Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 6-2 Win Against Calgary

Five unanswered goals saw the Ontario Reign skate away with a 6-2 road victory in Calgary on Monday evening.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

CGY: Adam Klapka (15), ASST: William Stromgren (13), Cole Schwindt (15)

ONT: Kevin Connauton (3), ASST: Taylor Ward (17), Samuel Helenius (8)

CGY: PP Adam Klapka (16), ASST: Jeremie Poirier (9), Jonathan Aspirot (24)

ONT: Steven Santini (4), ASST: Charles Hudon (29), Kevin Connauton (13)

Second period:

ONT: Tyler Madden (12), ASST: Luke Rowe (1), Francesco Pinelli (6)

ONT: Steven Santini (5), ASST: Martin Chromiak (14), Samuel Fagemo (17)

Third period:

ONT: Charles Hudon (19), ASST: Tyler Madden (11), Steven Santini (10)

ONT: EN, SH Nikita Pavlychev (3), ASST: None

Stats

Goals:

ONT: 6

CGY: 2

Shots: 

ONT: 32

CGY: 33

Power plays: 

ONT: 0/3

CGY: 1/3

Here are the three takeaways from Monday’s 6-2 victory:

Pinelli moves up to second-line center

Akil Thomas didn’t start this one after taking a knee from Clark Bishop the previous night. As a result, Marco Sturm had to make a lineup change. That change involved moving Francesco Pinelli up from the fourth-line center to the second-line center. In Pinelli’s place at the fourth-line center was Nikita Pavlychev, who moved from the wing, and Colton Young slotted into the lineup.

Any worries about production from the second line were put to rest as the trio of Charles Hudon, Tyler Madden, and Pinelli combined for five points. Hudon and Madden had two points each while Pinelli recorded a secondary assist on Madden’s goal in the second period. Pinelli didn’t look out of place and continues to earn Sturm’s trust lately.

A day off for Wolf

For the first time in two seasons, Dustin Wolf didn’t start a game against the Ontario Reign. The day off snapped a streak of 20 consecutive starts against the Reign; which included four series of back-to-backs. The last time Wolf didn’t start a game against Ontario was November 22nd, 2021. That game saw the Reign win 5-3 with Sean Durzi recording three assists in his last AHL game, and the Wranglers were located in Stockton that season.

Starting for the Wranglers last night was Oscar Dansk. Dansk was making his first start against the Reign since the shortened 2021 season. The Reign were able to get a lot of time and space from the blue line and when those shots went on goal, there was traffic in front that made it difficult for Dansk to see the puck or rebound opportunities. Either way, it paid off.

Contributions from unlikely sources

The Reign continue to get contributions from everyone up and down the lineup. Last night, saw two big contributions from players you might not have guessed. Kevin Connauton got things rolling when he dropped the gloves with Bishop 13 seconds into the contest. The fight was in response to the hit on Akil Thomas the previous night.

The fight gave the Reign a spark, even though they saw themselves trailing 1-0 nine minutes later. After Adam Klapka put Calgary on the board first, Connauton responded 51 seconds later with a blast from the left point that beat Dansk to tie the game at one. Connauton would record an assist later in the period to record his second Gordie Howe hat trick of the season.

Steven Santini was another unlikely source that gave the Reign some offense. Santini registered three points (2G – 1A). It was Santini’s second multi-goal game of the season with the other game being against the Tucson Roadrunners in February where he recorded a hat trick. The defensive pairing of Connauton and Santini are more known for their defense, but last night it was their offense that stood out.

NOTES:

*The win streak for the Ontario Reign extended to eight games with the victory last night.

*Dustin Wolf’s streak of 20 consecutive starts against the Reign was snapped as Oscar Dank got the start for Calgary.

*Adam Klapka recorded his third multi-goal game for the Calgary Wranglers.

*Kevin Connauton recorded his second Gordie Howe hat trick of the season.

*Charles Hudon has recorded 15 points (4G – 11A) in his last 12 games.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign will look to extend their win streak to nine games as they take on the San Diego Gulls at Pechanga Arena on Wednesday. The game starts at 7 PM PT and can be seen on AHLTV.

Featured image credit: Jenn Pierce/Calgary Wranglers

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