Rangers shut down Kyrou in win over Sting
KITCHENER — Riley Damiani had a monumental task.
The 17-year-old Kitchener Rangers centre was asked to shut down the hottest player in the Ontario Hockey League Tuesday night at the Aud.
Sarnia Sting winger Jordan Kyrou was the target.
The St. Louis Blues prospect was coming in hot with seven points in his last tilt. The outburst capped a 13-point run over four games that earned him the Canadian Hockey League player of the week honour.
Control Kyrou, and the Rangers had a better chance of knocking off the OHL’s second best club.
“I was pretty nervous, actually,” said Damiani. “I was sitting up in stands getting chills thinking about it and thinking about the trust the coaches have in me.” But the sophomore delivered. Damiani, along with rotating linemates Greg Meireles, Nick McHugh and Adam Liska, limited the league’s leading scorer to one assist and one shot on net as the Rangers doubled the Sting 6-3 in a tense match on East Avenue.
“It’s crazy,” said the Mississauga native. “His speed and his ability to move and shoot the puck is NHL calibre. It’s definitely a tough assignment. You have to be communicating with your linemates and defence. That’s a huge part of it.”
With Kyrou stifled, the Rangers went to work.
And there were many things to like in Tuesday’s victory, which lifted the Rangers to a record of 40-18-2-0.
Sniper Kole Sherwood ripped two goals in the first period and was an all-around menace.
Logan Brown had two assists and potted a pair, including an important insurance marker late in the contest with the Sting pressing.
Rickard Hugg scored the gamewinner — his first in 24 affairs — early in the third period, while Kitchener goalie Mario Culina made 35 saves for his 14th victory of the season.
“I like what I saw from both teams,” said Rangers coach Jay McKee. “That was just a great hockey game. Those are fun to coach. Obviously, coming out on the winning side of it feels a little bit better. I think both teams grinded it out. It felt like a playoff game.”
The Rangers had a 3-2 lead after one period, played a scoreless second and added three more in the third, including an empty netter from Connor Bunnaman. Sarnia got goals from Jonathan Ang, Hugo Leufvenius and Adam Ruzicka.
Tuesday’s clash was originally scheduled for Feb. 9 but was postponed due to inclement weather. It was Kitchener’s second victory against the Sting in as many tries this season and spoiled Sarnia’s bid for a franchise-record 43 wins.
But lost in all the highlights was Damiani’s duty.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “We beat one of the best teams in the league, and when you do that, obviously, everyone is pretty jacked up.
“It definitely lifts us up. We’ve been going through a hot and cold spell. I feel like this game, we’re just going to build off of it and just take off from here.”
The teams will renew acquaintances soon. The Rangers have eight games left in the regular season, and two of them are against the Sting. But next up are the Oshawa Generals who make their lone appearance at the Aud this season Friday at 7:30 p.m.