Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 3-2 Win Over Coachella

The Ontario Reign finished the third period comeback with Kirill Kirsanov’s late tally to take down the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

CV: Ian McKinnon (2), ASST: Jakov Novak (3), Eduard Šalé (7)

ONT: PP Andre Lee (14), ASST: Cole Guttman (14), Glenn Gawdin (19)

Second period:

CV: Carson Rehkopf (5), ASST: Tyson Jugnauth (20) Ville Ottavainen (8)

Third period: 

ONT: Cole Guttman (8), ASST: Taylor Ward (9), Francesco Pinelli (9)

ONT: Kirill Kirsanov (4), ASST: Martin Chromiak (10), Nikita Alexandrov (19)

Stats

Goals: 

CV: 2

ONT: 3

Shots: 

CV: 21

ONT: 25

Power plays: 

CV: 0/3

ONT: 1/4

Here are the three takeaways from Saturday night’s victory over the Firebirds:

Bad habits kicking in?

For the second straight game, the Reign played a strong first period, but sleepwalked through most of the second period. After finishing the first period tied and outshooting the Firebirds 9-6, the visitors dominated a majority of the middle frame by playing with pace and using their speed in transition to put the hosts on their heels.

Although it’s not a large sample size to be concerned with, the fact that it’s happening back-to-back games does raise an eyebrow and catch your attention. The Reign were able to dig deep and find a way to win with a dominant third period, but taking periods off in a game is something I’m sure the coaching staff will be paying close attention to.

Guttman’s strong play continues

The points weren’t coming for Cole Guttman at the start of the year, and now they are, as he continues to be a difference maker every game. Guttman spearheaded Ontario’s comeback bid that fell short on Wednesday in the team’s 5-4 defeat, and started the scoring in the comeback attempt again last night.

Guttman added another two points (1 G, 1 A), giving him back-to-back multi-point games and six points (3 G, 3 A) since returning from serving his two-game suspension. What got lost in this game is that he was a fight away from getting another Gordie Howe hat trick.

Guttman, a former Jr. King and Kings fan, spoke to the media after the game and was humbled when asked how it felt to play in the organization he had grown up watching. “It’s awesome,” the 26-year-old said. “Our practice rink is where I grew up playing. I see a lot of familiar faces. Same rink and ice sheet. It brings back a lot of good memories.”

A dream come true, and on the Reign side, they love the skill set he provides to the lineup.

Kirill provides the thrill

Speaking of Guttman leading the charge to start the comeback, how about the player who put a stamp on it? Defenseman Kirill Kirsanov, one of the most unlikely heroes, scored the game-winning goal with 5:05 remaining in regulation on a backdoor tap-in off a beautiful pass from Martin Chromiak.

Kirsanov isn’t known much for his offnese but what I like about the goal is his instincts to jump into the play on the rush, making himself a scoring option. It was his first goal since December 17th against Bakersfield.

The 23-year-old defenseman has had a good start to his professional career in North America, and Reign captain Joe Hicketts has taken note of it. “He’s getting comfortable on the North American ice,” said the team captain. “Solid skater. Really good defender. He’s got a good stick, and he’s able to kill plays. You see, when he can jump up in the rush, he’s able to pop one in. It’s been a very good transition for him.”

NOTES:

*Glenn Gawdin extended his point streak to ten games with his assist on Andre Lee’s power-play goal.

*Nikita Alexandrov extended his point streak to seven games with his assist on Kirsanov’s goal.

*Kirsanov’s tally stood as the game-winning goal, marking it his first in North America.

*Alexandrov played in his 200th AHL game, while Jacob Doty played in his 200th game as a member of the Reign.

*Lee’s first-period tally was his team-leading 14th of the season. It was also his team-leading sixth power-play goal.

*Pheonix Copley stopped 19 of 21 shots to earn the victory.

*Erik Portillo served as the backup goalie in this game. After the game, head coach Andrew Lord hinted that there is a strong chance the 25-year-old could make his first start since November 12th, when he suffered an injury in a start against the Calgary Wranglers.

*Francesco Pinelli added an assist in his first game back, returning from an injury.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign return to action this afternoon to start a two-game series with the Iowa Wild. The game starts at 3 PM PST, and you can watch it on FloSports or KCAL+ (channel 9.6). If you are unable to watch the game, you can listen to it on the Ontario Reign radio network and on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

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