Hockey / RANGERS SWEEP RIVERHAWKS

RANGERS SWEEP RIVERHAWKS

Date:  Source: OHA Glanbrook Rangers

GLANBROOK (Jan. 22) -- Noah Bollert scored twice and Matt Lukic recorded his third shutout as the Glanbrook Rangers made a clean sweep of their season series with the Niagara RiverHawks with a 6-0 triumph. 

The Rangers also moved into sole possession of top spot in the South Bloomfield Division, two points clear of both the Grimsby Peach Kings and the Hagersville Hawks, both of which hold two games in hand on the Rangers., but the race for first would only be a byproduct of Glanbrook's ultimate goal, said veteran forward Matthew Hogan.

"We constantly strive to be the best in the league," he said.  "Every team's goal is to be number 1, however, it is not necessarily our focus.  The objective is to play the best hockey we can and ensure that we are performing consistently well as we enter this critical point in the season."

 The Rangers asserted solid pressure on the RiverHawks from the outset and never relented.  And they dominated in all aspects of the game, a good sign with just two games left on their regular season calendar and the playoffs looming.

"At this stage, systems such as the power play and penalty kill are essentially established, with only minor adjustments to enhance their effectiveness," said Hogan.  "With playoffs nearing, our goal is to work to achieve the best possible outcome.  This includes treating each remaining contest as though it were playoffs."

Noah Matteson opened the scoring in the first period with his 29th goal of the year, and Sandy Ciccarelli redirected a point shot past Niagara goalie Gavan Banga on a Glanbrook power play for his sixth goal to give the Rangers a 2-0 margin after one frame.  Dan Rocco connected on another Ranger man-advantage early in the second period, his 11th goal, followed by Bollert's first of the game and 34th of the season before the middle stanza was done.

The third period was pretty much an afterthought as the RiverHawks were unable to mount any kind of serious challenge and frequently let their frustration get the better of them as they piled up 36 minutes in penalties and a couple of misconducts, giving Glanbrook 10 power-play opportunities. 

The Rangers made sure by adding a couple of goals in the third period from Connor McQuhae (his 18th) and Bollert's 35th late in the session.   Glanbrook did, briefly,  get a little careless in the late going, but Lukic was more than equal to anything the RiverHawks could muster as he registered his 18th victory, second-best in the PJHL, and lowered his goals-against average to 1.73.   

 

NOTES:  Matteson also contributed three assists, as did defenceman Brennan Ireland ... Matteson and Bollert are now tied for the Rangers scoring lead with 59 points apiece ... Defenceman Jamie Caruso added a pair of assists, and Lukic was credited with an assist on Bollert's first goal to emulate goaltending partner Mitch Robinson who earned a point in his last outing ... Defenceman Erik Nelson, along with forwards Cooper Hood and Michael Dittrich sat out the game with various injuries. ... The Rangers had perfect 6-0 records against the RiverHawks and the Port Dover Sailors this season. They are also unbeaten against Hespeler, but the Shamrocks have tied them twice. 

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