Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 4-1 Win Over San Diego

Three unanswered goals in the third period propelled the Ontario Reign to victory over the San Diego Gulls on Friday night.

Goal Breakdown

First period:

None

Second period:

ONT: Jeff Malott (6), ASST: Caleb Jones (3), Reilly Walsh (11)

SD: Jan Mysak (7), ASST: Sasha Pastujov (5), Tristan Luneau (8)

Third period: 

ONT: PP Jack Studnicka (6), ASST: Joe Hicketts (16), Francesco Pinelli (7)

ONT: Samuel Fagemo (17), ASST: Jeff Malott (20), Caleb Jones (4)

ONT: Francesco Pinelli (9), ASST: Luke Rowe (3), Taylor Ward (7)

Stats

Goals: 

SD: 1

ONT: 4

Shots:

SD: 23

ONT: 33

Power plays: 

SD: 0/1

ONT: 1/2

Here are the three takeaways from Friday’s 4-1 victory:

Win the third, win the game

The third period has been a successful one for the Reign this season. It’s been their best goal differential for a period. Entering last night’s contest, the Reign were a +14 (35-21) in the final 20 minutes of regulation. With the game tied at one entering the final frame, the Reign did what they do best: outscore their opponents and win.

Jack Studnicka scored on a redirection off a shot from the left point that came off the stick of Joe Hicketts 2:14 into the third period. It was the only shot on goal the Reign had on two power play opportunities. Samuel Fagemo added an insurance goal with 8:32 to play, and then Francesco Pinelli put the game out of reach 55 seconds later to give the Reign a 4-1 lead they would hold on to.

The Reign won the third period by outscoring the Gulls 3-0 and outshooting them 11-6. They now have a +17 goal differential (38-21) in the final frame. Great teams find ways to win and the Reign have been doing so lately.

No stopping Pinelli

Pinelli is on fire. The second-year pro made an impact once again. He drew a penalty and registered four shots on goal (tied for second on the team), a secondary assist, and a goal. His goal wasn’t the perfectly placed shots we’ve seen in the last few games; instead, it was a redirection goal from the right circle on an initial Luke Rowe shot. He was everywhere and could’ve had two more goals on grade-A chances that Oscar Dansk turned away, but we don’t live in a world of “what ifs.”

Pinelli extended his goal and point streak to four games with his multi-point game (1 G, 1 A). His linemates, Martin Chromiak and Taylor Ward, also had a good game, even though the two combined for three shots on goal, but were noticeable at being quick to loose pucks and creating turnovers.

Pinelli has been the catalyst of that third line. After a slow start to the season, he looks like the confident player we saw in last year’s second half and is shooting the puck more (26 shots on goal in the last six games). If he keeps this up he’ll start catching the attention of the Kings’ brass if he hasn’t already.

Full steam ahead

The Reign Train keeps on rolling. With this win, the Reign are 13-1-0-1 in their last 15 games. Everyone has bought into the system and head coach Marco Sturm deserves a ton of credit for finding the right line combinations after a rough 1-4-0-0 start. They have outscored their opponents in the last 15 games 56-32 (+24) and have gotten contributions throughout the lineup. It’s not one player doing all the damage, it’s a team. That’s how they win games; a team system game for 60 minutes and find a way to get the job done.

Ontario will play eight of its next 12 games this month at Toyota Arena, a perfect opportunity to continue this hot streak. Seven of those 12 games will be against teams that are currently in a playoff spot as of this moment

NOTES:

* Fagemo scored his team-leading 17th goal of the year.

*Studnicka recorded goals in back-to-back games for the second time this season. He has four points in four games against the Gulls this season.

*Jeff Malott recorded a goal and an assist for his sixth multi-point of the season. Most of his come around the net as he has made a living there this season. He has five points in four games against the Gulls this season.

*Caleb Jones has been solid since clearing waivers and being assigned to the Reign. He also has four assists in his last four games and was given the Reign Train conductor hat afterward.

*Pinelli recorded his sixth goal in his last six games and has seven points (6 G, 1A) in that span. He is averaging four shots on goal per game during that stretch.

*Pheonix Copley made 22 saves on 23 shots in his first start against the Gulls this season. Dansk has appeared in all four matchups between the two teams and recorded 29 saves

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign are back at it tonight in a matchup against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs since December 20th. The game starts at 6 PM PST and can be seen on FloHockey and KCAL+. You can also listen to the game on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Jon Huerta/Ontario Reign

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