen Stewart

Joel Vienneau (24-14-2-7) starts.

Saginaw:

Eric Locke-Garret Ross-Jimmy Lodge
Terry Trafford-Justin Kea-Nick Moutrey
Jeremiah Addison-Dylan Sadowy-Gregg Sutch
David Perklin-Brandon Lindberg-Andrey Alexeev

Steven Strong-Dalton Young
Jason Shaw-Nathan Glass
Jacob Ringuette-Brandon Prophet

Jake Paterson (21-15-2-2) starts.

Game summary

Puck points:

- It sure was evident tonight how important Ryan Murphy is to the Rangers. The club lacked flow, speed, a puck moving attack and a PP quarterback against Saginaw. Not sure who is going to fill this role next year.

- A tough night for Kitchener goalie Joel Vienneau, who let in one from behind the centre line and a soft shot from the blue line, before getting yanked for Jack Moylan.

- One media Tweeter was gushing over Matt Puempel's fight, calling him a leader. Puempel has long been a leader before tonight. But my question is, why is he the guy who has to spark the club with a scrap?

- Never seen the Rangers flub so many passes across the blue line on the power play.

- Eric Ming's marker was his first in 11 games.

- A weird observation: few sing O Canada at the Aud, but when the team plays an American opponent, the crowd bursts out on the national anthem. Showing some pride.

- Perhaps the ugliest game of the year for the Rangers. As coach/GM Steve Spott said, you just have to turn the page. But of concern is the fact that Kitchener has allowed 11 goals in the past two games.

- Kitchener has one win in their past four games. With 10 games to go until the playoffs, it may be premature to be bringing up the end of the season curse. But to be that guy, it's worth noting that the Rangers had four wins in the final 11 games last year. In 2011, they lost the last seven games heading into the post-season.

- Tobias Rieder's 12 game scoring streak ended.

- Hats off to the Spirit. It wasn't their premier players getting it done tonight. Two guys scored their second goals of the year, one guy notched his third and another earned his first. Aren't teams supposed to get worse when they trade their best player (hello Vince Trocheck)?

JB's top three Rangers: Matt Puempel, Josh Leivo, Owen Stewart

Anatomy of the deal

It was the biggest deal of Steve Spott's career as GM.

The root of the trade with the Sudbury Wolves, that included six players and 10 draft picks, was a year in the making.

The swap has worked out for both teams. The Rangers have gone 12-3-0-3 since the deal. Sudbury has stood strong despite trading away its top players.

The trade was an emotional affair involving players, coaches, agents, parents, owners and GMs.

Here's a look at how it grew from an idea to reality and the impact it had on everyone involved along the way.

Saturday, the players collide when the Wolves arrive at the Aud for the first time this season.

Captain 'Cane

It was big news for Ryan Murphy yesterday.

The Kitchener Rangers captain was called up by the Carolina Hurricanes after spending training camp with the club earlier this year.

The blueliner - and the team - was shocked, since it's so late in the season.

So what does it mean for the Rangers? Well, a range of things.

No timetable has been given for his return but he'll be back once Carolina's injury situation clears up. The team is currently without d-men Tim Gleason, Jamie McBain and Joni Pitkanen.

Michal Jordan - no joke, that's his name - is the first emergency recall and Murphy is the second. Once one guy is back, Murphy has to be returned to Kitchener, so his stay shouldn't be too long.

Coaches specifically requested Murphy after being impressed with him at training camp.

In Kitchener, rookie rearguard Owen Stewart joins the lineup to fill the void. On the power play, the club will go with four forwards on its first unit.

Get used to seeing more Ben Fanelli, Frank Corrado and Evan McEneny. Their minutes will increase. Same goes for Max Iafrate.

In the end, it might not be such a bad thing.

The Kitchener Rangers have already clinched a playoff berth with 11 games to go in ths season. All that's left is the seeding.

Sure, the team wants home ice advantage, but in the end, if they want to go far, they're going to have to get through power house teams such as the London Knights, Plymouth Whalers and Owen Sound Attack anyway.

