After opening the 2026 U18 AA OHF Championships with a hard-fought 3-3 tie against the Burlington Eagles, the Soo U18AA Greyhounds returned to the ice Friday afternoon in Kitchener, Ontario to face the host Kitchener Rangers in their second game of the tournament.

The Rangers struck first midway through the opening period, as Cohen Merli opened the scoring at 10:56, finishing a play set up by Tyler Klein and Joshua Pigeau to give Kitchener a 1-0 lead. The Greyhounds answered back at 6:10, with Ashton Edwards finding the back of the net off a strong offensive push. Kyle Crack and Brett Archambault picked up the assists on the equalizer, sending the game into the first intermission tied 1-1.

Kitchener took control in the second period, beginning with Tyler Klein restoring the Rangers’ lead at 14:28, capitalizing on passes from Redden Hart and Ronan Mash. Just under a minute later, Nathan Short extended the lead to 3-1 at 13:40, finishing a setup from Klein and Merli. The Rangers continued to press, making it 4-1 at 7:45 when Lincoln Cormier scored with help from Kaiden Cormier and Hayden Fillier.

Despite the deficit, the Greyhounds showed resilience late in the period. Ashton Edwards netted his second goal of the game at 1:33, cutting the lead to 4-2. Tye Turco and Kyle Crack assisted on the play, with Crack picking up his second helper of the contest.

The Greyhounds were unable to complete the comeback, as the Rangers held on for the victory on home ice. With the loss, Soo will look to regroup heading into their next matchup against the Ted Reeve Thunder, scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. puck drop on Saturday, April 18th. Meanwhile, the Kitchener Rangers will aim to build on their momentum when they face the Brantford 99ers Friday evening at 7:30 p.m.