Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 2-1 OT Win Over Calgary

Akil ‘Real Deal’ Thomas strikes in overtime as the Ontario Reign rack up another two huge points in their overtime victory on Friday.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

None

Second period: 

CGY: PP Ben Jones (20), ASST: Cole Schwindt (18), Jakob Pelletier (2)

Third period: 

ONT: Tyler Madden (14), ASST: Brandt Clarke (28), Akil Thomas (21)

Overtime: 

ONT: Akil Thomas (19), Steven Santini (12), Martin Chromiak (15)

Stats

Goals: 

CGY: 1

ONT: 2

Shots: 

CGY: 31

ONT: 31

Power plays: 

CGY: 1/3

ONT: 0/3

Here are the three takeaways from Friday’s 2-1 overtime victory:

The real deal strikes!

The game was evenly played. Both teams had three power-play attempts, 29 shots on goal, and more importantly, one goal each through 60 minutes. This one needed overtime to decide the winner in the eighth and final meeting between the two clubs this season. The Reign were down Charles Hudon for the third consecutive game and lost Samuel Fagemo midway through the third period. The Reign needed someone to score a big goal without their top two goal-scorers to get two huge points in the standings.

The hero was Akil Thomas, and it wasn’t a snipe, a fluke, or a tap-in goal. No, this was a highlight-reel goal. A move you rarely see Thomas attempt. Thomas got the puck on a long stretch pass from defenseman Steven Santini and went on the attack. With the three-on-three overtime format, there will always be a mismatch with a forward having to play defense on the rush, and teams will look to exploit that. Unfortunately, for the Calgary Wranglers, forward Cole Schwindt was back on defense having to defend Thomas on the rush.

Gaining entry with speed, Thomas, in one motion, spun from the inside to the outside and roofed a backhand shot attempt top shelf, short side on Oscar Dansk, while leaving Schwindt in the spin-cycle in the process. The spin-o-rama move paid off as Thomas played the hero role by scoring the game-winning goal in as many games. It was his 19th goal of the season. With the season he is having, perhaps the Kings have an internal option to fill one of their bottom-six spots in the forward group next season (Thomas is an RFA this summer). I’m just throwing it out there.

Power play isn’t powerful

The power play for the Reign continues to be in a funk. In their last seven games (including last night), the power play has converted once in their last 24 attempts. Sure, losing Hudon hurts because he is a key player on the power play, but at times the Reign look predictable and the opponent can sniff out what play they will make before it happens. Samuel Fagemo is the number-one option and teams are starting to zone in on him to take that one-timer option away.

The first power-play attempt for the Reign last night looked solid. They moved the puck around and put shots on the net. The last two attempts, however, summed up the previous six games of not being able to set up, get zone time, or get quality looks. Special teams can shift the momentum of the game, and with the playoffs right around the corner, the Reign will need to right the ship and find a way to snap out of this skid. You don’t want to have a slumping power play heading into the playoffs.

The race is heating up

While the Reign got a come-from-behind effort in the third period to secure two points, they got some help on the scoreboard from the Texas Stars. Right as the Reign game was heading to overtime, the Stars defeated the San Diego Gulls, 4-2, to help trim the Reign’s magic number from 12 to 10 points. With Akil Thomas playing hero for the Reign, that magic number is now down to eight points with 11 games remaining for the Reign.

Also, the Bakersfield Condors defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a shootout to keep pace with the Reign in the standings. The Condors trail the Reign by one point as they come into town Sunday for a pivotal matchup in Ontario. The ending to this season will be worth watching as seeds four through seven in the division are only separated by five points with the Henderson Silver Knights and the Gulls trying to claw their way in with the odds stacked against them.

NOTES:

*Akil Thomas recorded his eighth game-winning goal of the season.

*Tyler Madden has seven points (3G – 4A) in ten games in March.

*Reign took the season series against the Wranglers with the victory (5-3).

*Erik Portillo improved his save percentage to .955 in five games against the Wranglers this season.

UP NEXT: The Bakersfield Condors come to town for a pivotal matchup against the Ontario Reign this Sunday. The game starts at 7 PM PT and can be seen on AHLTV.

Featured image credit: Mike Zitek/Ontario Reign

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