Rangers Report

Looking ahead

The Kitchener Rangers could know their second round opponent as soon as tonight.

If Owen Sound takes out the Soo, it'll be the London Knights. If the Soo extends the series and goes on to win, it's Plymouth.

The Rangers played both teams last year in the post-season.

Regardless of what team Kitchener gets in the next round, the road to the OHL championship will have to go through both cities (or Owen Sound/Soo). It won't be an easy path.

Here's a quick look at how the Rangers stack up against each squad.

Kitchener-London

Record: 2-4, last five years 11-12-0-1

2012 playoffs: London swept the Rangers 4-0 in the OHL western conference final.

Of note: The Rangers have only played London once this year with a full lineup and won that game 2-1 in September. New London goalie Anthony Stolarz is 1-1 vs. the Rangers.

Knights killer: Scorching hot Tobias Rieder has five points against London this year.

Watch for: Max Domi (9 pts) and Chris Tierney (8 pts) have excelled against the Blueshirts this season.

2013 playoffs: Swept Saginaw 4-0

Kitchener-Plymouth

Record: 2-0-1-1, last five years 7-7-1-1

2012 playoffs: Kitchener defeated the Whalers 4-3 in the OHL western conference semifinals.

Of note: All Kitchener's success came pre-Xmas. After Jan. 1, the Whalers went 26-5-0-1 to close the season.

Whalers killer: Matia Marcantuoni has five points against the Whale this season. So too does Josh Leivo.

Watch for: Ryan Hartman has hurt the Rangers the most with three goals and three assists.

2013 playoffs: Swept Sarnia 4-0

Rangers moving on

It's on to round two for the Kitchener Rangers.

The club dispatched the Guelph Storm in five games with a 4-2 win in Game 5 thanks, in part, to a four point effort from Tobias Rieder.

Ironically, the German import had his NHL rights traded from Edmonton to Phoenix just before puck drop.

I figured the series would go six games. And you could make a case that without John Gibson, the quarter-final matchup may have had an entirely different look.

Now, it's either London or Plymouth for the Rangers.

In the meantime, here are some photos from the final game vs. Guelph from the Record's Peter Lee and the Guelph Mercury's Tony Saxon.

Game 5 - Kitchener 4, Guelph 2

In the media room early for tonight's big tilt.

And Kitchener play-by-play announcer Don Cameron pointed out an odd stat in passing - the Rangers have scored six goals in their past three games, but won two of them.

You don't hear that too often. Says something about the man between the pipes and overall team defence. Gibson deserves the bulk of the credit but so too does the team's penalty killers, who have been busy of late.

Photo on the right shows last night's close call. That play was reviewed but officials ruled it a no goal.

No changes for Kitchener heading into tonight's game.

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

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

John Gibson (3-1) starts.

Guelph:

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

Andrey Pedan-Saverio Posa
Zac Leslie-Brock Beukeboom
Ben Harpur-Daniel Poliziani

Garret Sparks (1-3).

Game summary

Puck points:

- Kitchener centre Tobias Rieder was traded from Edmonton to Phoenix before game time tonight. Rieder was drafted by the Oilers in the fourth round of the 2011 draft but never inked a deal with the club. He'll have to re-enter the draft, unless he reaches a deal with the Coyotes. He'll be joining former Rangers Mikkel Boedker in the desert.

- Rieder wasn't available for comment after the game. Neither was GM/coach Steve Spott.

- Curtis Meighan was, perhaps, Kitchener's most gentlemanly player in the regular season with 17 penalty minutes but already has eight in the playoffs.

- You have to love the fight in the Storm. They made the third period interesting in the past three tilts. They showed flashes of brilliance but just couldn't sustain it over the long haul.

- Not sure if I agree with the five minute major on Scott Kosmachuk with five minutes to go in the game. Either way, it was a poor call for the Storm leader. The team needed him on the ice, not in the dressing room. Penalties in general hurt the Storm tonight.

- Guelph's PP was also brutal this series going 2-for-28.

- No surprise, Kitchener associate coach and assistant general manager Paul Fixter said the club needs to work on even strength scoring in the next round. The team needs to control those third period collapses as well.

