Rangers feel the Sting on home ice
Posted Nov 21, 2018 02:46:35 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
At first, it seemed like it was going to be an even game.
Even the picture used above displayed a bit of promise, with Kitchener starter Luke Richardson showing flashes of brilliance early on.
But a five goal second period — including three of them in two minutes and 14 seconds — led the Sarnia Sting to a 7-4 win over the Blueshirts Tuesday night.
The Rangers would be the ones to open the scoring. Just a couple minutes in, Greg Meireles turned in the corner, sent the puck in front and Rickard Hugg tapped home a power play marker in close to open the scoring.
However just over a minute later, Franco Sproviero answered on a quick Sting rush to tie it up.
Sarnia set quite a tone in the opening period, firing 20 shots on net.
The visitors would get the lead about 2:30 into the second, as Calgary Flames property Adam Ruzicka jumped on a rebound.
But Meireles would showcase some more pretty passing, notching his second apple of the night with a pass up front to Jonathan Yantsis. No. 93’s team-leading 19th goal of the season about 90 seconds after Sarnia’s marker tied the game at two.
Fast forward to about halfway through the second, and Mike Petizian coughed up a puck inside the Sarnia blue line.
Ruzicka collected the puck, went in alone and beat Richardson via the five hole for his second of the night.
Then, with 9:22 left on the clock in the middle stanza, Brayden Guy took a pass inside the face off circle to the right of Richardson and wired home the 4-2 goal.
57 seconds later on the power play, Hugo Leufvenius extended the Sarnia lead to three goals.
A couple minutes after that, both teams would exchange goals 20 seconds apart.
Nick McHugh slapped home a one-timer on a delayed penalty call against Sarnia, and Sproviero collected his second of the night and chased Richardson from the goal.
Early in the third, the Rangers got the crowd to their feet with chances — including a pair of goal posts from Joseph Garreffa and Chase Campbell — but no dice.
Halfway through the third, with goalie Lucas Pfeil’s stick in the corner and off a bad Rangers change, Anthony Salinitri went high blocker side shorthanded to make it 7-3.
Eric Guest answered on the power play with 6:07 left in regulation, but that’s as close as the home side would get.
Richardson made 22 saves on 28 shots in 33:25 of work before Pfeil took over. He made eight saves on nine shots in relief.
Aidan Hughes stopped 32 of 36 to collect the win.
Kitchener doesn’t have much time to dwell, as they’ll travel to Flint, Michigan for a Wednesday night game against the Firebirds.
Broadcast time on 570 NEWS is 6:35 p.m.
LISTEN: 570’s Colour Commentator Chris Pope spoke to Bob McKenzie and former Kitchener Rangers captain Ben Fanelli about the book “Everyday Hockey Heroes.”
