GLANBROOK (Mar. 11) -- For most teams, having one or two regulars out of the lineup would be a massive handicap.  Well, how about six?  That was the obstacle the Glanbrook Rangers faced, scaled and overcame as they scored an electrifying 4-2 victory over the Grimsby Peach Kings to deadlock their Bloomfield Division Final series at 2-2.

And they did it with brilliant goaltending, a furious team forecheck and key contributions from some minor hockey callups thrown into the pandemonium of junior playoff hockey.  

"These guys have been with us on and off throughout the season," said Rangers coach Mike Christian of the young players brought in to fill the Rangers' lineup gaps caused by injuries, suspensions, work and school commitments.  "They have to be given the opportunity to play. They either fly or they learn." 

Right now, they're flying.   Daniel Vella and Aiden Leblanc, a pair of 17-year-olds from the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs Midget AAA squad, each contributed a goal to the Rangers winning effort, while Aiden Ritskes, a 17-year-old from the Brantford 99ers Midget AAAs, also took a regular turn.  

Hard on the heels of their stunning 4-1 win last Friday night in Grimsby, the atmosphere at Glanbrook Arena crackled with energy and anticipation.  And the home faithful didn't have to wait long to be rewarded as Vella beat Grimsby goaltender Riley Maskell with a point shot while the Rangers enjoyed a rare man-advantage just 2:02 into the first period. 

The pace was screamingly fast with the pounding physicality that characterizes all contests between these teams.  The Rangers, in particular, employed a punishing forecheck to keep the Peach Kings off balance and their doggedness paid off when Cooper Hood fought through a check, swept behind the Grimsby net, and tucked the puck around the post to give Glanbrook a 2-0 margin at 9:19 of the second period for his eighth goal of the post-season. 

 Mike Venditelli broke the spell briefly for Grimsby when he scored at 14:41 of the middle stanza, but Leblanc retaliated just over a minute later to re-establish Glanbrook's two-goal margin, which held until the midway point of the third period when the spectre of penalty problems, which has haunted the Rangers all through the playoffs, rose again.  

Glanbrook had an eight-second power play aborted when Sean Golebieski was called for interference, followed less than a minute later by a spearing double-minor assessed to Leblanc.  Still, the Rangers battled on and almost escaped unscathed -- almost.   Grimsby's Tyler Bush scored at 10:16 (with just 44 seconds to go in Leblanc's sentence) to cut the lead to 3-2. 

But goaltender Matt Lukic, who turned in a 32-save performance, and the Rangers' defence held rock steady until Noah Baltzer was able to break free and seal the victory with his first playoff goal into the empty Peach King net at 19:07.  All in all, the Rangers' effort was marked by commendable determination and poise. 

"They're just a really good group of kids working hard for each other," said Christian.  "They just want to play together and have fun." 

The Rangers now head into the pivotal Game 5 on Friday (7:30 p.m., Peach King Arena) riding on a wave of emotion and momentum.

"The playoff atmosphere, the intensity and the emotion,"  said Ranger defenceman Erik Nelson.  "We're fired up and we're feeling confident." 

NOTES:  The Rangers were without top scorer Noah Matteson, sitting out the second game of a two-game suspension, third-leading Connor McQuhae, along with forward Joel Wallace, and defencemen Dawson Shackelton, Lyall Shaw and Dallas Nadasdi ... Noah Bollert picked up an assist to boost his PJHL-leading playoff point total to 25 (12 goals, 13 assists). 

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