- For those wondering, Brock McGinn's penalty shot was awarded after Ben Thomson threw his stick while Guelph had possession in the Rangers' zone.

- Good news for Kitchener, the team escaped the first round without any injuries.

- That's two years straight, and three out of the last four, that the Rangers have advanced past the first playoff round.

- It'll either be Plymouth or London in the next round for the Rangers. Here's how it works: if Owen Sound beats the Soo in the quarters (Attack lead 3-2) it's London. If the Soo rallies, Kitchener gets Plymouth.

- Lots of folks debating Radek Faksa's goal. Many believe the play was offside.

JB's top three Rangers: Tobias Rieder, John Gibson, Josh Leivo

Game 4 - Kitchener 2, Guelph 1

I'm told it should be a packed house tonight at the Sleeman Centre.

And why not? The past two tilts have been some of the best hockey I've seen this season, at least in games involving the Rangers.

Kitchener is playing it cool, after the Game 3 meltdown. No time to panic, yet. Lots of hockey left in this series.

As for the lines, GM/coach Steve Spott is shaking things up a bit.

Kitchener:

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

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

John Gibson (2-1) starts.

Guelph:

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

Andrey Pedan-Saverio Posa
Zac Leslie-Brock Beukeboom
Ben Harpur-Daniel Poliziani

Garret Sparks (1-2) starts.

Game summary

***

Puck points:

- Soo goalie Matt Murray is sure making me eat my words. I questioned his ability to perform in the playoffs after watching his sub-par games vs. the Rangers down the stretch. But credit where it's due, he has delivered in the post-season.

- Similar game, different outcome. This time, the Rangers hung on to win despite an attempted third period rally by the Guelph Storm.

- Best game of the series so far for Radek Faksa. He scored, killed penalties and hit a post. A true impact player tonight.

- It got quiet in the Sleeman Centre early in the third as Rangers fans were collectively holding their breath. Kitchener, to its credit, had much more punch and attack and did not sit back as much as in Game 3 when it blew a 2-0 lead.

- Josh Leivo scored his first of the post-season tonight. Tobias Rieder is still searching for his first. But Guelph's top guns - Zack Mitchell, Tanner Richard and Scott Kosmachuk - have also been struggling.

- The new line of Matt Puempel, Radek Faksa and Eric Ming was the best unit of the night for Kitchener.

- Jared Gilbert saw some extra shifts early, but was used sparingly down the stretch, as were Max Iafrate and Justin Bailey.

- Goalie John Gibson gave teammate Ben Thomson a nice thank-you tap to the shin after the winger sprawled out in the crease on a late goal-mouth scramble and likely saved a goal.

- There is a sense the Rangers are playing on borrowed time. The lads have to start scoring more goals (especially even strength) if they want to go far.

JB's top three Rangers: John Gibson, Radek Faksa, Frank Corrado (a 4th honourable mention to Jesse Young's playoff beard).

Storm back in series

Still catching my breath from last night's game.

What a comeback by the Guelph Storm. The club goes almost eight periods without solving Kitchener goalie John Gibson and then rifles off three goals in 3:41 to win 3-2.

And the Rangers go from being a whisker away from a commanding 3-0 series lead to allowing Guelph to get right back in the western conference quarter-final.

Lots of emotion coming from Rangers' fans in this one.

I don't think it's time to panic just yet. For the most part, Kitchener has controlled this series.

Goaltending and defence has been solid. As mentioned in yesterday's post-game thoughts, the biggest problem has been even strentgh scoring.

The third line is pointless and Tobias Rieder and Josh Leivo have yet to score. So there is definite room for improvement.

Besides, did anyone think this one was going to be an easy ride? Didn't see too many people predicting a sweep.

The biggest thing will be how Kitchener responds Thursday in Guelph.

The Storm will receive a bit of a boost with the return of suspended forward Brock McGinn, who had 28 goals during the regular season.

Meanwhile, John Gibson wasn't the only one who had a solid night in net. His former "backup" Franky Palazzese turned in a stellar effort as Sudbury took a 2-1 lead on Brampton over in the eastern conference.

