Draft eligible forward Luke Ellinas scores the overtime winner in Game 6 as the Kitchener Rangers advance to the second round.
The first round series between the Kitchener Rangers and the Erie Otters was certainly not a boring one, as we saw three games that went to overtime. The Rangers were able to end it in six games, but it wasn't easy.
The 4th placed Kitchener Rangers took on the 5th placed Erie Otters in the Western Conference playoff picture — a matchup that looks pretty lopsided at first glance. The Otters are just at the end of their rebuild, and Kitchener has hopes of being serious contenders in the finals.
The one thing about the Erie Otters — they are incredibly difficult to play against. They run all four lines and each one comes out hard. They have gotten good goaltending and they get offence from everywhere in their lineup. Erie took Kitchener to overtime three times in this series, putting up a great battle.
Luke Ellinas was the final hero for the Kitchener Rangers, as he scored the overtime winner in game six. He was able to create seperation high in the neutral zone, to find himself on a breakaway just under six minutes into the extra frame.
The Rangers were able to win all three games that went to overtime in this series — Luke Ellinas, Trent Swick, & Justin Bottineau were all heroes.
Kitchener will now take on the London Knights — arguably their biggest rival in the OHL. London has had some time to rest now, after they swept the Flint Firebirds in four games, and Kitchener will be a little banged up.
Nonetheless, Kitchener vs. London is a series that never disappoints, as that gets underway on Thursday night.