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

It wasn’t their best game, but the Ontario Reign found a way to get two points and secure a trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Goal Breakdown

First period:

ONT: PP Martin Chromiak (23), ASST: Logan Brown (9), Nikita Alexandrov (35)

Second period: 

TUC: Robbie Russo (3), ASST: Scott Perunovich (34), Ben McCartney (27)

TUC: Jalen Luypen (4), ASST: Jack Ricketts (4)

ONT: PP Cole Guttman (21), ASST: Logan Brown (10), Martin Chromiak (25)

Third period: 

ONT: Martin Chromiak (24), ASST: Glenn Gawdin (32), Nikita Alexandrov (36)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 3

TUC: 2

Shots: 

ONT: 16

TUC: 25

Power plays:

ONT: 2/4

TUC: 0/6

Here are the three takeaways from Friday night’s victory:

Winning the special teams battle

Both teams were undisciplined from the start, with each side gifting the other three power-play opportunities in the first period. Ontario, after losing the special teams battle on Wednesday against the Henderson Silver Knights, scored twice on the power play in the final minute of the first and second periods to keep them in the game.

As for the penalty kill, they came up clutch, going 6-for-6 on the night, including killing off a brief five-on-three in the first period. The penalty killers for the Reign did a great job all night getting their sticks in the passing lane, closing their gaps on shooting lanes, and getting good goaltending from Pheonix Copley. The league’s second-best penalty kill came up big when the Reign needed it to.

On a night where the Reign didn’t have their best, the power play scored two timely goals, the penalty kill was perfect, and Copley kept them afloat when the team was under siege in the second period.

Martin Chromiak shines again

Martin Chromiak’s breakout season reached another high last night. Chromiak was one of a few bright spots in a game the Reign didn’t have their A or B-game offensively. The 23-year-old notched his 11th multi-point game, scoring the first and last goal for the Reign, and had a game-high seven shots on goal (no other Reign skater had more than two).

With his three points (2 G, 1 A), Chromiak now leads the Reign in points with 49. Being highly touted for his shot and having his speed complement it, Chromiak has finally put it all together, establishing new highs in goals, assists, and points.

Playoff ticket punched

For the sixth straight season and ninth time in 11 seasons, the Reign secured their ticket for the Calder Cup playoffs. Although it wasn’t a great game for the Reign, they found a way to get a win like they have all season.

With the playoffs approaching, Ontario will need to be better with their execution on their breakouts and not constantly find a way to be pinned in their end, having to rely on their goaltenders to steal a win.

The Reign became the first team in the Pacific Division to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Their next goal will be to win the division with their magic number being trimmed to 16 points after the win.

NOTES:

*The Reign scored two power-play goals in a game for the first time since March 4th.

*Copley stopped 23 of 25 shots to earn his third straight win.

*Cole Guttman snapped a seven-game goal drought with his power-play goal.

*Glenn Gawdin snapped a six-game pointless streak with his assist on Chromiak’s game-winning goal.

*Logan Brown recorded his third assist in two games with his pair of helpers.

*Nikita Alexandrov recorded his fifth point in five games with his two assists.

UP NEXT: These two teams meet again tonight for the final time this season at 7 PM PST. You can watch the game on FloSports or listen to it on the Ontario Reign Radio Network or on the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Kate Dibildox/Tucson Roadrunners

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