Niagara is in town for exhibition game No. 2. tonight at the Aud.
There is lots of pre-season buzz about the IceDogs taking the eastern conference title. The team did just pull off the biggest trade for one player in OHL history when it sent F Logan Brown to the Spitfires for six draft picks.
Surprisingly, the Rangers didn't do half bad against the Puppies last season and snagged an SO win and an OT loss.
This season, they'll have the luxury of playing Niagara in a normal rink as the club has moved from the cramped Gatorade Garden to the new Meridian Centre.
Kitchener:
Darby Llewellyn-Ryan MacInnis-Justin Bailey
Brent Pedersen-Curtis Meighan-Gustaf Franzen
Mason Kohn-Adam Mascherin-James Mense-Dietrich
Mark Bzowey-Connor Bunnaman-Jacob Cascagnette
Doug Blaisdell-Max Iafrate
Frank Hora-Dylan Di Perna
Dmitrii Sergeev-Liam Maaskant
Jordan DeKort is tabbed as the starter with Matt Greenfield as backup.
Niagara:
Billy Jenkins-Carter Verhaeghe-Anthony DiFruscia
Brendan Perlini-Graham Knott-Cody Caron
Hayden McCool-Mikkel Aagaard-Jordan Maletta
Matt Gillard-Ben Hughes-Chris Paquette
Aleksandar Mikulovich-Ryan Mantha
Vince Dunn-Blake Siebenaler
Zach Wilkie-Aaron Haydon
Blake Richard starts with Stephen Dhillon as the back up.
Puck points:
- Well that was a weird one. Game cancelled with 6:39 to go in the first period due to a hole in the ice. As for the rest of the night, see notes below.
- Straight from the horse's mouth - it's Ryan Ma-Kin-ness, not Ma-Gin-ness. Always wanted to know the answer to that as the latter gets used a lot around the Aud.
- F Mike Davies remains out with a sore back. He tweaked it working out a week before camp but is hoping to practise this week and return to pre-season action next Friday.
- Ribbon part of new scoreboard at centre ice and video board by blues in use for tonight's tilt. Looks great.
- As it turns out, D Logan Schmidt has not been invited to Detroit Red Wings rookie camp. Rangers had it mixed up but at least that gives them an extra defenceman before the mass exodus begins.
- Chatted with IceDogs boss Marty Williamson and he says the team is really going to miss former Ranger Eric Ming this season, but still likes the look of his team.
- The first period ended with 6:39 to go due to a hole in the ice the Aud. The time was added to the second period.
- Kitchener's PP units: Hora, Sergeev, Pedersen, Meighan and Mascherin; No. 2 - Llewellyn, MacInnis, Bailey, Iafrate, Franzen.
- Impressive effort by the tandem of Mason Kohn and James Mense-Dietrich in the first period. Fellas were working hard.
- Looks like the Rangers won't be as easy to push around this season. Already seeing more aggressivness from Iafrate, Maaskant, Hora, Di Perna and Pedersen. A good sign moving forward.
- Kitchener goals: Llewellyn, assists: Bailey, MacInnis. Niagara: G - Dunn, Mikulovich, A - DiFruscia, Aagaard.