The AudPod: Kitchener Rangers Podcast

Happy Oktoberfest from the AudBalls, who spent Thanksgiving watching the Rangers come home from Flint, the Soo and Saginaw with 1 point out of 6. The Soo game stings the most: the best period of hockey the Rangers have played this season, a 2-1 lead in the third, then the worst bounce a goalie can get and a loss in overtime. So the good, the bad and the ugly is back for the first time in 2026, with fast starts and Mason Hriczov on the good side, a power play that went 1 for 8 on the bad, and Flint's Nick Bogas, who sounds bogus to us. In the mailbag: the KW Titans, teddy bear toss plans, what we actually do for work, and Guelph missing the playoffs, which we stand by. Third in the West with Guelph on the outside: are you with us or against us?
 

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Cold open: Happy Oktoberfest
0:43 Oktoberfest, wurst and a Thanksgiving road trip
2:55 Three road losses: time for the good, the bad and the ugly
4:24 Watching London live, Sean's episode and the AudPod power rankings
6:28 Wednesday in Flint: a 5-2 loss that felt closer
11:58 The Soo: the best period of the season, then an OT loss
17:32 Santala scores his 6th live against London
17:55 Saginaw: 0 for 5 on the power play
19:18 Saginaw's top line and the unhinged number 66
24:03 The good: fast starts and Hriczov in net
26:17 The bad: the power play and the shooting
29:06 The ugly: plays in front of the goalie, and missing MacNiel
32:24 Looking ahead: London tonight, Niagara and Oshawa
34:47 Mailbag: do we care about the KW Titans?
37:01 Teddy bear toss plans and A Buck or Two
38:59 What do the AudBalls do for work?
39:52 Top Rangers moments, and our predictions stand
41:57 Thank yous, and JJ nails the voiceover again
 

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Everybody has an Italian friend who can do anything for $80, so for episode 80 the AudBalls bring in theirs: rinkside broadcaster Sean Furfaro. Luca Santala ties Saginaw with 1:53 left and wins it 10 seconds into overtime, the Luca-to-Luca connection with Luca Romano is officially a thing, and Alex Forrest's vision has all three of them impressed. Then the Rangers lose 6-0 in Guelph, a game the three of them watched about two periods of combined, and Sean explains why Guelph still won't win the Western Conference: you caught us in the standings, don't plan the parade. So with rivalry week against London coming, should the AudPod put out its own power rankings?
 

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Cold open: the Aud Squad is back
1:43 Episode 80 and the $80 Italian friend
2:25 Friday vs Saginaw: a should-win game at the Aud
5:15 Scoring summary: Alex Forrest's vision on the power play
6:22 Wassilyn, Zhilkin, and Anstis ties it up
9:05 The Luca-to-Luca connection: Santala ties it, then wins it in 10 seconds
12:33 Power plays, and the penalty R-Town earned
14:18 Sunday in Guelph: the 6-0 game nobody watched
15:27 0 for 6 on the power play, and a guarantee
19:45 Guelph fans in the DMs, and Sean's Western Conference prediction
23:03 Around the league: Brantford, Sudbury, Sarnia and Hazel McCallion
24:27 The 3 stars of the weekend
31:51 Looking ahead: Flint, the Soo and Saginaw
36:08 Mike Farwell is back on the radio
38:04 OHL power rankings, and the AudPod power rankings pitch
42:30 Merch wraps up, and the AudPod hat in Florence
44:15 Rivalry week with London is coming
45:17 Thank yous, and bring $80
 

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BUY OUR MERCH! Only Available Until Oct 5. Free Shipping in Canada!

Seven shutouts and a 0.86 goals-against average in U16, then two years of waiting behind Jackson Parsons and Christian Kirsch. Now Jason Schaubel finally sits down with the AudBalls, and he says he'd play all 68 if you let him. He ranks the Rangers goalies by intelligence (Parsons up top, everyone else "all the way down here"), explains the salt-spiked water bottle and the shirt changes every period, and tells the story of the "can we talk?" text from Jordan DeKort that had him thinking he'd been traded. Before that, the guys run through a three-game weekend: a 4-3 loss to Erie, a 4-3 overtime comeback in Erie for Mason Hriczov's first OHL win, and a 6-3 win over Kingston, plus the Luca Santala trade. Jason says he'd love a goalie fight, so who should he drop the gloves with?

