Well that was a late night.
Frantic drivers heading to Black Friday deals whizzed by me upon my return from Kitchener's 3-2 loss in Erie last night.
Yes the Rangers lost to the Otters for the second time this season.
And don't let the score fool you. The Blueshirts were outplayed in every period. That Erie only managed two goals on Luke Opilka (third one was into an empty net) is reason for optimism.
But it's clear Kitchener has to get healthy or make some moves to compete with the league's elite team.
And that's the million dollar question that teams doing well across the OHL are facing - to go for it this year or build toward the future?
The Rangers are in a good position to do both thanks to the bevy of draft picks they own. The problem is you have to give to get. That's the price of doing business in the OHL and there is no way to make big gains to your roster on the cheap, or at the very least it's tough to do.
One thing is clear, the Rangers need some help due to injuries. They're also going to be in a pickle around Christmas when several players should depart for the world juniors. They could lose five guys, though will likely lose four.
It's a wait and see for now how that shakes down. Rookie Greg Meireles is always a potential callup and gives the team a boost without costing anything. But there could be trouble in net if Opilka goes to the worlds and Dawson Carty doesn't return from an ankle injury.
For now, it's back to the ice. The Barrie Colts are in town fresh off a 4-1 win over Owen Sound last night.
Kitchener:
Brandon Robinson-Ryan MacInnis-Jeremy Bracco
Darby Llewellyn-Mason Kohn-Adam Mascherin
Connor Bunnaman-Gustaf Franzen-David Miller
Nick McHugh-Jacob Cascagnette-Nick Magyar
Dmitrii Sergeev-Frank Hora
Doug Blaisdell-Dylan Di Perna
Elijah Roberts-Joseph Garreffa
Luke Opilka (13-3-2-0) starts.
Barrie:
Brendan Lemieux-Julius Nattinen- Kevin Labanc
Justin Scott-Cordell James-Roy Radke
Ben Hawerchuk-Zach Magwood-Adrian Carbonara
Lucas Chiodo-Giordano Finoro-Aiden Brown
Mike Webster-Brandon Prophet
Justin Murray-Rasmus Andersson
Josh Carrick-Rocky Kaura
Ruan Badenhorst (0-1-0-0) starts.
Brownie points:
- Some splits from two Rangers who are slumping right now: Brandon Robinson 15 points in first eight games, three in the past nine; Connor Bunnaman 12 points in first 13 games, three in past 11.
- Rangers catch a break by getting Badenhorst and avoiding the OHL's top ranked goalie in Mackenzie Blackwood.
- Mike Van Ryn was really shuffling his lines in an attempt to find some offence.
- The Joseph Garreffa experiment on defence isn't turning out half bad. The rookie made a nice sliding play to break up a two-on-one in the third period.
- Barrie's PK is relentless. So much speed and intensity. No surprise it's No. 1 in the OHL.
- Thought Barrie backup Ruan Badenhorst played a solid game for a seldom used goalie. It was just the third appearance and second start for the rookie.
- Hey I'm all for looking at the big picture and considering everything when teams don't play well. And having driven to Erie yesterday I can attest that it is a long drive. But Erie makes that trip half of the season and is the best team in the OHL so being tired, while legit, can't be an excuse for a slow start.
- Dmitrii Sergeev snuck in from the point and scored a nice goal to break the goose egg. Coach Van Ryn said he'd like to see the Russian get more involved offensively.
- It wasn't the prettiest win but know this, the Rangers have shown a great ability to bounce back this season. Still haven't lost two in a row in regulation.
- Another solid start for Luke Opilka. Made 31 saves and had a shutout going with two and a half minutes to go.
- Here's the thing in the west, it's just so hard to make up any ground. London, Erie and Windsor all won again.
- A lot of GMs and scouts are out at the Silver Stick in Whitby. Lots of trade rumours out there. Word is teams are wondering if the Rangers are in or out for this season. Not surprised to hear that one player other clubs are asking about is Connor Bunnaman in any potential trade.
- If you are the Rangers do you go for a veteran backup to get you past the Xmas hump and in case Opilka tires from his first OHL workload? Maybe. We've seen other goalies fade at the Aud before once the grind kicks in.
- Oshawa is ready to unload. Would you do Bunnaman and a pick for Michael Dal Colle? That's about the price for the rental.
- Keep hearing that Sarnia is trying to move goalie Justin Fazio. His numbers are solid. I guess they want more experience in net.
JB's top three Rangers: Jeremy Bracco, Luke Opilka, Ryan MacInnis