Match-up preview: Kitchener Rangers vs Guelph Storm

The Kitchener Rangers have a rare weekday game tonight at The Aud versus the visiting Guelph Storm.

The battle between Midwest Division teams always proves to be a difficult test with such a highly competitive set of squads. Aside from Kitchener and Guelph; powerhouses Owen Sound, London, and Erie compete in the Midwest. Owen Sound has been holding on to the top spot in the division, with Kitchener trailing. London and Guelph have been competing for third spot, while Erie rounds out the group.

After facing ex-Ranger Alex Aleardi in Plymouth on Saturday, the Rangers sailed to a six-game winning streak – the longest streak in the league at the moment. This puts Kitchener at 14-5-0-0 for the season.

Rookie Jesse Young made headlines scoring his first goal - and point, in the Rangers’ 3-2 win over the Whalers. His would prove to be the game winner for the Rangers. A native of Walled Lake, Michigan, the 6-foot 204-pound defenseman had the opportunity to do so in front of family and friends at Compuware Arena.

Jason Akeson continues to lead the blue shirts in points with 37 – nine goals and 28 assists, while Matthew Tipoff’s 14-game point-streak came to an end this weekend. Ryan Murphy and Gabriel Landeskog trail Akeson with 31 and 29 points respectively.

Netminders Brandon Maxwell and Mike Morrison have been fairly evenly matched for time between the pipes. Maxwell has played 13 games with a 9-4 record. He averages 3.59 goals against, with a 0.897 save-percentage. Morrison has played nine games and recorded five wins and one loss. He has a 0.900 save-percentage and 2.71 goals-against-average.

Guelph comes in to tonight’s game with a fairly inconsistent record. They are 10-6-2-1, but have not had the same outcome for more than one consecutive game played. The team’s last match-up was a victory over the Sudbury Wolves. In total, the Storm have 60 goals-for and 65 goals-against, while Kitchener has 85 for and 63 against. 

Peter Holland is the Storm’s leading scorer with 15 goals and 11 assists for 26 points. The Caledon, Ontario native is one of five leading scorers returning from Guelph’s roster last season.

Taylor Beck and Michael Latta are two others from this group, who have returned to do damage on the front lines. Another of the point producers, Matthew Sisca, was traded to the Saginaw Spirit while Adam Comrie is now playing in the Florida Panther’s organization. In net, Brandon Foote has taken on the bulk of the workload for the Storm. He has played 13 games and recorded seven wins and five losses - two of those being in overtime. He has a 3.04 goals-against-average with a 0.921 save-percentage.

Catch the action as Kitchener looks for their impressive seventh-straight victory tonight.