Murphy was playing 20-plus minutes a night in Kitchener. Going to Carolina and seeing less ice time, or potentially being a healthy scratch, may not be the worst move. He'll get some rest and a taste of the bigs and come back better for it.

UPDATE: So much for Murphy getting some rest. The blueliner played the second most minutes (23:51) for the 'Canes in his debut as Winnipeg defeated Carolina 4-3.

Murphy recalled by Hurricanes

The Kitchener Rangers suffered a massive blow today when the club learned that captain Ryan Murphy was recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes.

The blueliner, who plays 20-plus minutes a night for the Rangers, was an emergency recall due a rash of injuries to the 'Canes back end.

It's expected that Murphy will return to the Rangers when the injured defencemen are activated.

Carolina is currently without rearguards Tim Gleason and Joni Pitkanen, who are both out with lower body injuries.

Murphy's exit means rookie blueliner Owen Stewart will step into the lineup in Kitchener.

Murphy is third in team scoring with eight goals and 31 assists in 46 games.

Nobody will wear the 'C' in Murphy's absence.

CHL Top 10

The Canadian Hockey League's weekly top ten was released today.

No Kitchener Rangers, which isn't a surprise after the 1-1-0-1 weekend. They were an honourable mention last week.

1. Portland Winterhawks (48-9-1-2)
2. Halifax Mooseheads (46-6-2-1)
3. Edmonton Oil Kings (43-12-2-3)
4. London Knights (41-12-2-3)
5. Rimouski Oceanic (37-12-2-6)
6. Kelowna Rockets (42-15-3-1)
7. Kamloops Blazers (40-15-2-3)
8. Owen Sound Attack (36-17-1-3)
9. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (37-16-2-3)
10. Belleville Bulls (35-14-3-3)

Honourable mention: Barrie Colts (36-18-1-2), Calgary Hitmen (39-17-1-3), Plymouth Whalers (32-16-5-4)

Rock em, sock em

Ex-Kitchener Rangers defenceman Cory Genovese takes on Oshawa's Johnny McGuire on Family Day.

Chalk up one for the Cambridge native.

 

Gibson making strides

Kitchener Rangers goalie John Gibson is "doing great" according to team general manager and head coach Steve Spott.

The club's starting netminder has been sidelined with a hip and groin injury and has only played three games since returning from the world junior hockey championships, where he led the United States to a gold medal.

"He’s doing his therapy and getting stronger every week," said Spott.

The Rangers plan to get the netminder back skating this week for the first time in about a month.

The team is taking extra time with Gibson and is in no rush to get him in game action since the injury affects such a key area for goalies.

"You have to (take it slow) for a lot of different reasons," said Spott. "The position that he plays is number one. Number two, the amount of games he could play in the playoffs. It’s almost every second night.

"We want to make sure that when he gets back that he’s healthy and ready to go."

The team has the luxury of being cautious since interim goalie Joel Vienneau is holding down the fort. The backstopper is 9-2-0-3 since being acquired by the Sudbury Wolves near the OHL's trade deadline.

"The way Joel is playing right now, we can be selfish," said Spott.

Meanwhile, centre Tobias Rieder is expected back Friday when the club hosts Saginaw at the Aud. Rieder has missed the past three games with minor injuries suffered in a car accident late last week.

As mentioned a few posts down, centre Radek Faksa (knee) is also improving and expected to skate this week for the first time in about a month. The Czech import suffered a MCL injury Jan. 19 and ws originally slated to miss 4-6 weeks, but appears ahead of scheddule.

Guelph 5, Kitchener 3

All settled in at the Sleeman Centre.

What a nice change to see a Rangers-Storm game (insert sarcasm here). Yes, there is a familiar tone to this afternoon's affair. It's the fourth game against Guelph since Jan. 27.

No Saverio Posa for the Storm. The blueliner is serving an indefinite suspension for a match high sticking penalty vs. Plymouth on the weekend.

