Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 3-1 Loss to Henderson

The Ontario Reign dropped their fifth game in their last seven with a tough 3-1 loss as special teams hurt them in the end.

Goal Breakdown

First period:

None

Second period: 

None

Third period: 

ONT: PP Francesco Pinelli (12), ASST: Koehn Ziemmer (11), Logan Brown (8)

HSK: PP Lukas Cormier (8), ASST: Trevor Connelly (27), Raphael Lavoie (20)

HSK: SH Jakub Brabenec (11), ASST: Dylan Coghlan (23), Jaycob Megna (6)

HSK: EN Tanner Laczynski (20), ASST: Mathieu Cataford (9), Dylan Coghlan (24)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 1

HSK: 3

Shots: 

ONT:

HSK:

Power plays: 

ONT: 1/3

HSK: 1/3

Here are the three takeaways from Wednesday night’s defeat:

Pinelli scores the lone Reign goal as the offense fizzles

Francesco Pinelli scored the only tally for the Reign, which came on the power play at the 2:22 mark of the third period. Pinelli’s wrister that snuck through the five-hole on Carl Lindbom was his first power-play goal of the season.

Unfortunately, it was the only goal the Reign would score. Ranking between fifth and tenth in scoring for most of the season, the Reign offense has hit a dry spell during this recent thud. Ontario has scored 16 goals in its last seven games, averaging 2.3 per game, and has lost five of those games.

Let’s see if they can right the ship this weekend against the Tucson Roadrunners.

Portillo plays well despite the loss

Erik Portillo was on his game from the opening puck drop; both goalies were. On the Reign side, with the contest being scoreless, Portillo made about five or six brilliant saves to keep the game tied or hold a 1-0 short-lived Reign lead.

Portillo tracked the puck well and didn’t look erratic in the blue paint. Needing to make difficult saves against Henderson’s top players, he looked calm in the net with his movement. Although the short-handed goal he allowed to Jakub Brabenec is one he would like to have back, he had a phenomenal game.

The Silver Knights entered the game with an average of nearly six goals per game in their last eight games, so Portillo stopping 28 of 30 shots against a recent white-hot offense is a good showing despite receiving a fourth straight loss.

Special teams let down in the third period

The Reign got a power-play goal, but immediately shot themselves in the foot on special teams with two undisciplined penalties leading to a five-on-three power play for 1:40 for Henderson. A Jakub Dvorak interference and a Joe Hicketts cross-checking penalty left a crack in the door for the AHL’s number-one power play to swing the momentum on their side, and they did.

After Portillo denied Raphael Lavoie with a left pad save, losing his goalie stick in the process, defenseman Lukas Cormier fired the puck that went roof high to tie the game at one. Less than two minutes after Cormier’s tying goal, Brabenec found the back of the net after a Reign turnover, leading to a one-on-one against Glenn Gawdin to give Henderson a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Former Reign head coach Marco Sturm often stressed how special teams can be a difference-maker in games, and it was last night in favor of Henderson.

NOTES:

*Ontario has scored a power-play goal in back-to-back games.

*Pinelli scored his second goal in three games.

*Koehn Ziemmer recorded his fourth point in his last five games.

*Tanner Laczynski extended his point streak to eight games with an empty-net goal. He finished the season series with eight points in eight games against the Reign.

*Raphael Lavoie extended his point streak to eight games with an assist.

*Ontario has allowed a power-play goal in four straight games.

*The Reign still holds a three-point lead over the Colorado Eagles for first place in the division.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign continue their road trip with a weekend series against the Tucson Roadrunners. The first game of the series is on Friday at 7 PM PST and can be seen on FloSports. You can also listen to the game on the Ontario Reign Radio Network or on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Henderson Silver Knights

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