Rangers rally for Game 3 win against the London Knights

Despite being down two games to none in their playoff series against the London Knights, the Kitchener Rangers rallied in front of a home crowd Sunday and secured a 6-1 victory.

Rangers’ captain Francesco Pinelli made his playoff return following a three-game suspension and wasted no time making an impact.

With nine seconds left in the first period, Pinelli sniped a short-handed goal, giving Kitchener a 1-0 lead heading into the second.

"He's our captain, our leader, our best player all year probably," said head coach Mike Mackenzie. "It's a huge boost getting him back in the lineup. He played like a man possessed. He's a big reason why we had success."

Roman Schmidt added another goal for the Rangers at the beginning of the second period but then London’s Ryan Humphrey got the Knights on the board with a goal of his own.

Rangers led 2-1 heading into the third period.

Pinelli made sure that his presence was felt throughout the duration of the game as he scored again to start off the third.

"Obviously sitting out three games isn't ideal," said Pinelli. "I was up in the stands watching our team, which is tough. It was really fun to get back in the lineup and help out the boys a little bit."

Francesco Acrcuri, following the captain’s lead, gave the Rangers’ a 4-1 advantage with his own goal 30 seconds later.

Two final goals from Mitchell Martin and Ty Hollet would cement the Rangers a 6-1 victory in front of 7,356 fans.

"It's a huge game," said Schmidt. "We still need three more, but it's a good stepping stone. We took advantage of home ice there, so we're looking to do it again Tuesday and keep it going."

The two teams will play again Tuesday for Game 4 of the best-of-seven series.