Anyway, lines for the game:

Kitchener:

Matt Puempel-Matia Marcantuoni-Josh Leivo
Ben Thomson-Domenic Alberga-Derek Schoenmakers
Brent Pedersen-Josh Sterk-Justin Bailey
Darby Llewellyn-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming

Ben Fanelli-Frank Corrado
Ryan Murphy-Evan McEneny
Max Iafrate-Jared Gilbert

Joel Vienneau (24-13-2-7) starts.

Guelph:

Cody McNaughton-Tanner Richard-Zack Mitchell
Brock McGinn-Jason Dickinson-Scott Kosmachuk
Tyler Bertuzzi-Hunter Garlent-Justin Auger
Patrick Watling-Robby Fabbri-Ryan Horvat

Andrey Pedan- Ben Harpur
Zac Leslie-Brock Beukeboom
Chadd Bauman-Daniel Poliziani

Garret Sparks (23-18-0-4) starts.

Game summary

***

Puck points:

- Kitchener overager Derek Schoenmakers limped to the dressing room late in the first period while the Rangers were on the power play. He suffered a stinger on the back of his leg and had trouble putting weight on it but was back on the bench early in the second period.

- A full barn in Guelph, about a third have to be Kitchener Rangers fans who sound louder as a group than a packed house at the Aud.

- Credit the Guelph Storm for imposing their game plan on the Rangers. Retaliatory penalties cost Kitchener a goal and kept their top players on the bench for most of the first two periods.

- When five on five play resumed in the third, Kitchener outshot the Storm 13-4.

- Justin Bailey's blueline to back of the net rush was a thing of beauty. It was one of, if not the, prettiest goals by a Ranger this season. The rookie has 17 so far this season with a 11 games to go. I think 15 would have been deemed a successful year.

- Kitchener's grinders came to play. A noticeable improved effort by Ben Thomson, Derek Schoenmakers, Curtis Meighan, Eric Ming and Domenic Alberga.

- Thomson looked to have scored the game tying goal with 1:08 left in the third but it was waved off due to a high stick. The Rangers had no problem with the call.

- Guelph's Scott Kosmachuk picked up his 30th of the year and is the sole Storm player to hit the mark this season. Kitchener's Matt Puempel is the closest to the plateau with 27 and counting.

- At 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds, one might question Andrey Pedan's tactics of looking like he was hit by a truck when checked by someone half his size. But you have to give the big man credit, he certainly got under the Rangers' skin, and had a goal and two helpers.

JB's top three Rangers: Justin Bailey, Ben Fanelli, Ben Thomson

Changing roles

Matia Marcantuoni is enjoying a small surge since being promoted to the top line to fill in for the injured Tobias Rieder.

The former Rangers' first rounder has three points in two games and helped the club double Erie 4-2 last night south of the border.

The speedy forward has transitioned nicely to centre and has 23 points in 52 games.

Those aren't numbers to scream about, but his role is changing.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who drafted him in the fourth round at last year's draft, now see him as a checking centre and a penalty killing specialist.

And that's the message that has been sent to the Rangers, so the club will be trying to fulfill those wishes, when possible, for the remainder of this season and next year.

***

Good news on the Radek Faksa front. The Czech import (knee) is slated to begin skating this week. He was originally scheduled to miss 4-6 weeks but, if all goes well, may return sooner than expected.

***

Spott said he hopes to have Tobias Rieder back in the lineup Monday. The first line centre is recovering from minor injuries suffered in a car accident this past Thursday. Rieder was in Erie and looked fine as he watched the game from the stands.

***

When Rieder and Faksa return, the Rangers will have a glut of centres. Spott said that Rieder, Faksa, Marcantuoni and Curtis Meighan give the team a nice foursome, adding that centre Josh Sterk may get shifted to the wing.

Kitchener 4, Erie 2

Well I guess I wasn't the only one hung up at the border.

Took me almost two hours to cross thanks to all the long weekend shoppers.

It's an hour and a half until game time and no sign of the Rangers. They usually arrive two hours before puck drop.

