It’s déjà vu all over again
Rangers rally in third and beat Owen Sound in extra time at the Aud
KITCHENER — At this rate Jay McKee is going to need some Grecian Formula.
The Kitchener Rangers coach said his team’s dramatic play was giving him grey hair earlier this week in Owen Sound.
After last night’s 5-4 overtime win, the skipper may turn into a silver fox quicker than he thinks.
For the second time this week, the Rangers trailed by a pair of goals in the third period before staging a comeback against the Attack.
“I might just shave my head so I can avoid the pitfalls of getting all these greys,” said McKee.
Friday’s affair was a virtual carbon copy of Wednesday’s win against the Attack at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. In both games the Rangers scored early. This time Greg Meireles jolted the home crowd when he banked his sixth of the season off the pads of Attack goalie Mack Guzda from behind the net for a quick 1-0 lead just 43 seconds into the game. But, like Wednesday, the lead didn’t last. Owen Sound rookie Mitchell Russell snapped the equalizer — and his first career Ontario Hockey League goal — from the faceoff dot a mere 23 seconds later.
The teams traded power plays goals — Jonah Gadjovich for the Attack and Kole Sherwood for the Rangers — for a 2-2 tie at the break before Maksim Sushko put the visitors up by one after two periods.
The Rangers also trailed 3-2 heading into the third Wednesday and then fell behind 4-2, as they did Friday when Sushko added his second just seven seconds into the final frame.
“I had a quick flashback to being in Owen Sound,” said McKee. “It’s not the way you want to start a period.” But the similarities didn’t stop there. Once again the Rangers scored twice in the waning minutes, this time on an Adam Mascherin power play goal and a Logan Stanley blast from just inside the blue line.
Sherwood capped the win in regulation Wednesday. Friday, he got the game winner in overtime to give the Rangers their second consecutive victory.
McKee will take the points but wants to see a more consistent effort from his club.
“Good teams find ways to win but good teams also find ways to play the right way from start to finish,” he said.
Rangers-forward-turned-defenceman Joseph Garreffa also kept with the theme by collecting four assists in the win for the second time this week against Owen Sound.
“We’re very lucky to have him,” said McKee. “We knew he had the ability to provide offence from the back end. It’s really nice to see him get rewarded with points. He’s just invaluable to this team.”
Kitchener defenceman Connor Hall had an MRI on his shoulder and the team is awaiting the results. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick left Wednesday’s game in Owen Sound after falling awkwardly into the end boards and is out indefinitely.
Owen Sound’s big guns Kevin Hancock (injured) and Nick Suzuki (sick) also missed the game.
Kitchener heads across the border Sunday to face Erie at 5 p.m. The Rangers are 3-0 against the Otters this season.