Rangers unprepared to tackle Knights

By CityNews Kitchener Staff

It was hard to believe the same Kitchener Rangers team played both Friday and Saturday.

“I thought we played our best game of our season last night. Tonight ranks up there, with maybe the Soo game, as one of our worst of the season. Welcome to Junior hockey,” said Kitchener head coach Jay McKee.

The Rangers went into London for the middle of another three-in-three and the Knights slammed Kitchener 6-2.

To add injury to insult, the Rangers lost their third player to injury in the last two games after Alex Lipanov left the game after his first shift with an undisclosed injury.

“He wasn't able to come back to the game. We'll see where he's at when we talk to the doctors,” said McKee.

LISTEN: Mike Farwell gets an update from Kitchener head coach Jay McKee on Connor Hall and Nick McHugh

 

 

London scored just over six minutes into the game and added another before the opening frame ended.

In the second period, the Knights scored just their second goal on the power play this season; and just the second the Rangers have allowed.

London would add a short-handed marker before the frame was over.

“It's just as much a mental game as it is physical,” said McKee. “Quite often when you have a great game, it's an oddity in hockey or in sports, you don't come out as prepared as you were. We tried to get them mentally dialed in for that, but apparently, we need to hammer that in a little more.”

Joseph Garreffa and Jonathan Yantsis were the Rangers goal-scorers, but the Knights dominated the game from the opening face-off.

“They outplayed us in all aspects of the game tonight,” said McKee. “Our leadership guys need to be better, and it starts from there.”

It starts Sunday afternoon in Guelph, in a rematch of Friday, against the Storm.

Pregame on 570 NEWS is at 1:30 p.m.

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