Will update when they get here.

On a side note, renovations at the Erie Insurance Arena are coming along nicely even though tonight's media room is in a hockey change room. At least it doesn't smell like hockey equipment while we eat dinner.

Kitchens are being installed in the luxury boxes and the furnishings look sweet.

OK, team is here an hour shy of the national anthems.

Road trip music mix: Kept in all Pearl Jam, a little old and new, in honour of the upcoming show at the Bud Gardens.

***

Kitchener lines:

Matt Puempel-Matia Marcantuoni-Josh Leivo
Brent Pedersen-Josh Sterk-Justin Bailey
Ben Thomson-Domenic Alberga-Derek Schoenmakers
Darby Llewellyn-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming

Ben Fanelli-Frank Corrado
Ryan Murphy-Evan McEneny
Max Iafrate-Jared Gilbert

Joel Vienneau  (23-13-2-7) starts.

Erie:

Dane Fox-Luke Cairns-Connor Brown
Connor Crisp-Connor McDavid-J.P. Labardo
Jake Evans-Stephen Harper-Nick Betz
Hayden Hodgson-Kyle Pettit-Joel Wigle

Adam Pelech-Jimmy McDowell
Spencer Abraham-Troy Donnay
Travis Wood-Jack Kuzmyk

Oscar Dansk (9-16-2-3) starts.

Game summary

Puck points:

- Both John Gibson (hip/groin) and Tobias Rieder (resting after car accident) made the trip to Erie to watch from the stands.

- Domenic Alberga has gone back to the visor from the cage. Facial cut has healed.

- Odd mascot note: Erie's Otter wears a jersey with No. 1 with the word "recycle" on the back. Nice to know the Otter is thinking about the environment.

- A few Rangers banged up in Erie. Max Iafrate checked hard into end boards, stayed down for a few seconds but skated off on his own and then slammed his fist into the glass in frustration, so I think it's safe to say he's fine. Derek Schoenmakers also limping after a shift. Both players stayed in the game.

- Just how well has THE trade worked out for Kitchener? Josh Leivo has 21 points in 17 games and a 14-game point streak, Joel Vienneau is 9-1-0-3 and Frank Corrado +19, all since joining the Rangers from Sudbury.

- Erie GM Sherry Bassin in one dedicated leader. Before the game, he was walking down the hall balancing five boxes of chicken en route to the team's dressing room. Not sure too many other OHL GMs hand deliver chow to their players.

- A tough night early on for Jared Gilbert. The defenceman slipped and fell in the first period at the blue line and that gave Erie a 2-on-1, which they made good on. Gilbert rebounded to play a solid game.

- Erie goalie Oscar Dansk was sharp and faced 41 shots through the first two periods (47 overall).

- Josh Leivo looked to have his second of the game, and 26th of the year, but his goal was waved off after the puck was advanced on a hand pass. A Ryan Murphy blast, that looked to sneak in under the crossbar, was reviewed and also called off.

JB's top three Rangers: Josh Leivo, Evan McEneny, Ryan Murphy

Plymouth 3, Kitchener 2 (SO)

Two of the league's hottest teams hook up at the Aud tonight.

Both the Plymouth Whalers and Kitchener Rangers sport identical 7-2-0-1 records in their past 10 games.

The Whalers sit second in the western conference by virtue of being first in the west division but actually trail the Rangers by four points in the standings.

No matter. It's tight up and down the conference with only eight points separating third seeded Kitchener from seventh place.

The Rangers are on a roll thanks in part to Josh Leivo and Tobias Rieder. Both forwards own the OHL's longest current point scoring streak at 12 games.

It's Leivo's second run this season. In Sudbury, he found success with another German centre.

***

Speaking of Rieder, he's out of tonight's lineup. Turns out the centre was in a minor car accident Thursday night and suffered minor injuries.

