Friday night was one to remember at Kitchener’s Memorial Auditorium as Peter DeBoer was honoured as he was the first person to be inducted into the Kitchener Rangers‘ new Level of Legacy, which is “a new initiative recognizing Kitchener Rangers alumni with significant contributions to the team’s history and success.”
To add to the excitement before the Rangers’ Friday night tilt on East Avenue, the Rangers announced that Lucas Ellinas, fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, Carson Campbell, one of their alternate captains, and Andrew Vermeulen would make their season debuts, recovering from injuries.
Game Recap
Off the ceremony, the Rangers came out flying. Kaden Schneider opened the scoring four minutes into the game with his second of the season. Christian Humphreys followed that up, scoring less than two minutes later, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead on his seventh goal of the season, just over five minutes into the game.
About 10 minutes later, the Spirit were gifted a power-play opportunity, after a Spirit defender hit Avry Anstis high and from behind. Without the refs making a call on the dangerous hit, someone had to step up and send a message that that type of hit is not okay, which led to Max Dirracolo getting an instigator penalty. This allowed Egor Barabanov to score on a man advantage that should have never happened.
However, it did not take the Rangers long to regain the two-goal lead, as captain Cameron Reid scored his second goal of the period two minutes later. This goal gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
In the second, the Rangers continued to dominate. They extended their lead to three as Matthew Hlacar scored his second goal of the season on a breakaway halfway through the period. This was the lone goal of the middle frame.
Fighting a 4-1 deficit, the Spirit got back within two midway through the third period after being gifted another power-play opportunity on some questionable reffing, a theme of the night. Carson Harmer scored the goal.
This was as close as the Spirit got, as Tanner Lam iced the game with an empty-net goal to close out the 5-2 victory.
Rangers Turning the Neutral Zone Into a Highway
Following the Rangers’ victory last weekend against the Sudbury Wolves, head coach Jussi Ahokas said, “We need speed in the neutral zone so that we can get more speed on our drives [to the net]”, when asked about what he wanted to see his team improve on following that win.
Since this comment, the Rangers have been flying through the neutral zone. In their victory against the Wolves, they scored three of their four goals in the shutout victory on breakaways. Then tonight, Hlacar scored another on the semi-break, and they had countless other breakaways. Without Stepan Shurygin, the Spirit would have stood no chance in this one.
At times earlier in the season, we saw the Rangers struggling to move the puck and clean, which led to them struggling to get these chances off the rush. But now, over the past few weeks, we have seen the chemistry build again, and the much cleaner puck movement is allowing the Rangers to create these high-danger chances more consistently.
Tanner Lam Reaches 100 Career OHL Points
Tanner Lam led the way for the Rangers offensively, helping set up Schneider’s goal and Reid’s goal, and also adding the empty-netter. The goal, and his third point of the night, was his 100th career Ontario Hockey League (OHL) point in his 145th game.
In his third season with the team, Lam put up 31 points in his rookie season with the Rangers. He followed that up by putting up 58 points last season. Now, after the three-point night, Lam has 16 points in 17 games this season. This was his fifth multi-point game of the campaign, and he is on pace for 28 goals and 64 points.
Lam may be undersized, but when he is moving his feet and making quick decisions with the puck, he can still be the most impactful player on the ice. Lam has been on a mission since being passed over in the NHL draft this past summer, and it is showing in the way he has started the season. The thing is, I think he hasn’t yet shown his best for an extended period. So, with four points in his last four games, Lam could be heating up after three multi-point showings in a five-game span earlier this season.
The Kitchener Rangers Level of Legacy
Forgive me, as I feel a little unqualified to walk down memory lane on Pete DeBoer’s time in Kitchener, at the start of it. I was probably shortly out of diapers.
Regardless of my lack of memory of these unbelievable achievements by DeBoer and the Rangers while he was their bench boss, you could tell there were many who did remember those great moments. You can feel how great the community around this Rangers team is, and that only comes from the consistent commitment to success and creating these lifelong memories for fans.
This part I feel more obligated to speak on, throwing any objectivity out the window. This is a community I grew up in. I played at an intermission, I sang the anthem with my public school many times, I’ve been in the stands and picked up bears on Teddy Bear nights. I’ve been the kid playing minor hockey games at the Aud, thinking how cool it was to be on the same ice where the OHLers played.
This Level of Legacy will further strengthen the Rangers’ community and allow them to celebrate a long, rich history full of alumni. Brian Bellows will be the second person inducted in early January.
Following that, it’s a mystery who will be next with how many great options they have. Personally, I would really like to see Dan Lebold, their head trainer and equipment manager, who has been with the team since 1995, and Dave Schnider, their public address announcer, who has also been with them since 1995, inducted into the Level of Legacy.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Kitchener Rangers’ 3-1 Victory Over Saginaw Spirit
This rich history and the passionate fanbase will allow the Rangers to remain a powerhouse junior program in the evolving landscape of players able to transfer to the NCAA.
The Rangers will look to extend their win streak to four games and their point streak to eight games on Sunday in a game against the Kingston Frontenacs.
