Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 3-2 Win Against San Digeo

The Ontario Reign won back-to-back games for the first time since January 16th as they defeated the San Diego Gulls on the road.

Goal Breakdown

First period:

ONT: PP Samuel Fagemo (25), ASST: Joe Hicketts (8), TJ Tynan (37)

Second period: 

ONT: Martin Chromiak (12), ASST: TJ Tynan (38), Joe Hicketts (9)

Third period: 

ONT: Charles Hudon (17), ASST: None

SD: Olen Zellweger (11), ASST: Andrew Agozzino (27)

SD: PP Chase De Leo (11), ASST: Andrew Agozzino (28), Glenn Gawdin (21)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 3

SD: 2

Shots: 

ONT: 33

SD: 33

Power plays: 

ONT: 1/4

SD: 1/5

Here are the three takeaways from Saturday’s 3-2 victory:

Too close in the end

The Reign and Gulls always provide close games. Once in a while, there’s a weird game they will give us, too. Last night fell into the close game category, but was it too close toward the end? After gaining a 3-0 lead on Charles Hudon’s goal 37 seconds into the third period, the Gulls struck twice in a span of 2:07 to turn a 3-0 Reign lead into a 3-2 lead.

For San Diego’s first goal, Olen Zellweger intercepted TJ Tynan’s outlet pass at the blue line. After passing the puck to Andrew Agozzino, Zellweger went to the slot area, and with a quick shot from that area, he beat Portillo blocker side 23 seconds after Hudon scored to make it 3-1 Reign.

1:45 after Zellweger’s tally, Jacob Doty committed an offensive zone holding penalty to give San Diego a power-play opportunity to trim Ontario’s lead again. It took only 22 seconds for Chase De Leo to record his 11th goal of the season to make it a 3-2 game.

While the Reign were able to hang on and did enough to hold the lead after De Leo’s goal, it’s a lesson learned that mistakes against any team can end up in the back of your net and the game can get away from you fast.

Martin Chromiak finds the back of the net

It’s been a down year for Martin Chromiak when it comes to scoring. While Chromiak has improved in other areas, such as his defense and puck protection, his goal-scoring hasn’t taken that next step in his sophomore season, as of yet. However, if there is one team in his brief career, he has had success against the Gulls. Entering last night’s contest, Chromiak recorded nine points in eleven career games against the Gulls.

It was the perfect team to play on the schedule, given how Chromiak hasn’t found the back of the net since his hat trick performance against the Tucson Roadrunners on January 26th. After playing on the second line Friday night, Marco Sturm moved Chromiak up to the first line with Tynan and Samuel Fagemo. That line was the Reign’s best at getting shots on goal as the trio combined for 12 of them (Chromiak had five).

They eventually got rewarded off a weird bounce on a pass from Tynan that went right to the stick of Chromiak in front of the net. Without hesitation, Chromiak used his quick hands and stick handling to slide the puck by the left pad of Calle Clang to give the Reign a 2-0 lead. The goal was Chromiak’s sixth in Pechanga Arena. The Reign could use an offensive surge from Chromiak going down the stretch.

Erik Portillo stole the show

Last but not least, let’s get to the man of the night yesterday. Erik Portillo was given the start on the second night of a back-to-back after Aaron Dell got the start on Friday night. From the drop of the puck, Portillo was the most locked in I’ve seen him be all season. His positioning and tracking of the puck coming off the stick of a Gulls shooter was probably his best this season. Any high-danger chance that was created by the Gulls themselves or off a turnover from a Reign player, he made the saves. He even helped himself and got an assist from Tyler Madden in the final minute of the second period when he turned the puck over behind his net to keep the puck out, preserving a 2-0 Reign lead.

Portillo’s 31-save performance earned him his first win against the Gulls and 14th on the season. While his season numbers look great for a rookie, it’s important to keep him in the AHL to continue his development. With the LA Kings having a possible cap crunch next season, could we see Portillo as the backup? I think it’s an option that will be on the table but I still think there are aspects in his game to improve on (rebound control and positioning, but has improved in the season), you don’t want to rush him. Look at the Buffalo Sabres at a small sample size with Devon Levi last year and how he has played this year. I say the earliest you can see Portillo in the NHL is the fall of 2025, but that’s just me.

NOTES:

*Erik Portillo’s 31 saves bumped him up to a .921 save percentage. That is third for all qualified rookie goalies in the AHL.

*Samuel Fagemo recorded his 25th goal of the season and 12th on the power play at the 8:37 mark of the first period.

*Joe Hicketts has six assists in his last four games since returning from injury.

*TJ Tynan’s two assists gave him 38 on the year. He is now second in the AHL in assists (Mavrik Bourque of the Texas Stars leads the AHL in that category with 40).

*Charles Hudon recorded his 17th goal of the season 37 seconds into the third period.

*Olen Zellweger recorded his 11th goal of the season which puts him into a tie for most goals scored by a rookie defenseman in the AHL. He also leads the AHL in points for a rookie defenseman as well.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign return to action on Tuesday for a home matchup with the San Jose Barracuda. The game starts at 7 PM PT and can be seen on AHLTV.

Featured image credit: San Diego Gulls

Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *