Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 2-1 Loss Against Abbotsford

Despite outshooting the Abbotsford Canucks by a wide margin, the Ontario Reign couldn’t get the equalizer in their 2-1 loss.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

None

Second period: 

ONT: PP Cole Guttman (18), ASST: Kenny Connors (16), Martin Chromiak (20)

Third period: 

ABB: Nils Aman (4), ASST: Nikolai Knyzhov (3), Jett Woo (4)

ABB: Nick Poisson (4), ASST: Nikolai Knyzhov (4), Cooper Walker (3)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 1

ABB: 2

Shots: 

ONT: 32

ABB: 13

Power plays: 

ONT: 1/3

ABB: 0/2

Here are the three takeaways from Saturday night’s 2-1 defeat:

Another power-play tally from Cole Guttman

Cole Guttman is heating up, again. After not scoring in four consecutive games, the California native has found the back of the net in three straight. Guttman’s power-play tally was his second power-play goal in as many games, and it didn’t come off a shot like we are accustomed to seeing.

A Martin Chromiak wrist shot from the right point got redirected by Kenny Connors, and Guttman was there to pounce on the rebound. He’s been one of Ontario’s best players for the past two months and was so in this game. His 18 goals are tied for the team lead with Andre Lee.

Nikita Tolopilo leads Abbotsford to victory

Abbotsford’s two third-period goals proved to be the difference maker on the scoreboard, but one player for Abbotsford carried their team en route to the two points. That player is goaltender Nikita Tolopilo. The 25-year-old was locked from the opening faceoff to the final horn, stopping 31 of 32 shots for his seventh win of the season.

With Abbotsford under siege for almost the whole game, Tolopilo kept them in it with key saves in transition on Kenny Connors – one where he had to slide across to turn away – and Francesco Pinelli early on. He also made a right pad save on Otto Salin’s short breakaway attempt, keeping the score at zero.

Down 2-1 late in the game, Ontario threw every single puck on net they could, but Tolopilo made the save or got some help from the defense in front of him, blocking shots. As an opponent, sometimes you have to tip your cap and acknowledge a good goaltending performance.

Standings watch

24 games remain in the regular season for the Reign. With February halfway over, the annual standings watch has commenced. Entering yesterday, the Reign were in first place in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the Colorado Eagles. Colorado dropped their game in overtime to the Chicago Wolves, tying the Reign in the standings for the moment.

With Ontario letting an opportunity of taking a two-point lead over Colorado in the standings slip through their fingers, the two teams are now tied for first with 64 points, with Colorado having three games in hand on Ontario.

Could the race for the first-round bye go down to the wire between the two? Will another team sneak in and make things interesting? Will one team gain separation from the other? Stay tuned!

NOTES:

*The 13 shots allowed by the Reign were a season low for an opponent.

*Known for their shot quality over shot volume, Ontario registered over 30 shots on goal in back-to-back games for the second time this season.

*The Reign dropped their second game in regulation when leading after two periods. They are now 20-2-1-0 when leading after 40 minutes, having lost two of their last four games when in that scenario.

*Martin Chromiak’s secondary assist snapped a two-game scoreless streak for him.

*Kenny Connors recorded his first point since being loaned back to the Reign by the Kings (four games played).

*Erik Portillo made 11 saves on 13 shots in the loss.

UP NEXT: These two teams meet again on Monday afternoon at Rogers Forum. The game starts at 1 PM PST, and you can watch it on FloSports. You can also listen to the game on the Ontario Reign Radio Network or on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Darren Scott Francis/Abbotsford Canucks

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