Rangers on brink of history against Spitfires

The Kitchener Rangers have been dealing with adversity all season long.

So when captain Francesco Pinelli was ejected just 2:20 into the game, while on the power play, it was business as usual for the Blueshirts, in Game 3 of their first-round match-up against the Windsor Spitfires.

“Something good would happen and something bad would happen,” said general manager Mike McKenzie. “That’s what playoffs is all about, managing the highs and lows properly.”

Pinelli was leaving Windsor’s zone, and ran into Spits’ forward Oliver Peer, who needed help off the ice. He didn’t return to the game.

“[Peer] jumps onto the ice from the bench, and he’s right in Francesco’s ice, bumps into him and goes down,” pointed out McKenzie. “It’s a little weird to call a blindsiding-hit on someone that’s on the ice when the person coming off the bench comes onto the ice, it isn’t really blindsiding. It’s a really strange call, that’s all I’ll say.”

The Rangers responded with a goal inside the final minute of the opening period, to take a lead into the first intermission for the third straight game of the series. They’d never trail.

The Rangers scored five third-period-goals, including two into an empty net, and stopped the Spits 6-3 to take a 3-0 series lead.

Kitchener has a chance to become the first eight-seed to sweep a Conference Champion Thursday, when the Aud is going to be packed for Game 4.

Only two teams have upset a one-seed in OHL history. In 2001-02, Rangers Assistant Coach Dennis Wideman, and London, took out Plymouth 4-2. Three years later Blyth-native Justin Peters, and Toronto, upset Mississauga 4-1.

The Aud was absolutely electric Tuesday, the 5,811 in attendance made it feel like 7,800 people.

“They were going crazy. That was insane. We felt it. I still have goosebumps. That was amazing,” said Rangers’ forward, and Sudbury native, Mitchell Martin.

‘The Big Nickel’ scored his first goal of the playoffs, and added two assists. Carson Rehkopf also provided the same stat-line in the absence of Pinelli, who had five points over the first two games of the series.

“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” said Martin, of the captain. “We just said, ‘We need to step up; win it for him.’ It was nice to get it done for him.”

Marco Costantini was fantastic in goal, again, stopping 40 Windsor shots. The defending OHL-Champion netminder has a goals against average of 2.00 and his .943 save percentage is tops in the league.

The Spitfires led the OHL in goals-scored during the regular season, with 320 tallies.

Kitchener has held them to just six goals over three games. That ties a season-low for the Spits this season, over three games.

Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Thursday, with the Harris Law pregame show beginning at 6:35 p.m. with Mike Farwell and Chris Pope.