Kyle Garcia 
The Ontario Reign improved to 5-1-0-0 in their last six games as they defeated the Bakersfield Condors 5-2 on Sunday night.
Goal Breakdown
First period:
ONT: Quinton Byfield (5), ASST: Lias Andersson (5), Cameron Gaunce (3)
Second period:
ONT: Quinton Byfield (6), ASST: Tyler Madden (4), Cameron Gaunce (4)
ONT: SH, PS Rasmus Kupari (4), ASST: None
Third period:
BAK: Xavier Bourgault (6), ASST: None
ONT: Frederic Allard (1), Samuel Helenius (5)
BAK: PP Xavier Bourgault (7), ASST: None
ONT: SH, EN Quinton Byfield (7), ASST: None
Stats
Goals
BAK: 2
ONT: 5
Shots
BAK: 29
ONT: 23
Power-plays:
BAK: 1/6
ONT: 0/4
Three takeaways from Sunday’s 5-2 win:
1. Quinton Byfield records a hat trick
Quinton Byfield looked good in his last five games and continued to do so Sunday night. Byfield opened the scoring 31 seconds into the opening frame to give the Ontario Reign a lead they would never relinquish. Byfield would register his second goal of the game in the second period off a nice pass from Tyler Madden while he was entering the zone, beating Condors netminder Ryan Fanti blocker side.
.@byfield55, so hot right now#ReignTrain pic.twitter.com/X9AYnBann2
— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) December 5, 2022
After the Condors made it 4-2 and threatening to score again on the power play, Byfield added an empty net goal to complete the hat trick to give the Reign a 5-2 win. In ten games with the Ontario Reign, the former number-two overall pick has recorded 10 points in 10 games. The 20-year-old has scored recorded five goals in his last three games and nine points in his last six games. He should be back up with the Kings any minute now.
🎩🎩🎩 @byfield55 🎩🎩🎩#ReignTrain pic.twitter.com/vXNWMyZmLO
— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) December 5, 2022
2. Petersen gets the start again
After clearing waivers Thursday morning, Cal Petersen was sent down to the Ontario Reign. Petersen is in the first year of his three-year, $15-million contract and hasn’t lived up to it. Through ten games with the Kings, Petersen had a record of 5-3-2 with a 3.75 GAA, and a .868 save percentage. This weekend, Petersen started both games for the Reign and allowed one goal to the Colorado Eagles on Friday and two goals to the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday night.
Through his two starts this weekend, one thing I noticed was Petersen looked comfortable and was tracking the puck; however, there were several times when he would overcommit on a shot, but didn’t get beat. Two games don’t mean Petersen is fine and should be called up right away. Petersen will need to regain his confidence and work his way back up to the big club.
3. Solid penalty kill
The Reign, once again, got a solid performance from their penalty kill units. In two games, this past weekend, the Ontario Reign went 9-for-10 on the penalty kill. Last night they went 5-for-6 and even killed off a 5-on-3 that was 1:03 long. The penalty kill has improved from last year and ranks 7th overall at 83.1%. The Reign also scored two shorthanded goals, a penalty shot from Rasmus Kupari and an empty net goal from Quinton Byfield. The penalty kill will need to keep it up for the rest of the season.
Him pic.twitter.com/B5fcPVBf7U
— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) December 5, 2022
UP NEXT: The Reign conclude their seven-game homestand on Wednesday as they take on the Henderson Silver Knights. The game starts at 7 PM PST and can be seen on AHLTV.
Featured image credit: Mike Zitek/Ontario Reign