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Cold open: the last days to buy the merch
2:30 The throwback jersey is back, and tiny letters around the league
6:15 Luca Santala comes over from London
13:02 Friday: a 4-3 loss to Erie at the Aud
18:03 Saturday: a 4-3 OT comeback in Erie and Hriczov's first OHL win
21:39 Sunday: 6-3 over Kingston in the new jerseys
27:50 The AudBalls' 3 stars
31:47 Looking ahead: Saginaw, Guelph and Flint
33:12 Jason Schaubel joins: the crease is finally his
41:01 Ranking the Rangers goalies by intelligence
43:17 Blackhawks rookie camp, salt water and shirt changes
46:52 Jordy DeKort to Nashville and the 'am I getting traded?' text
50:16 All 68 games, and backing up Mason Hriczov
52:29 Taking care of a goalie's body, and why he became a goalie at 8
54:23 New teammates, Santala's shot and road roommates
57:33 Playing for Jussi, and leading a room with 11 rookies
1:00:52 What the Kitchener fans mean to him
1:03:09 Jason's take on the Leafs trade
1:04:14 Goalie fights and the Owen Sound stick to the throat
1:08:07 After the interview, and the thank yous

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There's a story the AudBalls have never told before, and they finally do: how a rain-soaked 2:30am parking lot outside the Aud turned into center ice with the J. Ross Robertson Cup in their hands, the exact photo now on the pre-sale t-shirt. Opening night was a hard-luck 1-0 loss to Owen Sound and a Ryerson Leenders shutout, but Jason Schaubel stood on his head at the other end, and after two years of waiting his turn he's both hosts' first star of the weekend. The very next night the Rangers got revenge, winning 4-1 behind Ryder Roberson's first OHL goal and a two-goal Tanner Lam night. The guys also roast Owen Sound for handing the losing goalie the first star in game one, and clock Guelph getting outscored 11-1 and sliding in the power rankings already. Was the Schaubel spear to the throat a penalty, or just too fast to call?

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Watch us on⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ | @theaudpodcast-kitchenerrangers

Website | theaudpod.com 

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Cold open: buy the merch, and a story that's never been told
2:46 The J. Ross Robertson Cup at 2:30am
8:31 Banner night: raising the Memorial Cup banner
10:53 Opening night: a 1-0 loss to Owen Sound and Leenders' shutout
14:47 The Schaubel throat spear and MacNiel's instigator
16:17 Standouts from game 1: Ellis, Lam, Arquette, and Puglisi
22:00 Revenge in Owen Sound: Roberson's first OHL goal and a 2-goal Lam night
29:37 Ranting on Owen Sound's homer 3-star picks
31:15 The AudBalls' 3 stars of the weekend
38:30 Looking ahead: Erie, Kingston, and Guelph's freefall

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Tonight the Rangers raise the J. Ross Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup championship banners and open the season at home against Owen Sound, so the AudBalls bring back Rogers TV voices Dan Polischuk and Jason Hagholm, the show's first-ever returning guests, for the full season preview. They relive the championship run out of Everett and Kelowna, note Sam O'Reilly's Memorial Cup MVP, and hear Jason pick Jack Pridham as his own tournament standout. From there it's Pridham's late playoff surge, Luca Romano's something-to-prove season, who wears the letters, new pickup Dmitri Toporowski arriving from the pro ranks, and breakout picks Haeden Ellis, Weston Cameron and Avry Anstis. Dan and Jason size up how new bench boss Jeff Kyrzakos fills Jussi Ahokas' huge shoes with his own spin, and a predictions round closes it out with one of the hottest takes Jason says he's heard in a while. As Jason puts it: don't get too high. See you at the Aud.

