For the second straight game, the Rangers started with moments of reflection, watching a video tribute or memorial to Windsor Spitfires captain: Mickey Renaud.  Just prior to the game, forward T.J. Battani, who had played with Mickey Renaud in Windsor and Peter DeBoer who was captian of the Spitfires exactly 20 years earlier both arrived from attending the funeral of the popular Spitfires' forward who was taken from us far too early.  Aside from matches involving the Windsor Spitfires, the games would go on this weekend, though all players would have a commemorative '18 sticker on their helmets in memory.  The Rangers didn't take their time getting to their divisional rivals, in their fourth matchup in Kitchener this season.  Nick Spaling struck only 26 seconds into the game.  Less than two minutes later Spaling would score again, on the power play, breaking the Rangers' lengthy streak without a power play goal and obviously showing signs of snapping out of his scoring funk, after scoring in Peterborough just one night earlier.

The Rangers were up 2-0 and only minutes in had a commanding 6-0 lead on the shot clock, but with the Otters' young star netminder looking a little rattled, the Rangers didn't have that killer instinct.  The Otters were again playing without one of their biggest stars: Nick Palmieri, earlier this season, much like the Rangers' Nick Spaling, he was out of the lineup with mono, this weekend, he is away from the Otters for personal reasons.  Justin Hodgman, got the Otters back into the game on a tic-tac-toe passing play while the Otters were enjoying a man advantage.  The goal was Hodgman's 30th of the season, making Hodgman the first Otter to score 30 goals since Michael Blunden.  The Rangers had to kill another penalty almost immediately after the first one expired.  Things got ugly late in the period when Sean Jones and Justin Hodgman cobmined for a shorthanded goal, that they chipped over a prone Josh Unice.  Fortunately things turned for the better immediately afterwards when Nazem Kadri replied beating a lunging: Jaroslav Janus to regain the lead for the Rangers.
 

The Rangers were dominant early in the first period, enabling them to pick up a very early two-goal lead, and develop a 6-0 lead on the shot clock.  Surprisingly they relinquished that lead by the end of the period.  And furthermore, had only one shot (Kadri's goal) during almost 15 minutes of hockey to end the period.  Sean Jones tied the game for a second time in the middle frame when Sean Jones picked up his second of the period, a poor-angled shot was a perfect chip-shot over the shoulder of Unice, as they did in the previous meeting of the two teams in Kitchener, the Rangers really turned in on, firing 35 shots at Janus over the final 40 minutes of play, but the young netminder stood his ground.  Janus who as first star in an overtime loss in November drew a standing ovation from the Rangers' crowd.

The Rangers and Otters at one point late in overtime did appear to be destined for overtime, much like that night where the Rangers were triumphant in overtime in November, giving DeBoer his 500th career victory and Janus a standing ovation, regardless of the loss for his efforts.  On this night he would come up a little short.  Mike Mascioli stepped in on the wing and did his best impressonation, of the league's leading scorer: Justin Azevedo and simply blasted a shot over the Otters' netminder's shoulder.  The Rangers would make the goal stand.  Despite a pair of first period power play goals, the Rangers power play did look a little anemic over the final 40 minutes going 0-for-6 over that time frame.  Shortly before the eventual winner, Otters' leading scorer: Justin Hodgman was ejected after arguing a call.  There was a melee at the final buzzer, started when Duco landed a late hit on Torquato that would eventually lead to Luke Gazdic challenging the Rangers' bench along with one fan at the zamboni exit.  The Rangers completed the home portion of the schedule against the Otters 4-0, the final game of the season series takes place later this weekend.