Hyped Rangers go cold against Attack
OWEN SOUND — First came the national recognition, then came the national embarrassment.
It certainly was a week of extremes for the Kitchener Rangers.
It started out on a high when the club landed seventh overall on the Canadian Hockey League’s weekly top 10 rankings.
And it fizzled days later after the Rangers suffered back-toback, one-sided losses, including Saturday’s 7-0 pasting by the Owen Sound Attack in front of a nationally televised audience.
It was Kitchener’s most lopsided loss of the campaign, and the first time the team had been blanked this season. It also came on the heels of an ugly 6-2 defeat to the Mississauga Steelheads Friday at the Aud. Maybe it’s a kudos curse. Rangers bench boss Jay McKee does his best to keep his troops grounded when praised.
“It’s all out there on social media, so I’m sure they see it,” he said.
“When that ranking came out, there was something put on our board (in the dressing room) about ignoring that.”
The pair of losses featured a similar script. Mississauga and Owen Sound both scored on their first shot on goal and buried the Rangers in the opening period.
The Blueshirts fell behind 4-0 on Friday and trailed 3-0 Saturday, at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
On Saturday, McKee pulled the plug on starting goalie Luke Richardson when the Attack went up 5-0 in the second frame. The Barrie native, who came into the tilt on a five-game winning streak, allowed five goals on 15 shots.
Backup Chris McGonigle took over and gave up a pair of goals on eight shots, through 34 minutes and change.
“I thought we came out with a lot of jump,” said McKee. “When they scored their first goal on their first shot, I noticed a little bit of deflation from our guys and then we got into penalty trouble.”
Kitchener had its chances, but the team’s recently sparkling power play fizzled and went 0-for-7.
The Attack was overdue. Owen Sound came into the contest with one win over the past month and a half and had already endured four losses to the Rangers this season.
Forward Aidan Dudas led the way with two goals and an assist, while Sean Durzi, Nick Suzuki, Brett McKenzie, Maksim Sushko and Jackson Doherty each had two points.
Goalie Olivier Lafreniere made 28 saves to earn his first victory with the Attack and first career OHL shutout. But he left the game with 31 seconds to go with an undisclosed injury.
Kitchener centre Riley Damiani was shaken up by a hit from Owen Sound captain Jacob Friend, early in the second period, and left the game without returning. Friend received a major for
checking to the head and may face a further suspension.
“We’ve had a lot of adversity this year and it has weighed on us,” said Attack coach Todd Gill. “I’ve said that we have to stick together no matter what. No one is feeling sorry for us, especially Kitchener. We needed that win big-time.”
The Rangers get a much deserved rest after playing six games in 10 days, before heading to London Thursday to take on the Knights at 7 p.m.
PICK ON THE WAY? Kitchener may be getting a boost on the blue line without making a trade.
Prospect Michael Vukojevic started the season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League, but parted ways with the club Thursday. The 16year-old rearguard was the Rangers’ second round pick in last year’s OHL draft. He was pegged as a potential first round selection, but a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan scared teams off. Vukojevic hasn’t announced his next move, but the Rangers are in the mix for his services.