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0:00 Cold open: new hats and Temu knockoff jokes

1:04 Welcoming back Dan Polischuk and Jason Hagholm

2:13 Reliving the Memorial Cup: Everett, Kelowna, and picking Pridham for MVP

6:50 Pridham catches fire, and Luca Romano's something-to-prove year

11:26 Breakout watch: Haeden Ellis, Weston Cameron, and Avry Anstis

13:44 Who wears the letters: Romano, Bilecki, Lam, and MacNiel

19:50 Dmitri Toporowski arrives from the pro ranks

22:02 New imports and the disrespectful power rankings

24:15 Alex Forrest, the Sutherland Cup winner still growing into his frame

27:30 The culture shift after winning it all, and the Oscar Hemming tinfoil hat

33:15 Jeff Kyrzakos fills huge shoes with his own spin

40:57 Jason Schaubel's time to be the guy

45:18 Predictions: goals, assists, penalty minutes, and the hottest hot take

1:01:23 Merch drop: the shop opens today, closes October 5

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Cut by Ottawa, cut by Kitchener, cut by London, then signed as an undrafted walk-on and finishing as a Memorial Cup champion: Matthew Hlacar's story is the one the AudBalls have wanted to tell since he first dropped the gloves at the Aud. Now a Brantford Bulldog, he sits down to relive the 10-guys rule Ando preached, the deadline that made the room believe, the Sault Ste. Marie shootout winner that lives in AudPod lore, and the dad who begged him not to get suspended before the hotel was paid off. Plus Muay Thai at Darkside, favourite dance partner Ryder Boulton (now a teammate), the Arky mattress prank, and whether he is ready to walk into the visitors' room at the Aud.

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Chapters

0:00 — Cold open: undrafted to Memorial Cup champion

0:49 — Thoughts with Matthew Mayich

2:05 — Brad Flynn, the 13th forward, and leaning into the physical game

4:28 — Cut by Ottawa, Kitchener and London, then signed

5:42 — We got 10 guys: Ando’s rule and the toughest room in the league

7:00 — The deadline, Woolley, and we didn’t load up for nothing

8:03 — A Brantford Bulldog now, a Hamilton kid close to home

9:02 — Tossed from the game, then sitting in the stands with dad

10:29 — Silky hands: the Sault Ste. Marie shootout winner

12:19 — Tom Wilson, Lucic, and staying engaged as a healthy scratch

15:30 — Brandon Merli’s skates, Brantford’s assault bike, and Muay Thai at Darkside

19:00 — Favourite dance partner Boulton, and the new fight rules

21:12 — Saying goodbye to the group, and the jersey wall

22:45 — Joining Brantford: it’s the best of the best

24:11 — Roommates, Avry Anstis, and the Arky mattress story

27:40 — Woolley, the London Knights, and celebrating the Cup

32:03 — Sign-off: walking into the visitors’ room at the Aud

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He walks through the trade that pulled him out of Sarnia as a 17-year-old, the billet family that became a second home, and the secret foodie TikTok nobody was supposed to find. He also breaks down the overtime poke check that saved the Robertson Cup run, the Flint celebration that got him tossed, and why he’s in no rush to trade 97 games of OHL hockey for a partial NCAA schedule, even with Bowling Green waiting. Bittersweet doesn’t begin to cover it: the guy who anchored the Rangers blue line for three years is off to college, and this one’s a goodbye as much as a victory lap.

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Chapters

0:01 — Cold open: welcoming Soupy to the show

1:44 — A whirlwind season, and goodbye to the D-core

3:43 — Traded from Sarnia: the call, and day one at the Aud

7:25 — The secret foodie TikTok and Kitchener’s best eats

9:19 — Billet family life, and the Ellinas connection

11:01 — The Bowling Green decision and no rush to leave the OHL

15:22 — The Flint celebration and getting tossed

17:30 — Battling an injury from the press box

18:55 — Building the championship D-core: Wolfe, Ellinas, and the steals

21:34 — Standing up for the boys, and the Memorial Cup fight

26:07 — The overtime poke check that won the Robertson Cup

30:37 — Cameron Reid, career highs, and saying goodbye
 

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Under Review rolls on with the one that started it all. Before Ando was a Memorial Cup champion and the OHL's 2026 Teammate of the Year, he was the very first guest ever to sit down with the AudBalls. Justin opens with a look at where the Andalorian has landed since, then the full June 2025 conversation re-airs: the werewolf answer that should have sunk his Ottawa draft interview, the fight he arranged in warm-ups that made the Aud the loudest he's ever heard it, and the view from inside the room during the Windsor reverse sweep. What a lovely human being. Enjoy.

