Kitchener claims rematch 6-4
BRAMPTON, Ont. Justin Azevedo scored two goals, including an empty-netter, and had one assist to lead the Kitchener Rangers to a 6-4 victory over the Brampton Battalion in Ontario Hockey League preseason action Monday.rrMatt Lashoff had a goal and two assists, and Justin Piquette, Yves Bastien and Patrick Davis also scored for Kitchener, which dropped a 7-4 decision to the visiting Battalion on Sunday. Eric Pfligler faced 32 shots in the Rangers net.rrMichal Klejna scored two goals for the Troops, while Taylor Raszka and Kyle Sonnenburg, who also had an assist, added singles. Goaltender Daren Machesney made 31 saves.rrAzevedo opened the scoring 26 seconds into the first period, beating Machesney in close with a low shot from the goaltender’s right.rrRaszka’s shorthanded goal tied it at 15:25. J.F. Houle and Tomas Stryncl created pressure in the Kitchener zone, and Raszka pounced on a loose puck in the deep slot and shoveled home a backhander.rrPiquette restored the Kitchener lead on the power play at 18:54, but defenceman Sonnenburg found the equalizer 48 seconds later when he took a pass from Graham McNabb and beat Pfligler between the legs with a shot from deep in the right-wing circle.rrBastien scored on the power play at 6:17 of the second period, converting a pass from Azevedo from the lip of the crease.rrKlejna tied it 3-3 at 15:21 with the Troops enjoying a two-man advantage. Stryncl advanced the puck from the right point and fed it to Klejna, who slid it past an out-of-position Pfligler.rrDavis put the Rangers back in front at 2:29 of the third period when he swatted a bouncing puck past Machesney from the deep slot. Defenceman Lashoff got the eventual winner, steering home a Nick Spaling pass from the lip of the crease on the power play at 16:19 to make it 5-3.rrKlejna cut the deficit to a goal at 17:30. Pfligler couldn’t handle a shot from Aaron Snow, and the puck dribbled to Klejna, who fired it into the top of the net.rrMachesney went to the bench for a sixth attacker with 51 seconds left to play, and Azevedo scored into the empty net at 19:34.rrKevin Couture, Michael Vernace, Phil Oreskovic, Nick Duff, Howie Martin, Wojtek Wolski, Luch Aquino and John Seymour were scratched for the Battalion. Vernace, Oreskovic, Duff, Aquino and Seymour are at National Hockey League camps.rrDan Turple, Mark Fraser, Evan McGrath, Mike Duco, Boris Valabik, Jakub Kindl, Myles Applebaum, Ryan Donally and Kevin Henderson were out of the lineup for the Rangers, who dressed 16 skaters, two below the limit.rrThe Battalion plays its third of five preseason games when it visits the Mississauga IceDogs on Wednesday night. Game time at Toronto’s Westwood Arena is 7:30 p.m.rrBATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance was 1,613 The Battalion was 1-for-10 on the power play. Kitchener went 3-for-11 The teams staged a postgame shootout, which will be featured in all preseason games. Bastien and Spaling scored as the first and third Kitchener shooters respectively, while Michael Pelech was stopped. Battalion shooters Snow and Brock McPherson missed Klejna and Houle lead the Troops in preseason scoring with five points. Klejna has three goals and two assists, while Houle, who had four points Sunday, has two goals and three assists Opening line combinations included Raszka between left winger Patrick Sweeney and right winger Matt Smyth and centre Klejna with left winger Snow and right winger Houle. McNabb centred Justin Levac on the left side and McPherson on the right, and centre Corey George played with left winger Luke Lynes and right winger Jason Cassidy The only Battalion lineup change from Sunday saw McPherson in and Martin out Tyler Harrison, whose four-year career with the Troops ended last season, was in attendance Assistant coaches Kelly Harper and Mike Tamburro again ran the Battalion bench while head coach Stan Butler watched from the media box Rookie Bryan Pitton, who played Sunday, was Machesney’s backup.r
