Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 6-4 Loss to Colorado

The Ontario Reign battled back to tie the game at four after trailing 4-1, but couldn’t complete the comeback and settle for a weekend split.

Goal Breakdown

First period:

COL: Tye Felhaber (4), ASST: Calle Rosen (8)

Second period: 

ONT: Reilly Walsh (4), ASST: Charles Hudon (5), Glenn Gawdin (8)

COL: Jake Wise (3), ASST: Matthew Phillips (9), Devante Stephens (2)

COL: PP Jacob MacDonald (6), ASST: TJ Tynan (5), Jayson Megna (7)

COL: Jack Ahcan (2), ASST: Nikita Prishchepov (4), TJ Tynan (6)

ONT: Angus Booth (1), ASST: Jeff Malott (10), Luke Rowe (2)

Third period: 

ONT: Glenn Gawdin (6), ASST: Jeff Malott (11), Reilly Walsh (4)

ONT: Shawn Element (4), ASST: Joe Hicketts (10)

COL: Devante Stephens (1), ASST: Chase Bradley (2)

COL: EN Jake Wise (4), ASST: TJ Tynan (7)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 4

COL: 6

Shots:

ONT: 26

COL: 31

Power plays:

ONT: 0/1

COL: 1/2

Here are the three takeaways from yesterday’s 6-4 defeat:

Angus Booth gets his first

There wasn’t much to like about this game for the Reign other than their ability to fight back in the third. However, there was one milestone for a rookie defenseman in the second period. That milestone was Angus Booth recording his first professional goal. As Jeff Malott was driving to the net with the puck in transition, Booth jumped up in the play at the right place at the right time as the former passed the puck up the middle where the latter happened to be.

Booth went glove side on Kevin Mandolese for the goal. The rookie defenseman has had a nice start to the season, recording five points in 13 games while making the right play with the puck and gap control on the defensive side. He’s known more for his quiet defensive game instead of his offense. As the season progresses there will be growing pains, but he is playing good hockey so far.

Friday night saw Kaleb Lawrence score his first professional goal and it was Booth’s turn yesterday.

Comeback falls short

The Reign didn’t quit in this game. After trailing 4-1 with 4:17 remaining in the second period on the second night of a back-to-back, the team easily could’ve mailed it in for the rest of the night. They didn’t and pushed back late in the period as Booth’s goal brought them within two by the second intermission.

The goal seemed to give the team momentum heading into the final frame as they scored on their first two shots 28 seconds apart courtesy of Glenn Gawdin and Shawn Element, silencing the crowd at Blue Arena. Unfortunately, for the Reign, the Eagles got the lead back 88 seconds later as Devante Stephens scored on a back door tap-in off a Chase Bradley backhand pass.

Jake Wise would ice the game with an empty-net goal with 35 seconds to play, giving the Eagles a 6-4 victory. While the game will end up in the loss column for Ontario, on a night they didn’t play their best, not giving up and playing until the final whistle is a good sign for future games this season.

Flying Eagles

The Eagles came out flying and the Reign didn’t start on time. Devante Stephens set the tone for the Eagles by dropping the gloves with Reign defenseman Luke Rowe 16 seconds in. Tye Fellhaber scored 20 seconds later on a rebound chance in front of the net with no Reign player near him. The fight and goal set the tone and the home team was off and running.

The Eagles’ aggressive forecheck, speed, and movement caused issues for the Reign all night. Colorado capitalized on multiple Reign defensive zone breakdowns in the Reign’s one-on-one defense, caused by the forecheck, cycle, and movement they created in the offensive zone or transition on Stephens’ goal. 11 Eagles players recorded a point with five different goal scorers.

When a Reign forward or defender lost their man in coverage the Eagles made them pay. The Reign have a young defensive core, with four players on the backend either in their first or second professional season, so mistakes like that will happen. That’s how they’ll learn in a league meant for young players to develop.

While the Reign didn’t get any offense from their second and third lines tonight (the Pinelli and Studnicka lines), they did leave Colorado with a weekend split. It’s tough to sweep a two-game series, let alone win one of the games. It’s a tough building to play in because it looks like the fans are on top of the ice and are extremely loud in addition to playing in the altitude. Winning Friday’s game and leaving with a weekend split was the best outcome Ontario could get.

NOTES:

*Stephens completed the Gordie Howe hat trick with his third-period goal. It would be the game-winner.

*Former Reign captain TJ Tynan recorded three assists. He recorded his third assist on Wise’s empty-net goal for his 600th career AHL point. Congrats, Tynan!

*Kevin Mandolese started for the second straight night for the Eagles and made 22 saves.

*Gawdin extended his point streak to three games with his multi-point night. He leads the Reign in scoring with 14 points.

*Malott recorded his 11th assist on Booth’s goal in the middle frame. He leads the Reign in assists on the season.

*With his goal in the second period, Booth now has a three-game point streak.

*Reilly Walsh scored a goal for the third straight game for the Reign.

*Element recorded his fourth goal on the season to tie the game at four early in the third period.

*Jacob Ingham got the start in goal, his first against the Eagles in his career. He stopped 25 of 30 shots faced.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign don’t play again until Wednesday. They will travel to Henderson to take on the Silver Knights for the fourth time this season. The game will start at 7 PM PT and you can watch it on FloSports or listen on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Ashley Potts/Colorado Eagles

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