Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 4-3 Loss to San Diego

Nathan Gaucher’s goal with 17 seconds left propelled the San Diego Gulls over the Ontario Reign, ending their three-game win streak.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

ONT: Andre Lee (18), ASST: Kirill Kirsanov (3), Angus Booth (7)

Second period: 

SD: Judd Caulfield (12), ASST: Tyson Hinds (8)

ONT: Jared Wright (11), ASST: Kiril Kirsanov (4), Koehn Ziemmer (10)

Third period: 

SD: Tyson Hinds (2), ASST: Judd Caulfield (13), Nico Myatovic (7)

ONT: Jakub Dvořák (3), ASST: Francesco Pinelli (13), Jared Wright (9)

SD: Ryan Carpenter (8), ASST: Tristan Luneau (10), Nathan Gaucher (7)

SD: Nathan Gaucher (5), ASST: Nikita Nesterenko (2), Judd Caulfield (14)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 3

SD: 4

Shots: 

ONT: 19

SD: 39

Power plays: 

ONT: 0/2

SD: 0/4

Here are the three takeaways from Saturday night’s 4-3 defeat:

Lee and Wright score again

Andre Lee and Jared Wright continue to have spectacular seasons. Lee scored for the third straight game and opened the scoring in back-to-back games for his team-leading 18th goal of the season.

Wright recorded a goal and a helper for the second straight game. Wright is known for his blazing speed that creates chaos on the forecheck and separation in transition, but he has scored four goals in his last eight games. He leads all Reign rookies in scoring with 20 points. For a player who does all the little things well that won’t show up in the box score, it’s good to see him get rewarded offensively.

Disastrous third period

Ontario was 18-0-1-0 when leading after 40 minutes. Key word: was. Make it 18-1-1-0 now. The Gulls lead the AHL in shots on goal per game (33.5) and came out with a big push, putting the Reign on their heels for nearly the entire 20 minutes.

San Diego outshot (19-2) and outscored (3-1) their rivals from up north, leading to a dramatic third-period win with 17 seconds remaining in front of a sold-out crowd (12,920) at Pechanga Arena.

Ontario had one shot on goal after Jakub Dvořák’s goal with 14:26 to play, and was beaten to two loose pucks in front of their net, leading to the tying and winning goals. Known for shutting it down in the final minutes, it was anything but that for the Reign. It’s a learning lesson that getting to the 50/50 pucks and getting the puck out of the zone matter, and having a period like the final 20 minutes won’t get the job done.

Rivalry heating back up?

This game had everything. It had lots of goals, pace, physicality, a fight, and a dramatic ending. With both teams in the playoff race, could the rivalry be heating back up? Watching the games against San Diego the last two years, the hatred hasn’t felt the same, but the three games this year, and given how tight the standings have been, it has felt like a classic Gulls-Reign game. Unfortunately, the rivalry is heating back up in a season in which the two teams meet only four times (one more meeting in April).

NOTES:

*Pheonix Copley made 35 saves on 39 shots in the loss. It was his 300th AHL game.

*Jakub Dvořák scored his first goal since November 12th.

*Kirill Kirsanov recorded his third multi-point game with a pair of primary assists.

*Ontario ended January with a 10-3-0-0 record.

*Ontario was held to 20 shots on goal or fewer for the 10th time this year. Although they have been able to win most of those games, it went the other way for them last night.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign are back in action at home this afternoon for a 3 PM matchup against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. You can watch the game on FloSports or on KCAL+ (channel 9.6). If you are unable to watch the game, you can listen to it on the Ontario Reign Radio Network or on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *