Kitchener Rangers 2023-24 Season Thread (Part 4)

[bobber]

I know. All good. Just playing also. Would love to see another Ktown/Knights PO series to make it best of 3 over last few years. It'll take 3 more PO Ws to make up for the game 7 (3-1 lead lost) to even it up lol.

An aside....Lam isn't Petizian and I'm not comparing them or their games other than I get the same contribution to the "team" vibe in the sense the kids a gamer and will make a difference in spots this year and increasingly so over the next 3 years.
Saw Petizian often in MM ( not involved now so hadn't seen Lam, and posted here often ya had a good one) but not Lam. If he has half the set of...... Pet had, he will be a pain in the azz for all KR opponents starting next year.

Think I met ya at a prospects spring tourney pre covid (aresknights) in Kitchener.

That was a great tourney. You could watch the top prospects coming into the league. We use to buy the package.

 

[rve24]

Might Micheal Catenacci be a closer comparible for Lam? That would be Petizian-ish without the grit?

You would know better than I. But ya I remember him as a pain in the butt to play against.
Kids that play with high motors and big GAF ( give a f.....) meters are always tough opponents lol.

 

[EvenSteven]

Lam is way ahead of either of them when all were 16.

For sure. Just saying as an undersized player, he’s closer to Catenacci than Petizian.

Offensively, Lam is way ahead of both at the same age but is getting much more opportunity at 16. But deservedly so.

 

[rangersblues]

You would know better than I. But ya I remember him as a pain in the butt to play against.
Kids that play with high motors and big GAF ( give a f.....) meters are always tough opponents lol.

Love the GAF reference. New to me but I'm old

 

[Offside by a mile]

Lineup rounding into shape tonight.

Pug Back
Swick back
Sop Back
Ando Back

Looks like:

Swick/Mesar/Razor
Sale/Sop/Missal
Ellinas/Romano/Stark
Botts/Mercer/Pug

Ando/Bru
Campbell/Motew
Savard/Dirracolo

Parsons

Lam Healthy Scratch.

Martin's return within the next 2 weeks.
Reid-Still no timetable not practicing ( Broken Thumb)

 

[rangersblues]

Lineup rounding into shape tonight.

Pug Back
Swick back
Sop Back
Ando Back

Looks like:

Swick/Mesar/Razor
Sale/Sop/Missal
Ellinas/Romano/Stark
Botts/Mercer/Pug

Ando/Bru
Campbell/Motew
Savard/Dirracolo

Parsons

Lam Healthy Scratch.

Martin's return within the next 2 weeks.
Reid-Still no timetable not practicing ( Broken Thumb)

Nice to see. That's about as close to a full lineup as any team can hope for this time of year.

Hopefully Rehkopf gets untracked again.

 

[EvenSteven]

Nice to see. That's about as close to a full lineup as any team can hope for this time of year.

Hopefully Rehkopf gets untracked again.

I’d rather Rehkopf get on track!

 

[Krangers08]

I think the Lam scratch will be beneficial. Allows him to reset and get his game back on track.

 

[EvenSteven]

I think the Lam scratch will be beneficial. Allows him to reset and get his game back on track.

Gives opportunity to guys like Romano and Stark as well. Once we’re healthy again, we’ll have trouble getting those two minutes.

 

[bobber]

Josh Brown has Lam playing with Romano and Stark on the line

 

[Krangers08]

Josh Brown has Lam playing with Romano and Stark on the line

Ellinas appears to be a late scratch. Flu going around the team?

 

[bobber]

Ellinas appears to be a late scratch. Flu going around the team?

Kranger coach mentioned illness and injury going through the team.

 

[GeoBlue]

Ellinas appears to be a late scratch. Flu going around the team?

Better now than next month. At least it's a better lineup than we've had for the last couple of weeks.

Swick-Rehkopf-Mesar
Sale-Sop-Misaljevic
Stark-Romano-Lam
Bottineau-Mercer-Pugliese

Andonovski- Brzustewicz
Dirracolo-Motew
Savard- Campbell

Parsons

 

[rve24]

Love the GAF reference. New to me but I'm old

I'm in the same club lol. Just always used it. No idea where I got it.

 

[Krangers08]

30 goals for Sop. Mesar was on a mission, dirracolo was solid and was a beast on that one shift in the 3rd

 

[East Avenue Bully]

dirracolo was solid and was a beast on that one shift in the 3rd

When he laid out #13 three times on the same shift, my whole row was going wild (except for the Storm ppl)

 

[Krangers08]

I like the power play unit but don’t get why Rehkopf is playing netfront

 

[bobber]

Rangers really looked flat for the most part last night until Dirracolo threw those hits. I mentioned before he would make an impact in the future and I guess the future is now. You could see he lit a fire under the Rangers asses with those hits. Also notice there was no opposing player responding to him. Kid is huge. Rangers really got lucky that Sop came through in this game because they never deserved to win it IMO. Not sure how but Jussi has to find a way to install some grit into their system. Storm were taking privileges and nailing Rangers constantly until Dirracolo threw the hits. It turned the game around and woke up his team mates. The Storm played like they should be playing this year and were missing two skilled players. I think the Rangers need to change something up on the PP. They all focus on getting Razors shot off and not going to the net and causing havoc. Storm goalie is huge. Shoot right at a barn door all night that's all you hit. Sometimes they couldn't hit that either.

