Match-up preview: Kitchener Rangers vs Owen Sound Attack

Tonight’s match-up is the first meeting between the Kitchener Rangers and the Owen Sound Attack – two of the top-dogs in the league. This weekend’s home-and-home is an important one, and will determine the top team in the Midwest Division. 

These two squads have had a see-saw battle in the standings all season. Currently Owen Sound is 19-8-0-2 with 40 points, while Kitchener is 18-7-1-1 with 38 points.  

“They don’t have many weaknesses,” commented head coach Steve Spott. “And they’re a team that has great team speed.” 

With the likes of Joey Hishon, Garrett Wilson, and Jesse Blacker on their team, Owen Sound boasts a roster with the highest number of players to be invited to the Team Canada selection camp.  

Hishon and Wilson lead the Attack offense as the team’s two top point producers – both are averaging over 1.5 points per game. Hishon – a first round pick of the Colarado Avalanche – has come back from an early season wrist injury to score 17 goals and earn 25 assists, with a plus-18 plus-minus rating. Wilson – a Florida Panthers draftee – has 25 goals, 19 assists, and is plus-27. 

Defenseman Jesse Blacker was a late addition to the Team Canada selection camp roster, replacing an injured Brandon Gormley of the Moncton Wildcats. Blacker is the Toronto Maple Leafs second round pick from the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. 

“With the likes of [Hishon, Wilson, and Blacker] - guys going out for the World Junior team - this is a very deep hockey club,” said Spott.  

Rangers’ own Ryan Murphy will also be vying for a spot on Team Canada. Murphy is leading all defensemen with 13 goals and 28 assists, and a plus-9. 

“For him it’s going to be about trust,” said Spott. “They have to be able to trust him five-on-five. If he can play a five-on-five role and limit his mistakes defensively he has a good chance because he’s so good on the power play.” 

The Rangers will lose Murphy on the blueline as of Sunday when he, along with the other Canada hopefuls, will head to camp. Murphy is one of the youngest on the 32-man roster – he is only one of four players entering their draft year. The remainder of the roster has already been drafted to the National League. 

“I’m going to give it all I’ve got,” said Murphy. “I’m a young player going out there so I’ve really got nothing to lose.” 

Murphy will be joined by Gabriel Landeskog and Tobias Rider at the IIHF World Junior Tournament in Buffalo later in the month, where Landeskog will play for Sweden and Rieder for Germany.  

Landeskog and Rieder, with centreman Michael Catenacci between, formed a new line for Kitchener at Tuesday’s Teddy Bear Toss. With centre Andrew Crescenzi injured, hard hitting forward Tyler Randell moved up to play alongside Jason Akeson and Matt Tipoff on the Rangers’ second line. 

“Tyler played a bigger role for us tonight and deserved to be the firs star,” Spott commented after Tuesday’s match-up. “He got us two big goals and after his performance tonight he could potentially stay there.” 

The 16th annual Teddy Bear Toss set a new record, with 6, 872 bears collected for charitable organizations. The last two years Akeson has been responsible for the “teddy bear goal”, but this year it was Tipoff with the goal less than a minute in.  

“It was nice to get that,” said Tipoff. “We were joking around before the game…and he set me up too.” 

The Rangers’ 4-3 win over the Guelph Storm comes after a set of losses to the Erie Otters and the Niagara Ice Dogs.  

“It’s great to see our team handle adversity like that,” Tipoff said.  

The home-and-home with the Attack finishes on Sunday afternoon in Owen Sound at 2:00 p.m.