Rangers secure ‘statement’ win over Sudbury Wolves

Don’t look now, but the Kitchener Rangers have won three games in a row.

After a recent stretch of only one win in nine games from Jan. 20 to Feb. 10, the Rangers secured a huge victory on home ice against the Eastern Conference-leading Sudbury Wolves, 6-1.

Given the manner in which the Wolves defeated the OHL’s second-best team Friday, 570’s Colour Commentator Paul Fixter said this win was extremely impressive.

“For me it was a statement game,” said Fixter. “[The Rangers] just knocked off a team 6-1 that beat Saginaw Spirit 6-3 on Friday. I think it was a heck of a performance by the Rangers.”

Carson Rehkopf led the way with two goals, while Matt Sop tallied his 34th of the year and added two assists.

Fixter asked Sop during the CityNews 570 post-game show if the triumphant win was revenge for Kitchener’s 7-5 loss in Sudbury a few months ago.

“I think that’s one of the things we just move on from right away but it’s in the back of our mind,” said Sop, who was the first star on Sunday. “In between the second and third we made sure to stay sharp and know what [Sudbury] can do offensively.”

The Rangers will look to keep their forward momentum Monday afternoon when they take on the Petes in Peterborough.

The Petes have struggled this year, but they are coming off of a win against the Kingston Frontenacs. The last time Kitchener and Peterborough met, the Rangers blanked the Petes 4-0.

You can catch the game on CityNews 570 with pre-game coverage starting at 1:30 p.m. or you can listen to the post-game podcast here.