Game 3 - Guelph 3, Kitchener 2

A huge game tonight. Perhaps the understatement of the year.

A win and it's full steam ahead for the Rangers with a 3-0 lead. Storm win and we've got a whole news series.

In the post-season, it's the little things that make the difference. One of them is the Rangers' training crew.

More than three hours before game time and the crew - Dan Lebold, Barry Hoch and Curtis Ball - are already here outfitting the bench and prepping the locker room. A dedicated bunch for sure.

Kitchener lines:

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

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

John Gibson (2-0) starts.

Guelph:

Scott Kosmachuk-Tanner Richard-Zack Mitchell
Chadd Bauman-Hunter Garlent-Jason Dicksinson
Patrick Watling-Ryan Horvat-Cody McNaughton
Tyler Bertuzzi-Robby Fabbri-Justin Auger

Andrey Pedan-Saverio Posa
Zac Leslie-Brock Beukeboom
Ben Harpur-Daniel Poliziani

Garret Sparks (0-2) starts.

Game summary

Puck points:

- Kitchener prospect Ty Learn is out with a concussion and won't be on the playoff practice roster. Learn spent most of the year with the Jr. B Kitchener Dutchmen.

- Guelph Game 2 shots in first period = 23. In Game 3 = 8.

- Storm forward Tyler Bertuzzi was effective early on and drew two penalties. The first, an interference call on Kitchener captain Ryan Murphy, was a complete sell job to the refs. Credit the feisty winger, it worked.

- The Storm as a whole were concentrating on Murphy more than ever so far this series.

- Brent Pedersen preserved the 1-0 lead in the first period by making a Gibson-esque  save. Pedersen went down, kicked his legs out and sprawled in front of the left side of the net to stop a Guelph shot from going into a wide open cage.

- A 'Go Rangers Go!' chant rocked the Sleeman Centre a few minutes in to the surprise of some.

- What a game. Give Guelph tons of credit. They were down 2-0 with about five minutes to go. They were 0-for-10 on the power play and had not beaten John Gibson in almost eight periods of play. Yet, they won the game. Lesson? Never give up.

- The key now, for the Rangers, is how they respond to the third period collapse in Game 4.

- Kitchener did a lot of things right in this one - took the crowd out of the match, killed 10 power plays and controlled all but about 3:41 of the contest.

- Part of this game reminded me of a mid-February clash that saw Guelph beat Kitchener 5-3. In that game, the Rangers gave up seven power plays. They bought into the Storm game plan and paid the price. Same thing tonight. You can't give any team 10 PPs, especially in the playoffs. Sure, Guelph didn't score with the man advantage, but the flow of the game was disrupted because of the parade to the box.

- Kudos to Ben Thomson for scoring on the breakaway. The gritty winger takes a lot of good natured ribbing from his teammates for his lack of refinement around the net but he made no mistake against goalie Garret Sparks to put the Rangers up 1-0.

- Despite Kitchener's domination, you could feel that something was about to happen at the Sleeman Centre. Guelph was playing desperate hockey and the urgency paid off.

- Game 1 was about Kitchener's successful PP. Game 2 was all John Gibson. Tonight, it was the Guelph comeback. Missing in all of this? Even strength goals by some of Kitchener's big guns, namely Tobias Rieder and Josh Leivo. They're due for a breakout.

- John Gibson's shutout streak lasted 153 minutes and 54 seconds.

JB's top three Rangers: John Gibson, Ben Thomson, Ryan Murphy

Series heating up

Coaches screaming at officials. Players jawing one another. And fans chirping the benches.

It's safe to say the Kitchener-Guelph western conference quarter-final is getting emotional.

So far, on the ice, it has been all Rangers.

Game 1 saw the club's power play sink the Storm. Game 2 was the John Gibson show and a 2-0 win for the home side.

The series shifts to the Sleeman Centre for a pair of games, beginning Tuesday.

The Storm, in my eyes, did everything they could to not roll over. That first period Sunday was about as one sided as it gets. Surely, it was frustrating for the visitors to head to the break with nothing to show for it.

