Kitchener Rangers fall to Soo Greyhounds in Western Conference shootout

Travis Hayes led the Soo Greyhounds to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Kitchener Rangers on Friday night at GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault St. Marie.

Brady Martin potted the shootout winner in the first round of the Western Conference standoff when he fired a wrist shot past the glove of Rangers netminder Jason Schaubel in front of 3,826 fans attending the game.

After emerging victorious, the Greyhounds improve to 2-4-0-0 on the season, while the Rangers fall to 3-2-1-1. Soo stays put in the basement of the Western Conference, while Kitchener occupies second place in the west, earning another point in the shootout loss.

The Rangers tied up the game with 8:25 remaining in the final frame of regulation when right winger Justin Bottineau scored his first goal of the 2024-25 regular season.

After taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, the Rangers saw their lead dissipate because of two short-handed goals scored by the Greyhounds in a span of 59 seconds. Travis Hayes scored a game-tying goal, while Brady Martin gave Soo their first lead with his third goal of the year.

Hayes scored two goals in the game, also adding an insurance marker in the shootout. The 17-year-old forward leads his squad in goals with four this season, also tacking on two assists in six games.

“Too many turnovers and those turnovers led directly to Sault St. Marie goals,” said 570 News Colour Commentator Paul Fixter, post game. “Two of them were short-handed when Kitchener had the power play, and that really stings.”

After the shootout loss, the Kitchener Rangers have lost four straight games against the Soo Greyhounds, dating back to last season. The Rangers earned a point in the shootout, and they’ll visit the Saginaw Spirit for the second of back-to-back road games on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds will also play their next game in Saginaw.