The Ontario Reign improve to 21-10-1-1 with its 4-3 win over the Iowa Wild. With Andre Lee and Taylor Ward called up to the LA Kings, other players had to step up, and they did. Pheonix Copley finished with 24 saves as four different players scored for Ontario.
ONTARIO, CA. -- With forwards Taylor Ward and Andre Lee getting recalled by the Los Angeles Kings earlier today, Ontario missed two essential players on the ice.
Fortunately for the Reign - there isn’t a shortage of good players on this team.
And everyone showed up to play.
“I think everybody stepped up,” Glenn Gawdin said. “We lost two guys that are a big part of the team and collectively we have to make up for it … So I think everybody brought a little bit more tonight and (it’s a) big reason why we won.”
And Gawdin, who improved to a 12-game point streak tonight, definitely stepped up.
Ontario held on to its 4-3 win over the visiting Iowa Wild on Wednesday night and Phoenix Copley finished with 24 saves.
The Reign (21-10-1-1; 44 points) struggled with holding leads during the beginning of the season, but the improvement has been transparent.
And tonight’s game was the perfect example.
Ontario started the game off hot, as Kenny Connors and Cole Guttman both found the back of the net in the first 3:14 of the opening period.
Iowa’s Boris Katchouk would score a power-play goal but Jared Wright’s seventh goal of the season would give the Reign a 3-1 lead after period one.
“I thought it (period one) was pretty solid.” Reign coach Andrew Lord said. “(I) wish we could’ve had that for three periods but that’s hockey, and there’s an opponent out there.”
The second period would be a slow one for Ontario with only five shots on goal compared to Iowa’s 13.
“I thought there (were) moments where we thought we controlled the game,” Wright said. “And other moments where I think we laid off the gas. I think we have to learn how to play with a lead there and learn how to expand that. And I think during the second period we just got away from that a little bit.”
The Wild (10-22-1-1) added on two goals in the midst of Ontario's lack of offense, one from Carson Lambos and a power-play goal from Gerry Mayhew.
Martin Chromiak would find the back of the net for his 14th goal this season, giving the Reign its much needed insurance.
Ontario went 2-for-4 on the penalty kill and 1-for-2 on power-play advantages, although they did kill a four-minute double minor penalty in the third period, which was vital.
With Lee and Ward with the Kings, different people had opportunities to show their talents on the ice.
“It took us a little bit to find our identity again,” Lord said. “But that four-minute (penalty kill) was critical. The guys did a fantastic job on that and that was a defining moment in the game.”
The third period was scoreless from both teams, but the Reign’s defense was at full force, which hadn’t always been the case when they held the lead.
“I think earlier in the year it (the game) might have slipped away,” Lord said. “Tonight we found a way and it was good closing it out the way we did.”
Ontario will host the Henderson Silver Knights (16-11-3-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Category: General Sports