And how about that long, slow approach of grooming Gibson back into the lineup? Some were screaming for his return. Other fans assured me that he was done for the season. But the Rangers' patience is all paying off now.

Guelph will be without Brock McGinn (suspension) for Tuesday's game. He'll be sitting out the second half of his two-game penalty for a check to the head of Matia Marcantuoni.

Over in Guelph, coach Scott Walker wasn't impressed with the officiating and accused some Rangers' fans of getting out of hand.

Game 2 - Kitchener 2, Guelph 0

The Guelph Storm will be without Brock McGinn for the next two games of the OHL western conference quarter-final.

The winger, who had 28 goals during the regular season, has been suspended for a pair of tilts after the league reviewed his checking to the head major on Matia Marcantuoni in Game 1 on Friday.

Marcantuoni was hit midway through the third period and stayed in the game.

As for today's lines:

Kitchener

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

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

John Gibson (1-0) starts.

Guelph:

Scott Kosmachuk-Tanner Richard-Zack Mitchell
Chadd Bauman-Hunter Garlent-Jason Dicksinson
Tyler Bertuzzi-Robby Fabbri-Justin Auger
Patrick Watling-Ryan Horvat-Cody McNaughton

Andrey Pedan-Saverio Posa
Zac Leslie-Brock Beukeboom
Ben Harpur-Daniel Poliziani

Garret Sparks (0-1) starts.

Game summary

***

Puck points:

- The Rangers plan to meet with Keli Grant, Jesse Young and Jack Moylan now that the Kitchener Dutchmen have been eliminated from the Jr. B playoffs. Expect the trio to be on-call for the OHL post-season from here on out.

- It was a bit of a gong show on and off the ice near the end of the game. Storm staff told the Guelph Mercury that fans were throwing beer and spitting toward the Storm bench.  Some fans were escorted out of the Aud.

- Kitchener winger Eric Ming suffered a stinger early on and missed the first period. He returned in the second and scored in the third period.

- Guelph did what it had to do early on by outplaying the Rangers in the first period. The had more shots, chances and fight, but goalie John Gibson simply shut the door.

- That was Gibson's second career OHL shutout. He made 49 saves, 23 in the first period.

- Ben Thomson has embraced the role of playoff agitator nicely. He clearly gets under the skin of the Storm.

- I thought the line of Bertuzzi, Auger and Fabbri was the best Guelph unit in Game 1 but not nearly as effective when broken up Sunday to accommodate the absence of McGinn.

JB's top three Rangers: John Gibson, Evan McEneny, Josh Leivo

Advantage Rangers

One game down and the Rangers can breathe a tad easier.

It was a power play driven 5-2 win over the Guelph Storm Friday night in Game 1 at the Aud.

Captain Ryan Murphy came out after the game wearing a plastic spoon. It goes to one player after every game. The team was mum on its significance, but one contact offered a suggestion that I'll pass along.

Apparently in the Peter DeBoer days, the GM/coach told a story at the year end banquet that went something like this:

At the start of the season all the OHL teams were gathered around a swimming pool andthere was a fish in the water.

Around the pool was a fishing pole, spear, bow and arrow, gun and a spoon.

The captains were told whoever got the fish would take their team to the Memorial Cup.

The first captain tries the fishing rod but gives up. The next tries the spear with no luck. Another attempts the gun but misses. The bow and arrow fails too.

The last captain is on the Kitchener Rangers. He picks up the spoon, kneels by the edge of the pool and begins to scoop water out, one spoonful at a time. The other captains laugh. After an hour one asks what he is doing?

The Rangers' captain says "I'm going to the Memorial Cup."

The lesson being that winners do what losers won't.

Game 1 - Kitchener 5, Guelph 2

So who's ready for some playoff action?

It all starts tonight between the Kitchener Rangers and Guelph Storm.

I'm looking forward to hearing how loud the Aud will be, as fans have warned me that it's night and day between the regular season and playoffs.

Guelph is certainly pumped. Some players have been Tweeting about their excitement. Winger Tyler Bertuzzi likened the series to a war while Tanner Richard said the boys "will be flyin'."

In case you missed this week's lead up to the series in the Record:

Max Iafrate and Ben Thomson talk about how a regular season over-celebration by the Storm rubbed th Rangers the wrong way.

