Balanced attack
Rangers facing full assault in Western Conference quarter-final
KITCHENER — Ryan McGill doesn’t have amnesia.
The Owen Sound Attack coach chooses to forget about the dominant regular season that saw his team win seven of eight games against the Kitchener Rangers while outscoring their foes 40-17.
When asked why it was so onesided, the skipper drew a blank.
“I don’t know because I don’t remember what the season series was,” he said. “Don’t let the scores fool you … because it means nothing now.”
All those goals are gone. The wins wiped from memory. And the game-winning celebrations are non-existent. It will be a fresh start when the Attack host the Rangers in Game 1 of the best-ofseven Western Conference quarter-final at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre on Friday night. That is something both coaches can agree on.
“If the regular season mattered, then why play a playoff series?” asked Kitchener bench boss Jay McKee. “It doesn’t matter at all. It’s time for guys to step up.”
One thing is certain — the sixth-seeded Rangers are underdogs.
Owen Sound is only ranked third because division leaders get seeding priority in the Ontario Hockey League. The Attack actually had the second-best record (49-15-2-2) and has lost just twice in regulation since Dec. 9.
And, while McGill may have a selective memory with regards to season results, he hasn’t forgotten how the Rangers showed a more physical side in Owen Sound’s 7-2 win to close out Kitchener’s season this past weekend.
“They’re going to scratch and claw, and we’re going to have to make sure that we show the character that they do game in and game out,” he said.
The show of force was contrived. The Rangers admittedly tried a new look in a bid to shake things up.
“They have a lot of skilled guys,” said McKee.
“We need to bring a physical element. We have to bring something different within our systems, mentality and just everything involved.”
Attack netminder Michael McNiven is also a focus.
“We need traffic in front of him,” said McKee.
“I don’t care who is shooting; if he sees it, he’s stopping it. He has been elite all year. We need to be in front of him taking away his vision of shots.”
The Rangers paid extra attention to McNiven in their final tilt this past Saturday. Owen Sound has seen that strategy before.
“It hasn’t been just the last game, they have crashed the net every game against us which is fine,” said McGill. “You want to make it tough on your opposing team’s best players.
“He’s no different than anybody else. It would be no different than (Kitchener forward) Adam Mascherin. We try to make it tough on him.
“There are no secrets in any game plan. There is no extra attention given to Michael. That happens every game. He’s a big boy and can handle it.” Breaking down the series:
OFFENCE: Only league champion Erie (319) scored more goals than Owen Sound (297). The Attack are teeming with snipers — Jonah Gadjovich (46 goals), Nick Suzuki (45), Petrus Palmu (40), Cordell James (34) and Kevin Hancock (30). Kitchener has 100-point man Adam Mascherin, who was one of three players to hit the century mark in the OHL this season. The Florida Panthers draft pick had 25 goals in the first half of the season but just 10 in the second. He averaged 1.33 points per playoff game last year. Winger Connor Bunnaman finished strong with six goals in his final four games. Only five teams in the league had more than Kitchener’s 244 goals in regular season action. Edge: Attack
DEFENCE: Kitchener’s back end has been decimated by injuries. Veterans Connor Hall (shoulder) and Doug Blaisdell (knee) suffered season-ending injuries in November. Andrew Burns injured his hand in the second-last game of the year and will miss 3-4 weeks. The wear and tear showed as the Rangers allowed more goals than they scored (244-251). Owen Sound is anchored by Santino Centorame, who leads the franchise in alltime points (157). Los Angeles Kings draft pick Jacob Friend adds some experience, while Markus Phillips skipped the sophomore slump by going from a dozen points as a rookie to 43 this season. Edge: Attack
GOALTENDING: McNiven led the OHL in wins (41) and goals against average (2.30). He was 7-0 with two shutouts against Kitchener this season, but the Montreal Canadiens prospect is still searching for his first playoff series win. Backup Emanuel Vella has barely played, and his numbers (3.21 goals against average and an .863 save percentage) are worrisome. Kitchener has dressed five different goalies this season due to injuries. Starter Luke Opilka finished strong with two wins and an overtime loss in his final three tilts. The St. Louis Blues draft pick needs to prove that he can handle the big game pressure after being yanked in his sole playoff start last season. Edge: Attack
SPECIAL TEAMS: Owen Sound’s power play was tops in the league with a 28.4 per cent efficiency rating during the regular season. The man-advantage attack ran at an incredible 43 per cent clip in eight games against the Rangers. Kitchener fared well, too, up a player with nine power play markers in 28 tries (32 per cent) against the Attack. The Rangers switched to a five-forward look down the stretch with Mascherin running the point. Penalty killing was a different story. Owen Sound was third in the OHL at 83.5 per cent while Kitchener was second-worst in the 20-team league at 77.7 per cent. Edge: Attack
EXPERIENCE: In terms of age, Owen Sound, while still relatively young, is the more veteran club. But the Attack haven’t won a playoff series since eliminating the Soo in six games back in 2013. No one from that squad is on the current roster. Owen Sound has been ousted in the first round in each of the past three years. Cordell James has 35 playoff games under his belt and helped Barrie reach the eastern conference final last year. The Rangers have won one playoff series since general manager Murray Hiebert took over four years ago. Kitchener dumped Windsor in five games last season before being swept by London in the second round. Ten players from that team are back, and know that oh-so-good feeling of playoff success. Edge: Rangers
PREDICTION: Owen Sound was the second best team in the OHL this season and a win away from being crowned league champion. Kitchener has the heart to gut out one victory and avoid a sweep, but the Attack is destined for bigger things. Owen Sound in five.
We need to bring a physical element. RANGERS COACH JAY MCKEE