Kitchener Rangers forward Brian Bellows is held by Ottawa's Allen
Hepple (8)
and Doug Stewart, while goalie Jim Ralph tries to find the puck
One
of the best descriptions of the powerful Kitchener Rangers was given by
Ottawa 67s goalie Jim Ralph Sunday afternoon when he said Rangers are “almost
like a who’s who in junior hockey.”
The
somewhat awestruck words were spoken after the Rangers showed Ottawa what’s
what for the second straight game in the Ontario Hockey League finals.
Rangers
muscled and skated their way to a 4-1 romp which – combined with Friday’s
4-4 tie in a game the Rangers dominated – gave
the hungry defending champions a 3-1 lead in the eight-point series which
resumes Wednesday in Ottawa.
The
first two games have seen the Rangers outclass Ottawa in much the same
way as they steamrolled past Windsor Spitfires and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
in earlier playoff series.
It’s
unimaginable that a junior hockey team could be much stronger than the
talent deep Rangers, who have a 10-1-1 playoff record and have lost just
four of their last 35 games.
Playing
before 6,276 Auditorium fans Sunday, Rangers outshot Ottawa 34-18 and,
in the final period, yielded only one shot until the final minute when
Ottawa managed two harmless attempts at Wendell Young.
Rangers’
strategy has been the same in both games – hit the 67s at every turn.
Rangers
threw a season high 48 hits in Ottawa Friday and pounded out another 44
Sunday including a whopping 24 in the first period when the nailed everybody
but the Ottawa stickboy.
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Referee ousts Martin
Kitchener Rangers
valuable center Grant Martin, will miss the next two games of the Ontario
Hockey League finals after taking a match penalty for spearing Ottawa’s
Jeff Vaive during Kitchener’s 4-1 win Sunday.
Martin poked his
stick into Vaive’s midsection at 15:49 of the second period in an unprovoked
incident near the Ottawa blueline. Martin received a five-minute
penalty from referee Jim Lever and was ejected from the game.
Vaive fell to the
ice on the play but got up after Lever called the penalty and completed
the contest. He had a red mark on his stomach after the game.
Martin, who plays
on the power and kills penalties in addition to his regular shift, wouldn’t
comment on the incident, saying only he was disappointed he’d be suspended
for Wednesday’s game in Ottawa and Friday’s match in Kitchener.
Game misconducts
can be bought back in the playoffs for $25 but match penalties have to
stand.
Martin’s penalty
prompted the Rangers to accuse the 67s of taking dives to draw Kitchener
penalties but Vaive denied the charge.
“When we’re skating
and playing our game, they (Rangers) have to haul us down to stop us,”
he said. |
The
aggressive attack staked Rangers to a 2-0 first-period lead, which was
threatened when Ottawa’s Jeff Vaive scored on a power play at 5:58 of the
second.
But defenceman
Dave Shaw blasted a lone slapshot past Ralph at 18:13 to restore Rangers’
control and captain Brian Bellows fired his second of the night at 9:16
of the third to cement the win. Mike Hough had Kitchener’s other
goal while Mike Eagles continued to skate miles and contributed three assists.
Jeff Larmer was held scoreless for he first time in the playoffs.
“The
thing with Ottawa is that they do a lot of freewheeling and make a lot
of give-and-go passes,” Eagles said.
“If
you take them out of the play, it slows down their whole play. Everybody’s
been working hard to make it work.”
“Ottawa
seems to be backing down a touch,” said Bellows, whose brilliant first-star
performance confirmed in the minds of the numerous pro scouts that he’s
the best player available in the National Hockey League’s draft in June.
“It
reaches the point where you have to have a little pride in yourself,” Bellows
said in reference to Ottawa’s timidity, which was especially obvious along
the boards.”
Ottawa
coach Brian Kilrea said his forwards “aren’t getting much in the corners
from the (Kitchener) defence.”
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