Captain Ryan Murphy remembers playoff runs gone by and how the best is yet to come from this year's group.

A series breakdown that compares Kitchener and Guelph on offence, defence, goaltending and special teams. Series prediction in there as well.

Net connection - the Storm-Rangers rivalry extends to the crease with Americans John Gibson and Garret Sparks going head-to-head.

Conestogo's Chadd Bauman returns home to take on the team he cheered on as a kid. The Storm defenceman will play a bigger role with veteran Matt Finn on the sidelines.

***

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

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

John Gibson starts.

Guelph:

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

Andrey Pedan-Saverio Posa
Zac Leslie-Brock Beukeboom
Chadd Bauman-Ben Harpur

Garret Sparks starts.

Game summary

***

Puck points:

- As expected, Kitchener defenceman Ben Fanelli is back in the lineup after missing four games with a head injury.

- Matt Puempel didn't draw assists on the first two goals but played a huge part by screening Guelph goalie Garret Sparks on both of Ryan Murphy's blasts from the point.

- Nice to see Radek Faksa with some physical play early on. It has always been a big part of his game but had been lacking a bit since he suffered a knee injury.

- A good energy in the Aud tonight. Loudest it has been all year.

- Funny the Rangers' PP broke out of its slump tonight. The team had no shots on net on its first 2-min advantage.

- Didn't see much - if any - of Jared Gilbert, after he coughed up the puck that led to Guelph's second goal.

- Guelph forward Justin Auger, who hails from Waterloo, was one of the best Storm players on the ice. Great hands.

- I may be mistaken, but I thought it was a penalty if a player moved a goalie stick. In the second, Rangers' goalie John Gibson lost his stick and a Storm player shoved it away from the netminder.

- It was clear the officials were not going to put up with goaltender interference after making two early calls - one on each team. I suspect that will be a playoff trend across the league.

- Rangers coaches are giving one player a black plastic serving spoon on a string after each game that the player must wear around his neck. It's kind of akin to the cape the player of the game got for Team Canada at the world juniors. The team would not elaborate on the spoon's meaning.

JB's top three Rangers: Ryan Murphy, Josh Leivo, Matt Puempel

Net connection

John Gibson and Garret Sparks have history.

Both are U.S. goaltenders who came up through the minor hockey circuit at the same time.

Both were members of the American gold medal winning squad at the world juniors.

And both will go head-to-head in the OHL western conference quarter-final, beginning Friday at the Aud.

Sparks, who tends net for Guelph, has had mixed success against the Rangers - going 3-4 this season. But ask around and you'll find that he is one of the best in the league. His numbers support the claim - seven shutouts, 36 wins and 60 appearances.

But in a close series - Guelph and Kitchener were separated by just three points in the standings - this one will likely come down to goaltending.

Sparks is up for the challenge. So too, is Gibson.

Photo of Sparks: Tony Saxon, Guelph Mercury (he has Rangers in seven).

***

Doors will open two hours before game time at the Aud for the playoffs. Usually, fans aren't allowed in until one hour before puck drop.

According to the city "this is an opportunity to enhance the customer experience for our fans." Read: more beer sales.

***

It's official now. Fifteen-year-old Michigan defenceman Sean Day will be granted exceptional status in this year's OHL draft.

He's the fourth player to be granted the special status (John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid are the others).

Some reports are stating that neither Erie or Ottawa will select the blueliner. Before you get too excited, there is no way he falls to the Rangers.

But it may just be a nice consolation prize for Peterborough, who certainly deserve a break after falling short of the playoffs on the last game of the regular season.

Notes from practice

Just  a few tidbits to pass along before the day's end.

Defenceman Ben Fanelli was looking like his normal self at this afternoon's practice at the Aud. He will be back in the lineup for Friday's Game 1 vs. the Guelph Storm.

Overager winger Derek Schoenmakers was absent and missed yesterday's workout as well. He is battling the stomach flu and will be back at practice Thursday.

