Rangers ‘beary’ the Sarnia Sting

Teddy Bear Toss game sees Kitchener erupt in first as team picks up third consecutive victory

SARNIA Mike McKenzie tried to keep perspective when the Kitchener Rangers were struggling.

And it wasn’t always easy for the general manager and coach, who watched his club labour through a brutal 3-10 stretch earlier this season.

But the bench boss refused to judge the team’s performance until, at the very least, he had a full complement on the ice.

Now, with almost everyone back, he’s seeing the results.

And they’re good.

The Rangers won their third consecutive clash Sunday afternoon in Sarnia with a commanding 5-3 win over the Sting.

“We were feeling pretty down when we had some guys banged up,” said McKenzie

. “It’s good to see how we fare with a whole team. There’s definitely more depth, that’s the easiest way to put it.”

The visiting Rangers were up five by the first intermission.

The hometown fans finally got to loosen their nervous grips on their plush toys when Sarnia’s Nolan Burke scored at 5:32 in the second period.

The marker, his 13th of the season, unleashed a cavalcade of cuddlies as supporters at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena doused the ice with 4,603 stuffed animals for the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss game.

That was the biggest highlight for the Sting, who were playing their third game in three days.

The Rangers received contributions from a trio of recently returned players.

Captain Francesco Pinelli, who came back in Friday’s 4-3 win against Owen Sound at the Aud after missing about a week with a wrist injury, potted his seventh of the season.

Rookie forward Carson Rehkopf, who was also out of action for about week while attending the Under-17 Capital City Challenge, scored for the second consecutive contest and is suddenly dripping with confidence.

And rearguard Simon Motew, out for 10 games with a sore knee, now has helpers in his last two games since rejoining the roster.

Declan McDonnell added a pair of goals while teammate Matt Sop also scored for the Rangers.

Joseph Serpa picked up three assists while Pavel Cajan made 18 saves to improve to 7-6 this season.

Sarnia starter Anson Thornton was chased after the first frame after allowing five goals on 13 shots. Backup Dylan Grover, who was called up from the Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins, came on in relief and was perfect the rest of the way making 15 saves.

“I’m happy to be back,” said Motew. “Obviously missing five weeks is not optimal. It was tough watching the team struggle. Being back in the locker-room and playing games is fun.”

The 18-year-old was eased into the lineup this weekend but will be relied on as a top four defenceman for the Rangers moving forward.

“It’s a big year,” he said. “We definitely have a strong group and I think we can make a push this year. Individually, this is a draft year for me, and all the scouts are looking so I think that’s important as well.”

Kitchener (11-10-0-0) will hold its own Teddy Bear Toss night on Tuesday when it hosts the London Knights at the Aud at 7 p.m.