 

[GeoBlue]

I think the Rangers need to change something up on the PP. They all focus on getting Razors shot off and not going to the net and causing havoc. Storm goalie is huge. Shoot right at a barn door all night that's all you hit.

Yup, we're seeing teams just putting all players in front of the net and making our shooters take the difficult shots. We need to score more goals like Sop's 1st on last night; Up close, in a scrum, wraparounds, etc.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

I have to say that teams that trap are tough to play against. This is especially so when scoring has dried up and Rangers tighten up on their sticks. Some good chances but nothing to show for it when they did have them. That 2nd period was much to do about nothing and showed on the shot clock.

But come the 3rd, the boys came out hard and didn't let up no matter what. When Mesar blew it past a fellow Slovak, you could see the team let out one great sigh. The Guelph fans around me weren't so peppy and bright. They could feel it coming and it did. Sop...still recovering from a bug....stepped up and sent the Rangers into OT. When a penalty shot was called, Sop sealed the win that the Rangers so desperately needed. BOOM.

Swick with two assists.....Dirracolo laying out some nice hits in the D zone....Pug poking the bear every chance he had.....and an all-round team effort. Rehkopf is due to shake off the scoring drought and finish strong into playoffs. Can't wait for Martin to return and in time, Reid.

Hopefully, London softened up Erie for the game tonight.

 

[bobber]

Yup, we're seeing teams just putting all players in front of the net and making our shooters take the difficult shots. We need to score more goals like Sop's 1st on last night; Up close, in a scrum, wraparounds, etc.

Good point Geo. Most goals these days are scored in scrambles. NHL is full of goals like this now. Unless the goalie is leaking like a sieve. The Storm forechecked the Rangers hard and hemmed them in their end. If they did manage to get into the offensive end they fumbled a pass or got hit and it was back down the ice. Opposing coaches keep the Rangers skill players to the outside running around in circles on the perimeter and it makes them ineffective.

 

[Ranger77]

I like the power play unit but don’t get why Rehkopf is playing netfront

Many people were very critical of Letang for using Rehkopf in the same way at World Jrs when he did get PP time. I don't see how this is the best use of him either. Needs to be on the flank to use that shot.

 

[rangersblues]

Many people were very critical of Letang for using Rehkopf in the same way at World Jrs when he did get PP time. I don't see how this is the best use of him either. Needs to be on the flank to use that shot.

I'm unsure what's going on with the pp. Before they put Rehkopf in front of the net they were just standing still passing the puck around the perimeter. Possibly he decided, or volunteered to go there. Like you said we need to be taking advantage of by far the best shot on the team. It's reminding me of our pp in days of yore.

Is Rehkopf playing through an injury? If so it might be time to sit him and let him heal properly.

Dirracolo - new Sheriff in the making. Same physicality. I'd say about the same development trajectory too. Great find.

All in all it's better than I expected in September but not as good as I expected beginning of November.

 

[bobber]

I'm unsure what's going on with the pp. Before they put Rehkopf in front of the net they were just standing still passing the puck around the perimeter. Possibly he decided, or volunteered to go there. Like you said we need to be taking advantage of by far the best shot on the team. It's reminding me of our pp in days of yore.

Is Rehkopf playing through an injury? If so it might be time to sit him and let him heal properly.

Dirracolo - new Sheriff in the making. Same physicality. I'd say about the same development trajectory too. Great find.

All in all it's better than I expected in September but not as good as I expected beginning of November.

Blues I wonder if opposing teams have looked at what was working for the Rangers when they were putting up 5 plus goals a game. Obviously whatever they are using now isn't working at all. It's dead in the water at the moment. Time to change the set to something else. I think there are a few options Jussi can try if he choses to change it. Someone mentioned the Storm playing the trap. If so why did they get so many decent looks for the better part of the game? They pushed the play into the Rangers end easily and beat them to pucks several times during the game. There has to be something either mental or physical missing IMO which isn't worth a grain of salt.

 

[RB76]

Earlier in the season, teams were allowing us time to set up and break out uncontested. With all the success we had, teams were bound to make adjustments. Now it’s up to the coaches to readjust.

Currently we seem to spend way too much time in our own end trying to set up the perfect breakout (including PP). Most NHL teams use the stretch pass effectively to counter the aggressive forecheck.

Go Rangers