Rangers Score Six in Fan Fest Victory over Niagara Sunday
September 4, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Kitchener Rangers News Release
Kitchener, Ont. – Carson Rehkopf recorded a three-point night, four other Rangers tallied two points each and Jackson Parsons made 39 saves on 41 shots in a 6-2 victory over the Niagara IceDogs in front of 1,989 fans in the preseason opener at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorirum Sunday.
Adam Zidlicky started the scoring for the Rangers, converting on a rebound in front of the net at 1:03 of the opening frame. Jesse Fishman and Matthew Andonovski were credited with the assists.
Rehkopf scored his first-of-two on the night at 3:57. Reid Valade intercepted a clearing attempt on the far wall before passing the puck to Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) at the left point. Hamara fired it on net where Rehkopf deflected the puck past the Niagara netminder Joseph Costanzo to earn the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Niagara would bring the game within one at 5:50 when Brenden Sirizzotti scored shortside over the left shoulder of Rangers’ Jackson Parsons. The Rangers led 2-1 after 20 minutes and were ahead in shots 12-9.
The Rangers would score the next four to earn a 6-1 lead beginning with Kitchener-native Matthew Sop at 1:35 of the middle frame. While in the left corner in the Niagara zone, Hamara dished the puck to the slot where Sop was able to find twine from the right side of the goal for the eventual game-winning tally. Then at 15:39, Mitchell Martin centered the puck to Trent Swick from the left-wing wall before Swick was able to light-the-lamp. Rehkopf potted his second-of-the-night at 17:07 while on the power-play from the top of the left circle, blocker-side. Kitchener headed to the dressing room leading 5-1 after 40 minutes of play.
Kitchener added one more in the third to earn their sixth goal of the game at 5:22. Mitchell Martin drove to the net and was tripped up before Reid Valade converted on the rebound. Niagara then scored while on a two-man advantage from the slot, blocker-side at 9:28.
The Rangers were 1-for-2 on the power-play and were 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. Final shots favoured the IceDogs 41-33. Rehkopf was the game’s first star, Parsons received second-star honours and Hamara earned the third star.
Next up, the Blueshirts will play the Guelph Storm in a neutral-site game for the Labour Day holiday tomorrow, Monday, September 5th at 2 p.m. 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.
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