Kitchener Rangers kick off playoff run at The Aud with Game 1 against Flint

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

The Kitchener Rangers kick off their quest to be crowned the kings of junior hockey on Friday night at The Aud with the first game in a seven-game series against the Flint Firebirds.

“We’re super excited in the room, we have a super close-knit team,” said Rangers Captain Matthew Andonovski. “We’re super excited to go for a run this year.””

The Blueshirts are hoping to win their first J. Ross Robertson Cup since the 2007/08 season, when now-aging NHLers like Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri donned the red, white, and blue.

Last season, any hopes of a deep playoff run for the Kitchener Rangers died in round two when the team was swept in four games by the London Knights.

It was an incredibly successful season for the Rangers, both on the ice and in the stands.

The team reached 100 points during the regular season for just the fourth time in franchise history, and the first time since that 2007/08 season.

Off of the ice, the team also broke the OHL’s attendance record, with more than 2.8 million seats filled at The Aud throughout this season so far.

This time around, the coaching staff has re-tooled their game plan to give themselves more options on offense when closely-contested games come down to the wire.

“We can roll four lines and come in waves,” said Rangers Assistant Coach Jeff Kyrzakos.

The Rangers didn’t have any stand-out scorers on their teamsheet this season, but instead spread the goals across all four lines.

“Last year, if we had a couple guys shut down, it was hard to produce offense elsewhere,” added Kyrzakos. “I think that’s a good change for us, and hopefully a good sign for the playoffs.”

The Rangers and Firebirds met four times during the regular season, with each game being decided by just one goal. Fortunately for Kitchener, they came out on top in each of the last three games against Flint.

The Firebirds also enter the post-season on somewhat of a cold streak, earning only three wins in their last 10 contests.

“We’re just as excited as you guys, all the support helps us out to go on a long playoff push,” said Andonovski about the Rangers fans.

If you can’t get tickets to Friday’s game, you can hear all the action on 570 NewRadio with Mike Farwell and Paul Fixter. The pre-game show begins at 6:30 p.m.