Playoff Recap: Kitchener Rangers Win 2026 Wayne Gretzky Trophy

Q: How long has it been since Kitchener Rangers last won the Wayne Gretzky Trophy?

The Kitchener Rangers last won the Wayne Gretzky Trophy 18 years ago.

Q: What was the final score of the Kitchener Rangers vs Windsor game five?

The final score of the game five was Kitchener 5, Windsor 4, after overtime.

Q: Who will the Kitchener Rangers face in the finals after winning the Wayne Gretzky Trophy?

The Kitchener Rangers will face the winner of the Brantford and Barrie series in the finals.

Q: When was the last time Kitchener Rangers won the J. Ross Robertson Cup?

The Kitchener Rangers last won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 2008.

The Wayne Gretzky Trophy is heading back to Kitchener for the first time in 18 years.

The Rangers came into game five nervous, but grew into the game and dominated by the end of it, and came out victorious.

They'll now await the winner of Brantford and Barrie as their opponents for the final, looking to win their first J. Ross Robertson Cup since 2008.

Here's all the action from a crazy game five.

Windsor (4) - Kitchener (5) (OT)

Christian Kirsch made 29 saves, including eight in OT, as his Rangers won game five. (Photo: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images)

It was a rocking night at the Aud.

Though, it didn't always seem like it was going to be that way. Windsor started the game off hot, with Anthony Cristoforo scoring just past the midway mark of the opening frame.

They'd double that lead just 15 seconds later through Cole Davis. Two minutes later, it would be three, through Wyatt Kennedy's first of the postseason.

At that point, it seemed as though the visitors were going to drag the series back to their barn, but that was when the hosts begun to turn it around.

It was Luke Ellinas, playing his first game since November due to injury, who got one back before the end of the first, a goal that clearly fired up the bench and the crowd.

Christian Humphreys would cut the lead to one in the second on the power play, before A.J. Spellacy restored the two goal lead with under three minutes to go until the second intermission.

The Rangers needed a big goal in the third, and who else but Sam O'Reilly to score his 14th goal of the playoffs, breaking in behind the Spitfires defence before going five hole on Joey Costanzo.

That got the lead down to 4-3, and Carson Campbell would tie it up at four soon after. The Rangers had all the pressure, and Windsor could do nothing but just hold on until the end of the third and force overtime.

The teams traded chances in the extra frame, forcing some nice stops out of both goaltenders. But, with 2:27 to go, Dylan Edwards got an open look in the slot and made no mistake, sending the Rangers back to the OHL final for the first time since 2008.

While Windsor pushed hard in this series, it always seemed like it was Kitchener's to win. Their stars really elevated their games, and under Jussi Ahokas, it really seems like this team is so well put together.

The Rangers are deserved finalists, and will be up for a big test against whoever comes out of the East.

But for now, they'll be able to enjoy the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference champions.

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