Rangers roll early in Game 1 against Guelph
Posted Mar 24, 2018 01:21:51 AM.
Last Updated Mar 24, 2018 11:29:31 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Kitchener Rangers erased any memory of the regular season, and quickly.
It took a few minutes for the Rangers to get their feet under them, but then they used those feet to get a step up on the Guelph Storm.
The Blueshirts buried five first-period goals, jumping out to a big lead over their Highway 7 counterparts, and slapped the Storm 7-2 at the Aud in Game 1, Friday.
“We take away that first period, and it’s a two-two hockey game,” said Rangers head coach Jay McKee. “We have a lot of respect for that hockey club, we know they’re going to come out hard and not roll over. There’s a lot left to go in the series.”
Kitchener got goals from seven different players, but Adam Mascherin and Riley Damiani led the way offensively with three points each.
Jack York got the scoring started for the Rangers in the first, and would soon add an assist on Adam Mascherin’s first of the playoffs.
“I was pretty fired up. It was good to hear the crowd get loud,” said York. “It was a pretty special moment. It was good to get our team going.”
“[Playoff hockey] is a lot more intense,” said Mascherin. “I think I threw more hits today than I did the whole regular season. Every game you’re trying to send a message. It’s a higher intensity. It’s a lot more exciting.”
The quarter-final series between the Rangers and Storm continues Sunday night at 7:00 p.m.
“When the sun rises tomorrow, you put it behind you and we start over again. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us here,” said McKee.
Pre-game Sunday on 570 News is at 6:30 p.m.
