Three things to watch for in Ontario vs Grand Rapids Saturday

The Ontario Reign look to sweep the weekend series against the Grand Rapids Griffins tonight at the Van Andel Arena. The Reign took last night’s contest 5-2 and looked dominant with an outstanding performance by goaltender Matthew Villalta.

Tale of the Tape 

PP%                                                                                  ONT: 29% (1st)
GR: 2.4% (31st)

PK%
ONT: 75% (T-29th)
GR: 75% (T-29th)

Goals For                                                                         ONT: 148
GR: 105

Goals Against     
ONT: 108
GR: 121

Top Scorers                                                                   ONT: T.J. Tynan – 8 goals, 40 assists, 48 points
GR: Taro Hirose – 9 goals, 23 assists, 32 points

Three things to keep an eye on:

1. The power play

Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Martin Frk both tallied their league-leading 10th powerplay goals as the Reign powerplay remained hot in last night’s 5-2 win, going 3-for-4. Ontario created a lot of chances against a less-than-stellar penalty kill and was buzzing all night with the man advantage. The Griffins need to tighten up defensively or it could be another long night for their penalty kill.

2. Momentum

The Reign look to carry the same energy into tonight’s rematch with the Griffins. Ontario thoroughly dominated the game last night, sometimes making it look too easy. Defenseman Jordan Spence had the hot hand, getting three assists in the win.

The Reign also look to continue their win streak, currently 10-1-1-1 in their last 14. Villalta played a solid game between the pipes and runs his record to an impressive 14-3-3, which places him fifth in the league for wins by a goaltender.

3. Does the physical play continue?

During the third period, the game got a little physical and scrappy when the game had been decided. Do we see that at the beginning of tonight’s game as Grand Rapids looks to send a message?  Do we see Dominik Shine and Jacob Doty get together for a nice tilt? Grand Rapids may play that style to get under the skin of the Ontario Reign to get the upper hand.

Puck drop is scheduled for 4 pm PT and can be seen on AHLTV.