Kitchener's lines:

Matt Puempel-Matia Marcantuoni-Josh Leivo
Brend Pedersen-Josh Sterk-Justin Bailey
Ben Thomson-Domenic Alberga-Derek Schoenmakers
Darby Llewellyn-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming

Ben Fanelli-Frank Corrado
Ryan Murphy-Evan McEneny
Max Iafrate-Jared Gilbert

Joel Vienneau (23-13-2-6) starts.

Plymouth:

Ryan Hartman-Vincent Trocheck-Tom Wilson
Stefan Noesen-Rickard Rakell-Garrett Meurs
Matthew Mistele-Mitchell Heard-Sebastian Uvira
Danny Vanderwiel-Zach Lorentz-Cody Payne

Austin Levi-Colin MacDonald
Nick Malysa-Gianluca Curcuruto
Alex Peters-Connor Carrick

Alex Nedeljkovic (8-1-1-1) starts.

Game summary

***

Puck points:

- Kitchener Rangers draft pick Danylo Znaczko took in tonight's game. The blueliner was selected in the 12th round in last year's OHL draft. Fellow prospect Frank Hora (8th round, 2012) was at the Aud earlier this month.

- Update on Rieder. He is day to day with bruises and bumps. He will not play this weekend. Was told that includes Monday's game vs. Guelph. Injuries are not expected to keep him away long term.

- I don't have a say in the game's three stars but for those as confused as me, it seems Plymouth goalie Alex Niedeljkovic was the first star, even though he was announced as the third star. And a worthy honour it was after stopping 52 shots.

- Kitchener's power play was 1-for-9. Why not throw Max Iafrate out for a shift or two? He has a big shot from the point and it's not like anything else is working.

- These late finishes are killer. The game didn't end until after 10 p.m. tonight.

- If it feels like Kitchener goes to the shootout often, it's because it does. The Rangers have been to the saw-off 13 times this season, or about every four games.

- Depth scoring is beginning to hurt the Rangers yet again. That's three straight games where the same guys are hitting the score sheet.

- Not that it's an excuse, but Plymouth arrived an hour before puck drop. Also, expect more from Rickard Rakell, who was playing his first game in a while after sitting for the past seven while with the Anaheim Ducks.

- Nice to see all Kitchener's scouts in attendance tonight. These guys put in tons of hours at rinks across Canada and the U.S. throughout the year and don't get to the Aud that often.

- Erie beat London 4-3 tonight and should be fired up to face the Rangers Saturday after losing 11-4 to Kitchener last time around.

- I think it's safe to say Matt Puempel has rediscovered his game. He has three goals in the past two games.

- Josh Leivo added an assist to extend his point scoring streak to 13 games.

JB's top three Rangers: Matt Puempel, Matia Marcantuoni, Josh Leivo

A special day

The Kitchener Rangers took time Tuesday night to take on the Kitchener Ice Pirates and Cambridge Ice Hounds in the 6th annual special hockey benefit game.

The two local hockey squads are made up of children and adults with developmental or physical challenges who have a passion for hockey.

Here are a few pictures from the event.

 

Faksa on the mend

I ran into Kitchener Rangers centre Radek Faksa this morning at the Aud.

The Czech import is on the sidelines with an MCL injury and not scheduled to return until the week before the playoffs, at best.

His spirits were high and the noticeable limp he's been sporting practically gone. He was on his way to the gym to workout. He said he's been riding the bike and able to do off-ice training.

"It's getting better," he said of his knee.

His return will be a huge boost for the Rangers. Faksa has 26 points in 32 games this year.

I can't see GM/coach Steve Spott breaking up the top unit of Tobias Rieder, Josh Leivo and Matt Puempel, since it's smoking hot.

That means Faksa will likely be slotted on the second line with Matia Marcantuoni and Ben Thomson on the wing when he returns.

***

During the pre-season, I predicted a line of Faksa, Reider and Puempel could combine for 100 goals. Due to injuries, that's not going to happen.

But, interestingly, had the trio remained healthy, at their current pace they would have combined for 97 goals. That's not bad when you work in Rieder and Faksa's early season slumps.