'It will be a good battle': Kitchener Rangers prepare to take on rival London Knights

The Kitchener Rangers are gearing up to hit the road for round two of the OHL playoffs in London, Ont.

The Rangers are coming off an upset of the Windsor Spitfires and will face the London Knights in Game 1 on Thursday.

The Kitchener team practiced at the Aud on Wednesday morning, before heading to London.

“The boys are feeling good but we know London is a whole new beast, so we are going into this excited, but we definitely respect them, it will be a good battle,” said Rangers player Reid Valade.

The team said they are feeling confident after facing the top-seeded Spitfires, but they know they can’t get ahead of themselves.

“Our heads are at a great spot right now, coming off a high of that win but we have already forgot about it and we are ready for London,” said Matthew Sop, with the Kitchener Rangers.

Sop is a hometown player and is well aware of the rivalry between Kitchener and London.

“Kitchener never likes these guys, that’s a known thing, so to be able to play them and after playing them last year, I’m really excited,” he said.

Last year the Rangers faced the Knights in round one of the OHL playoffs. The Rangers beat the Knights in a game seven thriller.

The playoff win last year bucked a decade long trend of losing to the Knights. Since 2012, the two teams faced off four times with London winning in all four meetings.

“There is no better rivalry,” said Valade, who was a part of last year’s game seven stunner. “So they are looking for revenge and we are looking to do it again.”

For Head Coach Mike McKenzie, the Rangers can’t be consumed by the infamous rivalry.

“It’s a little bit of both I think. We know it’s a rivalry and its exciting, at the same time we want to manage our emotions and we are not getting too amped up. At some point you have to play hockey,” said McKenzie.

The puck drops at Budweiser Garden at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Game Two will go Friday in London, before a return to the Aud in Kitchener on Sunday.