Mascherin makes it 40

By Chris Pope

It looked like Adam Mascherin might go through the glass.

After blocking a shot in the defensive zone, 23 for the Kitchener Rangers took off. It was the familiar hunched over powerful stride through the neutral zone, the leg kick, the flex of a the stick, and the patented Mascherin release.

It wasn’t close. The shot screeched by Saginaw Spirit goaltender Cameron Lamour, while the Rangers forward did his best Lambeau Leap impression into the glass on East Ave.

“I had so much speed, I thought I was going to go through,” laughed the newly minted 40-goal scorer.

He becomes the first Kitchener Ranger to mark the feat since Tobias Rieder in 2012, when he scored 42.

Mascherin also earned an assist on a Joseph Garreffa marker Sunday afternoon and the Rangers skipped the Saginaw Spirit 3-2 at the Aud in a potential playoff matchup.

Breaking the 40-goal plateau comes after back-to-back 35-goal seasons for Maple native.

“That was in my head going into the season,” chuckled Mascherin of whether he was going to be able to surpass 35. “It’s a little monkey off the back I guess and a little confidence booster going into the playoffs. The coaching staff came over and congratulated me, so it was nice.”

The coaching staff also had praise for its defensive corp after the game. In the first period, Connor Hall was forced to leave the game with what looked like an upper-body injury. Kitchener head coach Jay McKee said doctors would be evaluating Hall, who was seen in street clothes after the game at the rink.

“[Michael] Vukojevich had about 27 minutes of ice tonight,” pointed out McKee. “For a 16 year old, it’s pretty impressive. He competes all the time. He plays hard down low. Pretty proud of the way he competed out there tonight.”

The team was already without Logan Stanley, who took a puck to the knee on Friday night. He’s expected back before long.

Luke Richardson picked up the win in goal for the Rangers – his third straight. He stopped 32 shots to pick up the decision.

Kitchener wraps up their regular season this week. They’re in Guelph Tuesday and Sarnia Wednesday, before their final game before playoffs on Friday night against the Storm at the Aud.

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