Throw the tape out coach.Yes, your Rangers scored seven after being held to a goose egg last week.
Yes, you chased OHL top tender Peter DiSalvo from his crease late in the game.
Yes, you got the powerplay rolling with a 2-6 effort after a quasi-horrendous opening two weekends with the man-up.
But you can be sure Steve Spott will be tossing this one faster than Kobe Bryant tosses a last-second swish.
"We had some players have a disgusting effort tonight," Spott told 570 News after the 7-5 win against the young, but tenacious Barrie Colts.
"There are nights where you can lose in this league and have a good night's sleep after; and you can win and not get a wink."
Spott's Rangers should be without some shut-eye tonight according to the coach's assessment, but it won't be due to the christening of Oktoberfest festivities in the region.
Surrendering five goals surely wasn't in the game plan, especially to the wide-eyed OHL break-in youngsters from Barrie (featuring a surprisingly large contingent of players from the region, including Tanner Pearson, Mark Scheifele and Colin Behenna, who had one, two, and three points respectively in Friday's matchup).
But thank the Rangers propensity to come out like gangbusters in the third period as has been the case in all four of Kitchener's wins this season.
With the way the Rangers come out into the third in each one of the victories, it almost signals a different team, a team that the coaching staff would much rather see sooner than later.
The blueshirts scored five times in the third, including two goals by Jason Akeson (pictured) 18 seconds apart from one another to start the frame.
Ryan Murphy added a wraparound dazzle, Matia Marcantuoni banged home his first in the uniform and Andrew Crescenzi capped off a fine physical game, netting a gimme in the final minutes to seal the win, for the now 4-1 Rangers.
But if Kitchener hopes to contend in any fashion come April, these 7-5 games will have to disappear.
Mike Morrison began the game, and after allowing three goals, was pulled in favour of starter Brandon Maxwell, less in discipline towards a poor game by Morrison, who made some admirable stops, and more to do with re-energizing a nonchalant squad who should have been firing on all cylinders to avenge a dreadful 4-0 loss at the hands of Owen Sound last weekend.
The team will get a chance to rectify their defensive lapses against an Erie squad they've victimized in the past, winning 7-3 in their third game of the season.
Tobias Rieder added two on the night for the Rangers, and Darren Archibald and Behenna produced deuces for the Colts while Pearson added another.
Championship teams find ways to win, and you can't fault the Rangers for overcoming their defensive failures to outgun their opponents.
But what happens when that offensive faucet runs dry?
When that time comes, those five goals against, will look awfully larger than they do in a scratched-out, by the skin of their teeth victory versus a rebuilding group of Colts in the regular season.
