It was a tough night for the Attack special teams.
Adrian Misaljevic scored a pair of first period power play goals and finished with a hat trick to lead the Kitchener Rangers to a 5-1 win over the Owen Sound Attack in Ontario Hockey League action Friday evening at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Jack Pridham and Chris Grisolia also scored for Kitchener (32-9-3-1), which also had two short-handed goals to score four of their five on the night with special teams units on the ice.
Landen Hookey had the lone goal for the Attack (13-26-2-3), which lost their third straight game.
It was 2-0 Kitchener after the first period. Misaljevic scored two power play goals less than a minute apart, as the Rangers capitalized on a 5-on-3 opportunity.
James Petrovski was sent to the penalty box first on a questionable hooking call at 13:04, as Cameron Reid try to dart his way to the Attack net. And then 58 seconds later Declan Waddick was called for cross-checking.
Misaljevic picked up a rebound near the crease off a Trent Swick shot to make it 1-0 Kitchener. And then 55 seconds later, Swick fed a pass across to Misaljevic at the right faceoff dot, and he ripped a one-time shot past Carter George to make it 2-0.
Tristan Delisle had the best scoring chance for the Attack in the first, getting a shorthanded breakaway that was denied by the right pad of Jason Schaubel.
Misaljevic completed his hat trick and made it 3-0 Kitchener at 16:10 of the second, putting a shot off the rush past George short-side.
The Attack would get on the board early in the third with a power play goal. Hookey got the puck in the high slot with lots of time and space, and whipped a high shot off the post and in past Schaubel.
Five minutes later the Attack were back to the power play on a holding call to Cameron Mercer. But it was the Rangers who would score.
Petrovski turned the puck over at Kitchener’s blue line and the Rangers broke up ice shorthanded. Grisolia’s shot went past the net and deflected towards the side of the goal, and he beat George to the post, banking it from below the goal line off the Attack goaltender and in.
Kitchener’s lead was back to three – 4-1 – at 5:38 of the third.
Pridham converted a penalty shot at 13:41 to make it 5-1. That, too, was a short-handed goal.
Schaubel made 30 saves in the win, while George stopped 37 taking the loss. The Rangers outshot the Attack 42-31 while going 2 for 4 on the power play; the Attack finished 1 for 5, and allow two short-handed goals against.
Saturday night, the Attack start a stretch of four straight home games with a battle against the Sarnia Sting at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.
WRAY OUT
The Attack were without forward Masen Wray for Friday’s game in Kitchener… and will be without him for the next several weeks. Wray suffered a facial injury in Wednesday’s loss to the Barrie Colts in a fight with Colts defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson. Attack head coach Scott Wray updated his son’s status prior to the game in Kitchener, saying he is considered week-to-week, maybe month-to-month as he recovers.
OTHER BUMPS AND BRUISES
Elliott Arnett missed Friday’s game with a hand injury and is considered day-to-day. Antonio Tersigni also remains out of the Attack lineup. He is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.