Lines running today:

Matt Puempel-Radek Faksa-Justin Bailey
Ben Thomson-Tobias Rieder-Josh Leivo
Brent Pedersen-Matia Marcantuoni-Darby Llewellyn
Domenic Alberga-Curtis Meighan-Eric Ming-Josh Sterk

All seven defenceman were in attendance as well as goalies John Gibson and Joel Vienneau.

Another playoff preview has popped up. This one has the Rangers winning in seven games.

Playoff pompadours

I'm told the Kitchener Rangers aren't colouring their hair or going the mohawk route for this year's post-season.

It'll just be playoff beards - for those who can grow them.

In the past, some players have dipped into the dye. Here are a few shots from years gone by.

   

Rangers-Storm preview

Yesterday, it was a photo of what Guelph might look like if it pulls off the upset and defeats the Kitchener Rangers in the best-of-seven OHL western conference quarter-final.

To be balanced, here's one of Rangers captain Ryan Murphy enjoying a recent goal against the Storm, courtesy of Tony Saxon over at the Mercury.

Friday night, we find out how it will go down, at least for Game 1.

My preview of the series ran today. I've got the Rangers winning in six games. I'd love to see what others think of the outcome, so please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section.

In the end, I think Kitchener's experience in all positions - both in age and post-season success - will just be too much for the Storm.

Guelph has shown the ability to be composed but, in the end, the Storm is a physical team and can't get away from that style of play. In the playoffs, that may cost them. Luckily, for them, Kitchener isn't exactly world beaters on the power play. That's something the club will have to shore up if it wants to go far in the playoffs.

At least the  Rangers are healthy. When is the last time the club was able to say that?

The teams only finished three points apart but a first round loss would still be considered a big upset considering the moves the Rangers made and the goals they've pubically stated they want to achieve.

That being said, I just don't see the Storm taking this series.

Here is a different perspective from In the O Radio, who has Guelph taking the series in seven games.

Crystal ball?

Dug this picture up from our sister paper the Guelph Mercury.

Here is what a Guelph Storm first round upset of the Kitchener Rangers could look like at the end of the OHL western conference quarter-final, which begins Friday.

This shot is from a regular season 4-3 shootout win at the Aud.

I'll have my series break down and prediction in tomorrow's paper.

End of the year awards

The Kitchener Rangers held their annual banquet last night and dished out several team awards.

Before I get to their results, I'll add my team MVP, based on the nightly JB's top three Rangers honourees. After adding up all the votes from every game played this season, it was no surprise to see forward Matt Puempel come out on top.

No other Rangers player directly affected the outcome of more games than Puempel. The Essex native led the team with 35 goals, a remarkable feat considering he missed 17 games with a shoulder injury.

The 20-year-old came to town with a lot of hype and delivered on it.

The Rangers also recognized Puempel's merits by naming him co-MVP, along with defenceman Ben Fanelli.

Other award winners (chosen by the Rangers):

Community service - Domenic Alberga
Most popular player - Ben Fanelli
Best defensive ability - Curtis Meighan
Most improved player - Brent Pedersen
Outstanding team effort - Ben Fanelli
Best offensive defenceman - Ryan Murphy
Rookie of the year - Justin Bailey
Most gentlemanly player - Tobias Rieder
3 star award - Tobias Rieder
Scoring champion - Josh Leivo
Most improved Kitchener minor hockey grad - Derek Schoenmakers

And a few more fun awards from this seat:

Worst luck: Jared Gilbert, a defenceman who had his first, and only, OHL goal taken away.

Best musician: Frank Corrado, the guy has 10 guitars. Maybe an instrumental performance of O  Canada at the Aud during the playoffs?

Surprise sniper: Keli Grant, three goals in 11 games.

Overlooked performance: Joel Vienneau, a goalie who quietly went 13-4-0-3 and kept the Rangers in fourth place while starter John Gibson was injured down the stretch.

Hustle award: Darby Llewellyn, the kid always made sure he was noticed despite severe limited ice-time.

Rocky award: Max Iafrate, he didn't fight the most (that feat went to Ben Thomson) but he seemed to win almost every bout.

Most improved II: Evan McEneny, a solid "sophomore" season with 34 points, 11 fewer than Corrado and 14 fewer than Ryan Murphy.

