Rangers stop Bulldogs 2-0
High-scoring Hamilton held at bay by Carty
KITCHENER — Dawson Carty wanted the start and he wanted it bad.
The Kitchener Rangers goalie went to coach Jay McKee leading up to Friday’s game against the Hamilton Bulldogs and asked to be between the pipes against the Ontario Hockey League’s most lethal offence.
“I was pretty pissed off about Thursday’s game,” said Carty, in reference to his club’s 5-4 final minute loss to London. “I thought I needed to rebound. I just wanted to get back in there.” The Rangers had options. A home date after that emotional loss to London may have been a good time to give backup Chris McGonigle his first start at the Aud.
It would allow Carty to have a night off and save him for Sunday’s matinee against his former club — the Mississauga Steelheads. But McKee went with his gut. “We were debating as a staff about what we wanted to do,” he said. “He kind of took the bull by the horns. He made that call. We put him in and let him take over and he was phenomenal.”
Carty turned aside 43 shots to earn his second career OHL shutout as the Rangers silenced the league’s highest scoring team with a 2-0 victory in front of 7,090 fans.
The Mississauga native was tested.
Hamilton forward Michael Cramarossa had what looked like a crease-side gimme but was robbed by Carty’s left glove hand in the second period.
MacKenzie Entwistle came close too. After being hauled down, the ’Dogs winger was awarded a penalty shot but his array of dekes didn’t fool Carty.
“You know who is on the other team and that they have high powered guys,” said the keeper. “I was just hoping for a good performance and the team helped me out.”
It was an impressive effort when you consider that the Bulldogs came into the affair averaging a league-high 5.4 goals per game. In fact, Hamilton had never scored fewer than four goals in one match before entering the Aud. ‰Rangers game summary: C2
Hamilton had the home side on its heels early in the first period and held a 12-2 shot advantage before taking a pair of penalties.
And the Rangers made the visitors pay.
Forward Connor Bunnaman picked up the rebound off a blast from defenceman Dylan Di Perna with the man advantage and converted his team-high seventh goal of the season for a 1-0 lead late in the opening period.
The marker sparked the Rangers who rallied to outshoot the ’Dogs 13-12 in the frame.
And the goodness carried over to the second where Adam Mascherin scored off a pretty passing play from Jeremy Bracco and Bunnaman, also with an extra attacker. That was it for the score sheet. The ’Dogs had five power plays but the Rangers’ penalty killers put on a clinic to limit Hamilton’s scoring chances.
“I felt good,” said Carty, who improved to 7-1-0-1 this season. “I think we played really well defensively. That helped things a lot.”
German import Cedric Schiemenz returned to the Rangers lineup after sitting out Thursday as a healthy scratch. Veteran centre Jacob Cascagnette is day-today with a facial injury.