Kitchener Rangers down Guelph Storm

Kitchener and Guelph lining up for a potential post-season clash

GUELPH — The fact that Friday’s feud could soon be a seven-game playoff series wasn’t lost on the Kitchener Rangers.

The team came into the Sleeman Centre ready to deliver a message to the Guelph Storm, who are shaping up to be a potential first round opponent when the post-season gets underway in about a month.

And boy did the Blueshirts make a statement.

Kitchener produced a commanding 5-2 victory to pick up their first regular season win at the Sleeman Centre in the past four tries, a streak stretching back to last March. It also evened the season series at three wins apiece.

“There are no easy games in this league,” Rangers coach Jay McKee said. “You can’t just show up and win every game. But if all 20 guys are playing as hard as they can and are detailed I think we have a chance to win every night.”

The theory proved true Friday as the Rangers were dialled in from the opening draw.

Captain Rickard Hugg scored his first of two first-period goals just 3:28 into the game. Sandwiched in between was a Jonathan Yantsis power-play marker — his team-leading 38th — as the Storm limped into the break in shock.

The home side came out motivated in the second and got one back when Owen Lalonde banked the puck in off a Rangers defenceman. However,

Riley Damiani responded about a minute and a half later to restore the threegoal cushion for the visitors.

The frantic pace continued in the third but was muted when Kitchener rookie Isaac Langdon had to be helped off the ice after being hit by Guelph winger Alexey Toropchenko, who was assessed a major for checking to the head and tossed from the match.

MacKenzie Entwistle scored while short-handed on Kitchener’s ensuing five-minute power play but the Storm rally ended there. Joseph Garreffa made it 5-2 Blueshirts with the man advantage in the final minute of action.

The Rangers sit sixth in the western conference but only trail fifth-place Owen Sound by two points with a game in hand.

Catch the Bayshore bunch and the Blueshirts — as it stands now — would be post-seasoning against Guelph, which is currently planted in fourth.

And what a series it would be.

Clashes between the Rangers and Storm are always heated affairs and Friday was no different with several post-whistle scrums and a dandy of a fight between Yantsis and Guelph captain Isaac Ratcliffe.

Kitchener ousted Guelph in six games in the opening round of last year’s playoffs during its failed bid to reach the Ontario Hockey League final, which ended with a Game 7 double-overtime loss to Sault Ste. Marie in the western conference final.

This time, the roles are reversed. It was the Storm that made one of the biggest splashes at this year’s trade deadline by

acquiring Entwistle, forward Nick Suzuki and defenceman Markus Phillips, who all represented Canada at the world juniors, among others.

“They’re an elite team,” said McKee. “It if ends up being a

Guelph matchup they’re a team we know a lot about and have beaten this year. Mentally we feel like we can play with these guys.”

There are no easy games in this league. JAY MCKEE Kitchener Rangers coach