Best usher at the Aud: Many to choose from but I'll go with my man Max, who is always smiling, friendly and eager to talk Rangers.

Rangers bracing for Storm

The second season starts this week.

And the Kitchener Rangers are firmly focused on the Guelph Storm, who they meet Friday in Game 1 of the OHL western conference quarter-final.

As pointed out many times, the Rangers are 12-2-0-2 against Guelph in the past two years, but the club isn't paying much attention to the numbers as the post-season is a different animal.

There are lots of storylines between the two clubs, which I'll get to throughout the week.

Meanwhile, I caught up with Rangers' captain Ryan Murphy in the Soo and he gave his thoughts on the regular season that was and talked about the road ahead.

***

The OHL dished out some awards this afternoon.

Eddie Powers Award (regular season scoring champ): Vincent Trocheck, Plymouth Whalers, 109 pts.

Jim Mahon Trophy (top scoring right winger): Seth Griffith, London Knights, 81 pts.

Dave Pinkney Trophy (lowest team GAA): Jordan Binnington, Brandon Hope, Owen Sound (165 goals allowed).

F.W. 'Dinty' Moore Award (best rookie GAA): Alex Nedeljkovic, Plymouth Whalers (2.28).

Last game in pictures

It was a long drive home from the Soo today. And I'm a bit short on words.

So, I'll let the photos do the talking. A few shots from Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Soo, thanks to the Salt Star.

Sault Ste. Marie 6, Kitchener 4

A nice surprise came in the email in-box late last night - the Kitchener Rangers' full first round playoff schedule.

Here's how it looks:

Game 1: Friday, March 22, 7:30 p.m., at the Aud
Game 2: Sunday, March 24, 7 p.m., at the Aud
Game 3: Tuesday, March 26, 7 p.m., at the Sleeman Centre
Game 4: Thursday, March 28, 7 p.m., at the Sleeman Centre
Game 5: Friday, March 29, 7:30 p.m., at the Aud
Game 6: Sunday, March 31, 2 p.m., at the Sleeman Centre
Game 7: Monday, April 1, 7 p.m., at the Aud

Of course, Games 5, 6 and 7 are if necessary.

***

As for the Kitchener Rangers, they clinched home ice advantage in the series with a convincing 7-1 win last night in Saginaw.

And while the rivalry with the Storm has cooled off in recent years, an excited celebration - that saw Guelph pile on each other at centre ice at the Aud after a shootout win earlier this season - has a few Rangers pumped up for the playoffs.

***

The Ranges pulled out of Saginaw after the game last night to head to the Soo.

Goalie John Gibson will get a rest tonight and backup Joel Vienneau will start the final game of the season.

Forwards Josh Sterk and Darby Llewellyn will also be in the lineup after being healthy scratches down the stretch.

Coach/GM Steve Spott is back in Canada, scouting the OHL Cup in Mississauga.

***

Road trip travel tunes: Dipped into the classic rock on the way here. Thought it was fitting since the DJ at the Essar Centre usually goes heavy on the oldies. So it was some Allman Brothers, Canned Heat, Grateful Dead, Traffic and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

***

Lots of healthy bodies sitting this one out.

Kitchener:

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

Ryan Murphy-Frank Corrado
Evan McEneny-Max Iafrate
Jared Gilbert-Owen Stewart

Joel Vienneau (28-15-2-7) starts.

Soo:

David Broll-Nick Cousins-Brandon Alderson
Mike Schumacher-Jared McCann-Andrew Fritsch
Nick Halagian-Tyler Gaudet-Dylan Staples
Ryan Kirkup-Trent Mallette

Darnell Nurse-Colin Miller
Ryan Sproul-Alex Gudbranson
Tyler Ganly-Chris Buonomo
Mac Clutsam

Matt Murray (25-19-2-2) starts.

Game summary

***

Puck points:

- Kitchener finishes fourth in the OHL's western conference. That's four consecutive years that the club has finished with home ice advantage in the west. The team was third overall in the west the past three years.

- Josh Leivo double shifted with Josh Sterk and Darby Llewellyn on the team's fourth line early on.

