Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 2-1 Victory Over Colorado

The Ontario Reign played a 60-minute effort en route to their 2-1 victory over the Colorado Eagles on Saturday night.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

ONT: Samuel Fagemo (26), ASST: Jack Studnicka (22), Jack Millar (12)

Second period: 

ONT: Glenn Gawdin (22), ASST: Martin Chromiak (18), Charles Hudon (37)

Third period:

COL: PP Matthew Phillips (18), ASST: Chris Wagner (12), Jere Innala (12)

Stats

Goals: 

COL: 1

ONT: 2

Shots: 

COL: 18

ONT: 32

Power plays: 

COL: 1/6

ONT: 0/3

Here are the three takeaways from last night’s 2-1 victory: 

Gawdin is closing in on a career high

When TJ Tynan departed in free agency, the Reign had a huge hole to fill at the 1C position. The Kings filled that position by signing Glenn Gawdin to a two-year, two-way NHL contract. Although Gawdin isn’t the playmaker and fast skater Tynan is, he has been a reliable center in all aspects for the Reign. The 28-year-old has been played in all situations (5-on-5, power play, and penalty kill) and has been automatic in shootouts for Marco Sturm.

Gawdin played a big role in Reign’s penalty kill in the win, but his biggest moment of the game was crashing the net on a two-on-one that saw him put home a rebound past Trent Miner for the game-winning goal. With the goal, Gawdin tied his career-high for goals in a season (22; set last season with San Diego) and is two points away from posting a new career-high as a pro (55; set last season with San Diego). He’s been as advertised this season with his play.

Chromiak continues to find the scoresheet

It hasn’t been the best season for Martin Chromiak. The 2020 fifth-round pick had a stretch where he couldn’t buy a goal and went 16 games without finding the back of the net. Finishing has been one of his issues, but lately he’s finding the scoresheet in the assist column. Chromiak recorded his fifth assist in his last six games and seventh point (2 G, 5 A) in seven games.

This recent stretch of strong play has coincided with Sturm placing him on a line with Gawdin and Charles Hudon. Perhaps playing alongside two seasoned veterans has contributed to Chromiak’s success over the last seven games. This is a good sign for the Reign as the playoffs are right around the corner.

Penalty kill holds strong

The Reign’s penalty kill deserves its flowers for last night’s effort. The Reign were short-handed six times and killed off five Colorado power plays, a power play that was ranked sixth in the AHL entering yesterday. Ontario had to kill off two penalties in the final five minutes, including one that became a six-on-four with 1:35 to play, holding onto a 2-1 lead. They answered the call when needed and did the little things well.

One of those little things was done by Andre Lee in the final ten seconds. Lee had the puck along the boards, pinned it there to kill off the clock, and preserve a Reign victory. That little detail is something Sturm noticed after the game and praised Lee for how he’s grown from his first year with the Reign until now.

“He’s been great […] He does everything right, and those little details matter […] There’s a reason why he made it to the Kings this year, because he does all the little things right,” said Ontario’s head coach.

NOTES:

*Samuel Fagemo scored his 26th goal of the year off a beautiful assist from Jack Studnicka, who showed extreme poise when making the play. Fagemo is three points away from 200 in his AHL career, while Studnicka is two assists away from 100 in his AHL career.

*Kaleb Lawrence recorded his first fighting major in the AHL. He was awarded the Reign Train conductor hat after the game.

*With his goal, Gawdin is 10 points away from 300 in his AHL career.

*Pheonix Copley made 17 saves to earn his 21st win of the season.

UP NEXT: These two teams meet again today. The rematch starts at 3 PM PST, and you can watch it on FloHockey or KCAL+ (channel 9.6). You can also listen to the game on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Mike Zitek/Ontario Reign

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