NIAGARA FALLS (Jan. 16) -- Noah Baltzer scored twice to help keep the Glanbrook Rangers undefeated for 2020 as they downed the Niagara RiverHawks 4-2 and once again assumed top spot in the topsy turvy battle for first place in the South Bloomfield Division.  Glanbrook also maintained its perfect record against the RiverHawks at 5-0-0 with one engagement remaining in the season.  

The RiverHawks held the early advantage in this contest, holding a 2-1 on the Rangers through the first two periods on goals by Jayden Engberts and Nick Duguid while Jamie Caruso countered with his first of the season on a Glanbrook power play. 

But, as they have in recent games,  the Rangers unleashed another offensive surge and took command through the middle stanza in which they outshot Niagara by a 16-5 margin and then blew the RiverHawks away in the third with 23 shots and three goals.  Matthew Hogan (pictured) started the Rangers' rally with a power-play goal 6:32 into the frame, followed by what proved to the decisive marker by Baltzer, his fifth of the season, at 14:49.  Baltzer rounded out the scoring with an empty-net insurance tally with a scant one second left in the game.  

Since the New Year, the Rangers have four wins to go with two ties and have taken turns holding the Bloomfield division's leadership with the Grimsby Peach Kings, who currently hold two games in hand on Glanbrook,  and the Hagersville Hawks, who have one extra game.  The Rangers outlook for the division crown is somewhat helped by the fact that Grimsby and Hagersville face each twice more over the remainder of the schedule. 

NOTES:  Baltzer added an assist for a three-point outing .... Mitch Robinson recorded his 10th win of the season in a 23-save effort and even picked up an assist of his own on Baltzer's empty-net goal ... The Rangers were 2-for-6 on the power play, bringing their season record to 17.37 per cent, fifth in the Bloomfield Division, while their penalty killing stands at 86.87, second only to Grimsby.