Hot-hand stops Rangers offence, again

It was déjà vu all over again for the Kitchener Rangers.

Monday in Hamilton, Tristan Malboeuf stopped all 40 shots to shutout Kitchener. Friday, it was Carter George's turn.

The Owen Sound Attack's Jr. B call-up stopped 48 shots and the Bears bopped the Blueshirts 3-2, in overtime.

“We did everything tonight the right way, put up 50 shots, lots of chances again. It's just the way the puck is bouncing right now. It felt like we were never going to score,” said general manager Mike McKenzie. “A lot, if not all positives tonight, other than the fact we didn't get two points.”

George made 48 stops improving to 5-2 in Owen Sound. He's doing it in fantastic fashion. The Attack third-rounder sports a sparkling 2.13 GAA and .934 SV%, with the Bears.

Colby Barlow scored his 39th of the year for the game-winner, after the Rangers made an ill-timed line-change. The win snapped the Attack's five-game losing streak.

It extended the Rangers into a three-game streak of their own.

An area McKenzie wants to see improved is their power-play. Formally a top-five unit in the league, they've fallen to the bottom quarter of the league and are just 2-for-25 recently.

“It has to be better for sure,” said McKenzie. “There's too much talent and too much skill (...) We need to find a way to do more with it.”

Danny Zhilkin and Francesco Arcuri scored for the Rangers in the third period. It snapped a goalless drought of more than 130 minutes of action for Kitchener.

They're at home Sunday to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

The Hounds are just four points back of Kitchener for the eighth, and final, playoff spot. The Rangers are three points back of the Flint Firebirds for seventh, and seven back of the Guelph Storm, and Owen Sound.

The pregame show starts at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, with Mike Farwell and Chris Pope.