Preview: Rangers Host Niagara for First Preseason Game Sunday
September 3, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Kitchener Rangers News Release
Kitchener, Ont. – The Kitchener Rangers are set to begin the 2022 OHL preseason Sunday when the club hosts the Niagara IceDogs at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium at 2 p.m. Sunday’s game marks the first-of-six exhibition contests and the first-of-three home games at The Aud.
Promotions:
The Rangers are kicking-off the 2022-23 season with fun, food and friends at the Kitchener Rangers ‘Fan Fest’ in support of Make-A-Wish Canada. Fan Fest is back and takes place Sunday from 10am – 2pm at The Aud, Parking Lot A. Meet the Rangers players, get an autograph and participate in many activities including inflatable games and rides. Fan fest is free to all fans.
Scouting the Rangers:
Of the 24 players on the Rangers’ preseason roster, 21 skaters return from the 2021-22 team that saw the Rangers earn a first-round best-of-seven playoff series victory over the London Knights.
Returning point leaders for the Blueshirts are Joseph Serpa who recorded 69 points (20G, 49A) in 62 games, Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) who tallied 60 points (22G, 38A) in 55 games and Reid Valade who recorded 55 points (30G, 25A) in 63 games.
On the blue line, Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) recorded 33 points (11G, 22A) in 68 games a season ago and Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) comes to Kitchener after spending last season with Tappara in Liiga, Finland’s top men’s professional league.
Between-the-pipes, Jackson Parsons returns for his second season with the Rangers after recording a 3.77 goals against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage (SAV%) in 22 games a season ago. Marcus Vandenberg will be with the Rangers after spending the majority of last season with the Stratford Warriors in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL)
Scouting the IceDogs:
The IceDogs three returning point-getters are Brenden Sirizzotti who recorded 48 points (16G, 32A) in 73 games last season, Pano Fimis who tallied 44 points in (14G, 30A) in 54 games and Aidan Castle who notched 43 points (15G, 28A) 68 games. Pasquale Zito (Detroit Red Wings) is the lone NHL draft pick on the IceDogs roster.
Head-to-Head:
Kitchener and Niagara have not seen each other since the 2019-20 campaign where the Rangers posted a 1-0-1-0 record against the IceDogs. In the past 10 meetings, Kitchener holds a 7-2-1-0 record against Niagara dating back to the 2015-16 campaign.
Ticket Information:
Fans can purchase tickets for $5.00 (General Admission, one ticket price for all ages, children under the age of 2 are free) Sunday at Fan Fest at the Rangers’ tent. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Make-A-Wish Canada, who works with communities across the country to provide children with critical illnesses the opportunity to experience their most heartfelt wishes.
Broadcast Coverage:
Sunday’s contest vs. Niagara will be televised live across the Waterloo Region on Rogers TV, cable channel 20, and across the province of Ontario on the Super Sports Pak on channel 463 for cable subscribers. Additionally, the game will be free to watch online via CHL TV: Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire and online at watch.chl.ca. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.
Next up:
The Blueshirts will play the Guelph Storm in a neutral-site game for the Labour Day holiday Monday, Sep. 5 at 2 p.m. ET. The Rangers and Storm will face-off in Ayr, Ont., at the North Dumfries Community Complex, home of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s (GOJHL) Ayr Centennials. General admission tickets are very limited and available for $12 at the North Dumfries Community Complex on a first-come-first-served basis.
Opening Night:
Kitchener is welcoming Rangers Nation back to The Aud for the 60th anniversary. The Rangers open the 2022-23 season against the Sarnia Sting on Friday, September 30th at 7:30 p.m. Individual game tickets will go on sale Tuesday, September 6th for $25 and are available at KitchenerRangers.com.
• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
