Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 6-3 Victory Over Texas

The Ontario Reign concluded the five-game homestand with a strong 6-3 victory over the Texas Stars on Tuesday night.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

ONT: Martin Chromiak (8), ASST: None

ONT: Nikita Alexandrov (5), ASST: Cole Guttman (9), Samuel Bolduc (7)

Second period:

TEX: Antonio Stranges (4), ASST: Tristan Bertucci (5), Kole Lind (6)

ONT: Kenny Connors (5), ASST: Jared Wright (3), Andre Lee (10)

Third period:

ONT: Nikita Alexandrov (6), ASST: Angus Booth (3), Koehn Ziemmer (5)

TEX: Artem Shlaine (8), ASST: Tristan Bertucci (6)

TEX: Harrison Scott (5), ASST: Chase Wheatcroft (1), Kole Lind (7)

ONT: EN Kenny Connors (6), ASST: Jared Wright (4), Angus Booth (4)

ONT: EN Francesco Pinelli (4), ASST: Taylor Ward (5), Glenn Gawdin (11)

Stats

Goals: 

TEX: 3

ONT: 6

Shots: 

TEX: 21

ONT: 23

Power plays: 

TEX: 0/3

ONT: 0/2

Here are the three takeaways from Tuesday night’s 6-3 victory:

Home ice cooking

The Reign Train has been rolling to start the 2025-26 season, especially at home. After their 6-3 victory to conclude a 4-1-0-0 homestand, the Reign improved their home record to 9-2-1-0 in 12 games; good enough for 3rd in the AHL in wins. Their 19 points at home is second in the league, and their .792 points percentage is fifth.

Simply put, the Reign are making Toyota Arena a rude visit and tough place for the opposition to play in. The Reign have won eight of their last nine home games, dating back to October 19th. Let’s see if they pack their home ice play on the road for the next three games, because they will need it with the first two being in Colorado.

Alexandrov is fitting in nicely

A change of scenery hasn’t slowed down Nikita Alexandrov. Alexandrov scored twice last night for his third goal in his third game with the Reign. His first goal in the first period was a bit of a fortunate bounce as the puck redirected into the net off his skate parked in front of the net (when you go to the net, good things happen). His third goal was a perfectly placed shot on a two-on-one opportunity he put in far side off the post past the glove of Arno Tiefensee.

After watching his first game with the Reign on Saturday, Alexandrov looked solid in getting to the right areas of the ice, but needed more time to get chemistry with his linemates, especially Cole Guttman. Now, he looks comfortable and has fit like a glove on the top line in the Reign lineup.

Another strong game for Connors

If you ever have a chance to watch a Reign game from home or at Toyota Arena, Kenny Connors is a player you should pay close attention to. Connors added two goals last night, one via good fortune and the other being an empty-net goal.

But that’s not the story.

Connors continues to excel in his role as a third-line center for the Reign, playing a 200-foot game, adding offense, playing on the penalty kill, and defending a lead late in the game. The 22-year-old rookie has 15 points (6 G, 9 A) in 22 games and has a +16 rating. His +16 rating leads all Reign skaters and rookie skaters in the AHL.

NOTES:

*12 skaters recorded at least one point for the Reign

*Cole Guttman extended his point streak to six games and has 11 points in his last 11 games.

*Pheonix Copley stopped 18 of 21 shots to earn his fourth win in his last five starts.

*Angus Booth and Jared Wright recorded their third assist in two games with their two-assist nights.

*Koehn Ziemmer recorded his second assist in three games.

*Andre Lee recorded his fourth point in three games with his assist on Kenny Connors’ first goal.

*Martin Chromiak and Francesco Pinelli both scored their second goal in three games.

*Artem Shlaine recorded his fifth goal on Texas’ six-game road trip.

*Happy birthday to my friend, Avi! I hope you have an amazing day!

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign hit the road for three games, which will begin with a weekend series with the Colorado Eagles. The first game is on Friday, December 12th, at 6:05 PM PST. You can watch the game on FloHockey and listen to it on either the Ontario Reign radio network or on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Ontario Reign

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