- Ben Thomson scored two goals in 39 seconds. That puts the winger up to 15 on the season, a career high.

- Just noticing now that the OHL took Jared Gilbert's first career goal away after the fact. So Gilbert is still searching for his first marker.

- Max Iafrate left the game briefly in the second after an awkward fall, but returned soon after.

- With nothing on the line for the Rangers, the match had an exhibition game feel to it.

- Not sure how confident I'd feel if I was the Soo with Matt Murray in net for the playoffs. He gave up some real softies tonight and in the last game against the Rangers earlier this month.

- After going six games without a goal, Josh Leivo now has three in his past two. Nice timing for the veteran.

- A nice night for Owen Stewart who scored and was plus-one even with a severe increase in ice time.

JB's top three Rangers: Ben Thomson, Owen Stewart, Curtis Meighan

Kitchener 7, Saginaw 1

Just checked into the hotel and I ran into two friendly Rangers fans who made the trek from K-town. Small world.

Riddle me this? How is there a moutain of frozen snow big enough to sink the Titanic still in front of my house in Kitchener but everywhere else on the way here is snow free?

Heading to the rink in a bit. But for the reader who was wondering why forward Josh Sterk has been a healthy scratch - it's a numbers game. Three goals since Jan. 13th hasn't helped his cause.

I'm certain we'll see Sterk and Darby Llewellyn at some point this weekend.

And to answer another post, playoffs go 2-2-1-1-1.

***

Road trip tunes playlist: Gary Clark Jr., 16 Horsepower and then heavy on some Canadian indie bands in Elliott Brood, Constantines, Caribou, Gold and Youth, Ghost is Dancing, DVAS, Shotgun Jimmie and We Hunt Buffalo.

***

As per OHL vice president Ted Baker, there will be no supplementary discipline dished out to Saginaw winger Terry Trafford for his hit on Kitchener Rangers' blueliner Ben Fanelli.

Fanelli suffered a head injury -- but not a concussion -- on the play and hasn't played since.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of reception Trafford gets tonight.

***

Kitchener:

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

Ryan Murphy-Frank Corrado
Evan McEneny-Max Iafrate
Jared Gilbert-Owen Stewart

John Gibson (16-9-0-1) starts.

Saginaw:

Eric Locke-Garret Ross-Jimmy Lodge
Andrey Alexeev-Justin Kea-Nick Moutray
David Perklin-Brandon Lindberg-Terry Trafford
Jeremiah Addison-Dylan Sadowy-Ramon Lopez

Jason Shaw-Nathan Glass
Jacob Ringuette-Dalton Young
Brandon Prophet-Marselis Subban

Nikita Serebryakov (6-10-1-1) starts.

Game summary

***

Puck points:

- Kitchener netminder John Gibson was named best puckhandling goalie and best shootout goalie in the OHL's western conference in the annual coaches poll. Gibson is 3-1 in four shootouts this year.

- Ryan Murphy finished third in best stickhandler category in said poll. Hard to believe he didn't make top three in the best skater category.

- Both Josh Leivo's goals were off backhands.

- Derek Schoenmakers almost duked it out with Terry Trafford, while Ben Thomson was jawing with him pretty hard in the first period. Trafford is the forward who delivered a hard hit that sidelined Kitchener's Ben Fanelli last week.

- Saginaw has "ice girls" who clean the frozen pitch at stoppages. Only rink in the OHL that has the clean-up crew, to my knowledge.

- Playoff dates have not been finalized but Game 1 will definitely run Friday at the Aud at 7:30 p.m. and Game 2 goes Sunday at 7 p.m. After that, the rumoured schedule is Tuesday and Thursday at the Sleeman Centre, Friday at the Aud, Sunday back in Guelph and Monday in Kitchener, if necessary.

- I have to say it's a slick games operations staff all around at the Dow Event Center. From DJ to contests to game night volunteers. A really good atmosphere in the rink.

- Matt Puempel picked up his second hat trick of the year. Hard to believe Kitchener has scored a hat trick just three times (Tobias Rieder got the other one).

JB's top three Rangers: Matt Puempel, John Gibson, Josh Leivo