Originally aired June 20, 2025 as "Can We Call You Ando?"

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Website | theaudpod.com

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Under Review: Justin on Ando, one year later

01:31 June 2025 re-air: our very first guest

02:32 Can we call you Ando?

03:16 Framed: the worst music taste on the team

04:39 Parry Sound, Bobby Orr, and why he wears 5

05:57 An OHLer's offseason and signing with Ottawa

08:45 The werewolf draft interview

12:14 Not a Leafs fan anymore, family and billet life

15:43 Funniest guys in the room and bus karaoke

18:24 The playoff run: the Flint fight and the Windsor reverse sweep

23:46 Leading the young guys as captain

26:47 The OT winner and joining Ellinas in Ottawa

28:34 Wrapping up: an honour for the inaugural guest

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Brad Flynn once put up 253 penalty minutes in 37 games, and now he's the newly promoted associate coach of your Memorial Cup champion Kitchener Rangers. The AudBalls sit down with the Brad Boy himself to talk growing up in Nova Scotia playing against a chubby-cheeked Sidney Crosby, the coaching road from Swan River to Red Deer to Kitchener, and the SummerSlam '91 promo that got him tossed in Peterborough. He gets emotional about the black aces who were the fabric of the championship run, and he puts Rangers Nation right next to Green Bay and Liverpool. Get into it.

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Watch us on YouTube | @theaudpodcast-kitchenerrangers

Website | theaudpod.com

Email | [email protected]

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Cold open: Brad reads his own intro

0:26 Growing up Flynn: a Hall of Fame dad and New Glasgow roots

6:20 Playing with Sidney Crosby (and why Nova Scotia makes stars)

10:23 The case for university hockey, and the NCAA debate

18:02 Oscar Hemming and the Hell's Bells draft walkout

19:13 The coaching road: Swan River to Red Deer to Kitchener

24:37 The ejections: standing up for his guys

28:41 253 penalty minutes: the enforcer years

33:52 The defence corps, the black aces and the secret sauce

40:45 New season, new bench: associate coach Flynn

42:58 Old-school wrestling, rapid fire and gratitude

48:23 Post-show: Brad Boys 3, Hockey Podcast Network news and thank-yous

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On this episode of The AudPod, we sit down with Head Coach Jeff Kyrzakos for an in-depth conversation on everything happening behind the bench and inside the locker room!

We dive into:

 The Memorial Cup Run: Looking back at last season's high-stakes journey.

 Stepping Into the Role: What the transition to head coaching duties has really been like.

 Game-Day Quirks: Jeff breaks down his personal superstitions and routines.

 Managing the Room: What it’s actually like spending most of the year around twenty 16-to-20-year-olds.

 Looking Ahead: Expectations, goals, and mindset for the upcoming season.

If you enjoy the episode, make sure to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more Kitchener Rangers coverage every week!

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Watch us on⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠⁠ | @theaudpodcast-kitchenerrangers

Website | theaudpod.com

Email | [email protected]

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome Jeff Kyrzakos

00:53 Mudbugs Championship Stories

02:01 Joining Kitchener Rangers

03:44 Memorial Cup Bid Pivot

04:42 New Season Game Plan

06:54 Handling Expectations

09:22 Barrie Series Grit

11:55 Building Team Leadership

14:51 Trade Additions Chemistry

19:07 Coaching Style After Jussi

23:47 Accidental Player Coach

26:21 Preparing Kids For Pro

29:10 Life Skills Reality Check

30:45 Gen Z Slang Talk

31:56 Unplugging From Hockey

32:38 No Offseason Schedule

34:07 Dirty Dangles Debate

35:14 Morning Skate Traditions

36:28 Playoff Superstitions

38:52 Pizza And Media Snacks

40:00 Six Point Game Grudge

43:14 Post Interview Debrief

44:28 Jussi Moves On

46:02 Pod Shoutouts And Updates

46:53 New Baby Girl Congrats

48:09 Signing Off

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