By Jamie Neugebauer, Staff Writer
For the second time in two home games, the Rangers outshot and outworked the opposition, but came away with the defeat as they fell 5-4 to Buffalo at the Herb on Sunday afternoon.
North York came back three different times, and outshot the Jr. Sabres 43-32 over the course of the game; yet it was that fourth deficit that they could not overcome.
The two teams traded goals in the first period with the Rangers getting a response tally from Ryan Kinsella after David Seward scored, and then Corey Kalk with a beautiful individual effort cutting in off left wing after Nolan Sheeran’s goal.
Josh Kielich and Derek Patterson gave Buffalo their first two-goal lead of the game by 16:34 of the second period, but Liam Kerins cut the difference back to one just over two minutes later.
Kielich scored his second of the game, and fifth of the season with 35 seconds remaining in the middle frame and his marker proved to be the game-winner.
Nicholas Geiser banged home a rebound from a Scott Maguire point shot with just over two minutes remaining in regulation to give make the finish a tense one, but it wasn’t to be as the Sabres hung on.
“It is a tough loss,” said assistant coach Matt Johnston after the game. “Unfortunately we had four or five significant defensive-zone breakdowns and that was the difference in the game.”
The Rangers next face Milton in the Governors’ Showcase in Cobourg on Oct. 13, and then return home the next afternoon to face St. Mike’s at 3:00 pm.
