Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 3-1 Loss To Coachella

A matchup against the best team in the division didn’t go well as the Ontario Reign saw their seven-game win streak come to an end.

Goal Breakdown

First period:

None

Second period: 

CV: PP Max McCormick (31), ASST: Devin Shore (17), Kole Lind (46)

CV: Devin Shore (7), ASST: Kole Lind (47), Max McCormick (26)

CV: PS John Hayden (14), ASST: None

Third period: 

ONT: Tyler Madden (15), ASST: Brandt Clarke (32), Joe Hicketts (17)

Stats

Goals:

ONT: 1

CV: 3

Shots: 

ONT: 30

CV: 33

Power plays: 

ONT: 0/3

CV: 1/3

Here are the three takeaways from Wednesday’s 3-1 loss:

Milestones for two players

The Ontario Reign didn’t have the best night as a team, but two players reached milestones last night. Tyler Madden played in his 200th AHL game and Andre Lee played in his 100th. All those games for both players have been with the Reign. Down 3-0 in the third period, Madden put the Reign on the board after a diagonal pass from Brandt Clarke to him down low for his 100th career point in the AHL. A night to forget had some good in it for Ontario.

Feel the fire

Besides things getting intense between the two teams, the Firebirds controlled play from the start of the game. The Reign looked like a team that was hanging on as the Firebirds kept coming on the attack. The dam opened in the second period as the Firebirds scored three goals in the middle frame to take a 3-0 lead, which was all they needed to secure the victory in this one.

The Reign are a good team, but the Firebirds showed why they’re the best in the Western Conference and perhaps the AHL (Hershey Bears may take that title). In fact, the Reign have played the Firebirds well in the previous seven meetings, but mistakes last night cost them. Coachella Valley is the best team when it comes to shot volume. They fire everything at the net and always look to turn up ice when they cause a turnover at center ice or the neutral zone. The Firebirds make you pay when that happens. It was the first game the Firebirds controlled play the whole game in the season series. With their victory, they clinched the Pacific Division and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Run home!

First place in the division is no longer an option for Ontario. The best they can do is finish seed two through seven (already clinched a playoff spot). However, home-ice advantage for the first round in a best-of-three series is still up for grabs. The standings are close and every point will matter down the stretch. The marathon of a season is near its end. The race for home ice over the next ten days will be worth watching.

NOTES:

*The two teams split the season series.

*Kole Lind recorded his eighth point in the season series against the Reign.

*Tyler Madden recorded his 50th career goal with the Reign with his tally in the third period (It was also his 100th career point).

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign return home on Friday, April 12th, at 7 PM PT for their final regular season home game this season. They will face off against the San Diego Gulls for the final time this year.

Featured image credit: Mike Zitek/Coachella Valley Firebirds

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