On another edition of Friday Night, fight night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, the Kitchener Rangers earned their first win of the season against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
It was led by Christian Kirsch, who was outstanding all night, but especially in the first period, when the Greyhounds felt the most threatening. As he flipped the net, slamming the door when the final buzzer rang, he sat with 25 saves for his third shutout in his last six starts as Jack Pridham scored his 40th and 41st goals of the season and Sam O’Reilly got the other to round out the scoring in the 3-0 victory.
It was another mean-spirited affair, with three fights and multiple misconducts handed out, and with these two headed toward a likely playoff match-up, there is plenty to take away from this one. Let’s talk about it.
Sam O’Reilly Heater
It’s impossible to complain about Sam O’Reilly’s performance since coming over to the Rangers from the London Knights, averaging 1.39 points per game since the trade. However, prior to their most recent matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect’s former team, he had maybe been on his quietest stretch, with two points in four games.
Even if that’s considered a cold streak, O’Reilly wasn’t going to let it last long. Against the Knights, he put nine shots on goal before getting on the stat sheet with an assist on Tanner Lam’s empty netter.
Then, earlier this week, the puck luck changed, and he took over the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the Sarnia Sting with a hat trick and five points total, adding another six shots on goal. Now, he’s done it against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, who have one of the best duos in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in Brady Martin and Marco Mignosa.
The Rangers kept them quiet with just a combined three shots on goal, while O’Reilly led the game with eight shots on goal. He started the game by putting a pass right on Pridham’s tape in the crease, which he redirected home. O’Reilly then gave the Rangers the two-goal lead with a shorthanded snipe on the rush.
If you go to Puck Preps and look at O’Reilly’s advanced numbers, they aren’t all that eye-popping, showing a 65 overall, compared to some other Rangers’ forwards ranking in the 95th percentile or higher. That’s not to argue the numbers or discredit them. They just don’t tell the full story with a player like O’Reilly (from ‘Player Cards,’ Puck Preps, March 6, 2026).
Defensively, he’s always where he needs to be, supporting his defensemen who are battling along the boards and taking away lanes in front of the net. O’Reilly’s rarely going to be the forward flying the defensive zone; if he is the one leading the rush, it’s often off a turnover he’s created. However, by taking fewer puck battles, often playing in a support role, and not stuffing the spreadsheet with transition entries, he’s not going to be a guy the analytics love.
He plays a mature, responsible game in the defensive zone and is loaded with offensive talent. He has been consistently taking over games, with four three-point nights or better since being traded to the Rangers. You have to think the 2024 first-round draft pick will make a run for a roster spot with the Lightning next season.
Christian Kirsch Slams the Door Again
I guess it’s already spoiled, but it’s worth revisiting. Kirsch blanked the opposition for the third time in a matter of three weeks and now has a .947 save percentage since Feb. 14.
Throughout the league and even within the fan base, Kirsch’s play has been highly questioned at times, unjustifiably, I might add, considering the guy has a 25-8-2-1 record this season. However, the fourth-round draft pick continues proving people wrong against some of the best netminders around the league.
Related: Kitchener Rangers’ Goaltending Has Alleviated Any Preseason Concerns
A while back on Twitter/X, I planted my flag in the sand, predicting the Rangers as this season’s OHL champion. Many countered that, saying the Rangers couldn’t do it because other teams have better goaltenders. That may be true. I’m not a talent scout; I am a guy with a computer who likes to think he knows something.
Regardless, these three recent shutouts have come against the Ottawa 67’s, who have Ryder Fetterolf, the OHL’s save percentage (SV%) leader; the Windsor Spitfires; and the Greyhounds, who have Joey Costanzo and Carter George, both of whom rank in the top 10 in SV%.
The stats for Kirsch may not be as impressive, but that’s primarily due to the Rangers’ stinginess on defense. The last time the Swiss netminder faced more than 30 shots in a game was in their last head-to-head matchup with the Greyhounds on Dec. 10. Since then, he has only faced 25 or more shots three times. With these low shot totals, naturally, a goal against is going to hurt his stats more than some others facing more per game around the league.
He consistently makes saves, putting this team in a position to win. You can see him improving throughout the season, and his confidence must be sky-high. Kirsch may be peaking at the perfect time.
Officiating Questioned at the Aud Again
For the second straight week, the Rangers felt like they were being run, with their head coach, Jussi Ahokas, telling Josh Brown of the Waterloo Region Record, “Running the goalie, that was ridiculous” (from ‘Rangers use sticks and fists in 3-0 win over Greyhounds,’ Waterloo Region Record, March 6, 2026).
On the other side, Greyhounds head coach John Dean said to Jason Duench of The Sault Star that his star player, Martin, got “the short end of the stick on three calls” (from ‘Soo Greyhounds coach calls Brady Martin penalties ‘tough to swallow’ in 3-0 loss,’ The Sault Star, March 6, 2026).
While I agree the officiating decisions were questionable in this one, again, it was a situation that exploded from one blatant missed call, and once it was missed, it’s hard to blame the Rangers for wanting to protect their teammates when the refs don’t.
It all stemmed from Martin spearing Kirsch in the back of the leg, which sent the San Jose Sharks prospect crashing to the ice. I call it a spear, mainly for the lack of a better term. It probably makes it sound much more malicious than it looks on replay. However, there is no debating that the Greyhounds’ forward intentionally jabbed Kirsch in the back of the kneecap.
This went uncalled, and shortly after, when Martin ran into Kirsch again, it was on sight, and Matthew Andonovski piled on and delivered a bunch of blows to the head of the Soo forward while he was turtled in the crease. From here, tempers flared consistently, and almost every whistle resulted in pushing and shoving.
I gave my opinion on social media, condemning both sides of the stupidity, and took a lot of flak for pretty much saying both of these guys deserved to be sent to the showers early. As a general rule, I am for penalizing stupid, unnecessary nonsense to the point where many would consider a lot of my takes ‘soft.’
But we keep seeing these semi-dangerous, not-so-dangerous-looking plays that lead to blowups later in the game. The precedent that it’s okay to get a jab in here or there during play and get away with multiple after the whistle needs to change.
My stance is simple: clean up the game and let the hockey do the talking. This game had tremendous pace, but it was hard to watch, with several delays between whistles, conversations with the benches, and meetings at the scoring table to sort out penalties.
Jack Pridham’s 40th Goal
Pridham opened the scoring for the Rangers with his 40th goal of the season. It came after driving hard to the net and creating a lane for O’Reilly to make the pass into the slot. Once the puck hit his stick, it was a relatively routine redirection past George, who stood no chance at stopping that puck.
It certainly wasn’t the nicest highlight the Chicago Blackhawks prospect has had this season, but it really represents how good a goal scorer he is. He’s capable of beating goaltenders from distance with his elite release and has done so frequently this season. But what has allowed him to be an elite goal scorer in this league is his willingness to play in the high-danger areas of the ice rather than rely solely on his skill and shot from the perimeter.
According to Elite Prospects, he is on pace for 45 goals. Can he go on a scoring bender and close in on 50 with eight games left to play? Can he pass Brantford Bulldogs, Marek Vanacker, who has a two-goal lead on Pridham for the league lead?
With the Rangers pretty much having the Western Conference locked up, this will be an interesting storyline to follow throughout the remainder of the regular season.
The Rangers will be back in action Sunday, looking for another statement win on the road against the Spitfires.
