by Dan Marley
The Kitchener Rangers have ended the first half of the season on a positive note, with a lot to look forward to for their push to the 2012 Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
They are currently 25-10-1 with 51 points in the standings, good for second in the Midwest Division and third in the Western Conference. They have won seven of their last ten, with their previous two victories coming against the Guelph Storm 4 to 3 on New Years Day to start the 2012 calendar year and a 4 to 1 victory back on December 30 against their division rivals, the Owen Sound Attack, to end 2011.
The key factors that have so far contributed to the team’s success on the ice are their defense and goaltending and multiple sources of goal scoring.
As of January 2, the Rangers are second in the league in goals allowed with 92. They have also kept themselves out of the penalty box, tallying 533 penalty minutes, the second fewest in the league.
The five players that played key roles on the defensive front are defensemen Cody Sol, Ryan Murphy, and Julian Melchiori and goaltenders John Gibson and Franky Palazzese.
Sol has clearly identified himself as the team’s enforcer, probably the best on the club since Scott Stevens. Stevens spent only one year with the club before being drafted fifth overall in the 1982 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals, which resulted in an OHL Cup and Memorial Cup. Sol is so far living up to the caliber of Stevens, registering seven goals (four on the power play) and seven assists with 103 penalty minutes and a plus-28 rating in 32 games.
Ryan Murphy missed play for the month of November due to concussion-like symptoms and other forms of head trauma after being checked to the boards by Tom Kuhnhacki of the Niagara IceDogs. The injury scared Kitchener, but those fears left when Murphy returned in early December and played in full form, as if he was never injured. He continues to play his position well as the offensive defenseman and contribute to all types of plays at both ends of the ice.
In 19 contests, Murphy has registered 12 points and 12 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating.
During Murphy’s one- month absence, Melchiori took over the role as the playmaking and puck moving defenseman that has helped Kitchener generate offense. In 33 games, he has tied his last season point total of 19 with two goals and 17 assists. This will be his final year in the OHL.
Kitchener is one of few teams in the league that are evenly splitting time between their goaltenders. Both Gibson and Palazzese possess different styles of goaltending that perfectly compliment one another.
Gibson’s success in controlling rebounds and playing the body earned him a roster spot on Team USA for the 2012 World Juniors in Alberta, Canada. In 21 appearances in net, Gibson has psoted a 14-6-0 record with a 2.52 goals against average and 93.3 save percentage.
Palazzese has been on a role lately, especially with Gibson temporarily out of the lineup. His ability to spot the puck when screened and movement along the crease and post to post has made him a dominant force in net. In his past 11 starts, Palazzese went 10-1 with 20 goals allowed and a save percentage over 92 percent.
The Kitchener offense has come from multiple sources this season, with five players tallying ten or more goals. Tobias Rieder (22-15-37), Radek Faksa (16-17-33), Michael Catenacci (12-19-31), Andrew Crescenzi (10-13-23), and Zach Lorentz (12-9-21) are the backbones of this team’s offensive successes.
The Kitchener Rangers play their next game on January 6 at home against Christian Thomas and the Oshawa Generals.
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