On Friday night, the Kitchener Rangers hosted the Brampton Steelheads, who sit second-to-last in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
With the Rangers only having one loss in regulation in 2026 and the Steelheads entering play on a nine-game losing streak, the 8-2 final score in favour of the East Avenue Blue could probably have been predicted.
However, between a less-than-ideal first period, a six-goal second period, and a third period that got way out of control, there is plenty to take away from this one. Let’s get right into it.
Rangers Quickly Forget an Ugly First 20
Earlier in the season, the Rangers and slow starts were a pretty frequent talking point. However, since the middle of December, they have done a much better job of starting on time, which has really driven their 23-2-1-2 record since Dec. 13.
Now, for what feels like the first time since that date, I can comfortably say the Rangers didn’t come ready to play and were outshot 14-5 in the first frame. They would’ve been down more than 1-0 at the first intermission if it weren’t for netminder Jason Schaubel.
When speaking with Rangers’ rinkside host, Sean Furfaro, for Rogers TV, Vancouver Canucks prospect Gabriel Chiarot said they “got away from our game in the first” and added that they “took them too light,” regarding the Rangers’ sloppy opening frame.
Despite how poorly they started this one, there is little reason for concern, as this was the first time the Rangers had left the first period trailing in eight games, and the last time they found themselves down one after one, the Rangers exploded in the final frame to beat the Guelph Storm 6-2.
They’ve mostly eradicated the slow-start problem and managed to keep their explosive comeback potential in their game. They’re so tough to beat, even when you catch them on a bad night.
Second-Period Six-Goal Explosion
Post-game, with Josh Piercey of 570 News, Rangers’ head coach Jussi Ahokas essentially said he left it up to his players to decide what type of night it was going to be following a disaster of a first frame against an inferior opponent. Boy, did they decide to show up.
It started with Dylan Edwards jamming home the Rangers’ opening goal off a great back-door pass from captain Cameron Reid, who also set up Luca Romano for the Rangers’ second goal in his first game since returning to the lineup from an injury.
Then, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham found a streaking Edwards with one of the best backhand saucer passes you’ll see through the neutral zone, which led to the Quinnipiac University commit’s second goal of the game as he was getting hauled down.
It really started to get bad when the Rangers scored again less than 60 seconds later, putting up their fourth goal in less than 10 minutes on an effortless flick of the wrists from Christian Humphreys, who found the top corner.
To close out the second, Tanner Lam was the beneficiary of great passing plays from Cameron Arquette and Haeden Ellis, and again, less than 60 seconds later, Jared Woolley banged home a rebound on the backhand.
Following the explosive second period, Chiarot said, “Played our game. We were really good in the offensive zone when asked about what changed between periods.” When asked about what’s driven the Rangers’ recent hot streak, the former Steelhead said, “All the guys buying in, no one is cheating,” and added that “We’re a really close group; off the ice, we all get along.” We saw all of that on display tonight, with the entire group dialing in after the first.
The Third Period No One Wanted to See
Some people will argue that there’s no place for fighting in hockey. I am not one of them, but I don’t disagree with them as much as some. Friday night was one of those nights that really makes you rethink your opinion on that.
By the time the clock struck zero, the Rangers only had 12 players left in the game, including their goaltender.
In the third period alone, there were 66 penalty minutes given out, not including the 10 misconducts given out. For anyone with eyes, it was something you could see coming from a mile away; there were plenty of dust-ups after the whistle, and as in typical hockey fashion, rules disappeared after the whistle, and the refs selectively chose one occasion to call the Rangers for roughing through the entire first 40.
Then comes the third period, where the Rangers had a five-on-three to open the period, and they scored their final set of back-to-back goals to take a seven-goal lead.
Shortly after these goals, the Steelheads took a couple runs at the Rangers, one a blindside hit straight to Jack Pridham’s head, no call, and then Carson Campbell was leveled into the boards while never having touched the puck, and no call from the on-ice spectators.
If we’ve learned anything about the Rangers, these guys will protect one another at all costs if the officials won’t do it. When asked about how he thought the officials handled that game, Ahokas said, “It’s better I don’t say anything.”
Smart decision; leave it to the outspoken people like me. The refs lost control of this game well before all the third-period antics.
Generally speaking, I thought they called a fair game while the puck was in play. I’m not here to argue any calls; I’m sure Steelheads fans would be right to say they missed a couple on the Rangers. However, the two non-calls on obviously dangerous, dirty hits sent this game over the edge. Justifiably, it led to the Rangers going ballistic.
Very few people want to sit there and watch these guys, most still teenagers, wail away on each other. I completely understand; emotions run high, and sometimes it’s part of hockey.
Related: Kitchener Rangers Mailbag: Home Dominance, Hottest Team, Staying Smart & a Mix of Concerns
But it gets to a point where it completely ruins the viewing experience. You saw it in real time; it was a packed Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, reporting an attendance of 6,957. I would be shocked if half of those people were left to celebrate the win after the final buzzer.
The blowout score obviously led some to the exits, but on a normal occasion, the Aud is still packed to see their East Avenue Blue off the ice after a win.
There will obviously be some suspensions coming from this, and justifiably so. If anything, it will rest a few key players for the Rangers who were tossed from this one, while they have a five-point cushion on the Western Conference lead.
Bonus Notes
I hate to end such a good win on such a negative note, so let’s highlight a few of the huge performances in this one.
- Jason Schaubel: Tremendous. Held the Rangers in through the first. Stopped 29 of 30 shots.
- Cameron Reid: Three-assist night for the first-round draft pick.
- Dylan Edwards: A three-point night gives him the team lead, and he now only sits three points behind the league lead.
- Christian Humphreys: The goal was impressive, but the one tussle I loved tonight was him stepping up for Pridham.
- Alexander Bilecki: I thought the 2026 NHL Draft prospect had another great night. He did get a misconduct and may draw a suspension from that. But it’s hard to blame him when he saw one of his team’s most effective players, Humphreys, in a fight.
- Haeden Ellis, Cameron Arquette, and Tanner Lam: The chemistry between these three is special; when they’re clicking, the puck movement is so fun to watch.
We’ll see what their lineup looks like in their next game against the London Knights on Sunday afternoon; it could look very interesting.
