Ontario Reign: Notes From 2-1 OT Win Over Colorado

The Ontario Reign remained at the top of the Pacific Division thanks to Kenny Connors’ overtime winner on Tuesday night.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

None

Second period: 

COL: PP Jack Ahcan (11), ASST: Danil Gushchin (14), TJ Tynan (45)

Third period: 

ONT: PP Martin Chromiak (26), ASST: Cole Guttman (27)

Overtime:

ONT: Kenny Connors (14), ASST: Martin Chromiak (26), Pheonix Copley (1)

Stats

Goals: 

COL: 1

ONT: 2

Shots: 

COL: 27

ONT: 28

Power plays: 

COL: 1/4

ONT: 1/1

Here are the notes from Tuesday night’s overtime victory:

Henry Brzustewicz makes his professional debut

Fresh off signing his entry-level contract and a professional tryout on Saturday, the day after his OHL season ended, defenseman Henry Brzustewicz made his AHL debut. Brzustewicz, drafted in the first round by the LA Kings this past summer, was paired with captain Joe Hicketts on the third pair.

The 19-year-old defenseman’s debut went about how one may have expected it to go: learning moments along with some good. I liked Brzustewicz’s mobility and footwork, first pass, and his ability to defend the rush.

One area that showed learning moments was his two penalties. That’s nothing to be too concerned with, as pace is usually a learning process for 18 and 19-year-olds making the jump from the CHL to the pros.

It was a good test, as he was thrown into the fire in a pivotal Pacific Division showdown.

Photo credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

Power play strikes for both sides

Five-on-five scoring wasn’t there for either side in this game. In fact, the game started as a tight checking contest, especially in the neutral zone, causing plenty of offsides due to the strong gap control from both teams.

Take that and factor in how well the goalies were playing, and scoring came at a premium. Colorado struck first on Jack Ahcan’s wrist shot from the blue line, with Alex Barre-Boulet providing a screen in front of Pheonix Copley.

Ontario, as we have seen most of the season, didn’t roll over. With power play time carrying over from the second period, Martin Chromiak was given all kinds of room to skate in and fire the puck by Trent Miner to tie the game 27 seconds into the third period.

Colorado went 1-for-4 on the man advantage while Ontario went a perfect 1-for-1.

Goaltending duel

Outside of the three goals, the goaltenders highlighted this game. In a game where there were major playoff implications on the line, it lived up to its billing. Miner turned aside 26 of 28 shots, while his counterpart Copely stopped 26 of 27 shots.

The win gave Copley his fifth straight win. He has allowed two goals or fewer and recorded at least a .920 save percentage in all of those wins. He earned the game’s second star honors, while Miner received the third star.

Photo credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

Kenny Connors calls game

Kenny Connors capped off his strong defensive game, especially on the penalty kill, with the overtime winner. Connors has had a phenomenal rookie season, tallying 38 points in 62 games, while playing as a second and third line center with astute play on the penalty kill.

What I liked about the rookie’s overtime winner wasn’t just the play itself, but how it developed. For starters, Head Coach Andrew Lord has shown trust in Connors in all situations, and with having the last change, matched him up against TJ Tynan, a fast skater who thrives in open ice.

Second, after winning the faceoff and having the puck in their end, Martin Chromiak noticed two Eagles skaters were down low and turned on the jets with Tynan sprinting to get back, forcing a forward to play defense.

Lastly, Chromiak found Connors, who found the soft spot in the middle of the slot, and the latter fired one by the glove of Miner to secure the victory for the Reign and maintain their top spot in the Pacific Division.

Connors extended his point streak to four games with the goal and gave the Reign their 44th victory, tying their AHL franchise record from their inaugural 2015-16 season.

Pacific Division standings update

The Reign pushed their lead to two points over the Eagles for first place in the division with the overtime victory; both teams have four games remaining in the season. The Reign have now guaranteed themselves home ice advantage in the first round, as they can’t finish outside of the top four in the division. However, their eyes should be on the prize of securing the division and receiving that first-round bye to avoid a three-game series to open the playoffs.

Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

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