Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 3-2 OT Win Over Coachella Valley

Glenn Gawdin’s overtime heroics secured the win and the Pacific Division title for the Ontario Reign in a 3-2 overtime win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Goal Breakdown

First period:

ONT: Koehn Ziemmer (11), ASST: Jack Hughes (13)

ONT: PP Martin Chromiak (27), ASST: Glenn Gawdin (35), Nikita Alexandrov (39)

Second period:

CV: SH Mitchell Stephens (12), ASST: None

Third period:

CV: PP Tyson Jugnauth (9), ASST: J.R. Avon (14), Logan Morrison (31)

Overtime:

ONT: Glenn Gawdin (16), ASST: Cole Guttman (29), Angus Booth (17)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 3

CV: 2

Shots: 

ONT: 39

CV: 29

Power plays: 

ONT: 1/4

CV: 1/2

Here are the three takeaways from Saturday’s overtime victory over the Firebirds: 

Koehn Ziemmer lights the lamp

It’s well-documented that Koehn Ziemmer hasn’t had the ice time and role he did in juniors at Prince George (WHL). The first-year pro has had a limited role for most of the season, but has scored timely goals.

Now that Ziemmer has been getting more playing time recently, he has started to look comfortable. Last night marked the third time he scored in the season series against the Firebirds.

What was impressive about the goal was that he won the race to the loose puck in the neutral zone and outmuscle David Goyette by cutting in front of him, corraling the puck, and scoring his 11th goal of the season on the breakaway.

Ziemmer is not known for having the best foot, but he has the tools to be physically strong. Winning the race to the loose puck and gaining separation from Goyette on the play was the impressive part for me.

While it was a slow start to the season, the rookie has started taking baby steps in his development.

Erik Portillo makes 27 saves in the win

Erik Portillo has played well over the last month, but was on the wrong end of the result, losing five straight starts. Portillo wasn’t busy through the first 35 minutes, but was needed as the game went on, especially when the Firebirds started to make their push past the midway point of the third period. I thought his puck tracking on the night was solid as well.

In total, Portillo made 27 saves on 29 shots for his second straight victory and 18th overall on the campaign. The third year-pro has had a solid bounce-back season after having last year cut short for him with a nagging back injury that shelved him for the remaining two months of the season.

Glenn Gawdin’s overtime winning goal secures the Pacific Division title for the Reign

Ontario’s number-one center, Glenn Gawdin, scored the game-winning goal in overtime with a surprising shot up high on Logan Terness. The goal gave the Reign another massive two points in the standings AND secured the Pacific Division title for the Reign.

In a season with a new head coach and many first and second-year players, the Reign have been consistent and secured a first-round bye in the Calder Cup playoffs.

It’s the second Pacific Division title for the Reign in their AHL history (2015-16). Gawdin was a member of the 2021-22 Stockton Heat team (now the Calgary Wranglers) that won the Pacific Division crown over the Reign, but last night, he was the hero who clinched the division for the Reign four years later.

The Reign will play the lowest seed remaining in the Pacific Division Semifinals (second round) of the Calder Cup playoffs.

NOTES:

*Martin Chromiak scored his 27th goal of the season, and 11th on the power play, in the opening frame.

*Cole Guttman recorded a game high 10(!) shots on goal.

*Francesco Pinelli played in his 200th AHL game on his 23rd birthday.

*Terness was called up from the ECHL and made his AHL debut for the Firebirds. He was phenomenal in net, stopping 37 of 39 shots to help Coachella Valley earn a huge point in the standings. Terness got the start with Nikke Kokko and Victor Ostman both being called up to the Seattle Kraken, and Jack LaFontaine missing the game due to illness.

*Lleyton Roed looked to have given the Firebirds the lead with 45 seconds left in the game, but the officials waved it off due to goaltender interference. The replay showed Roed slightly making contact in the crease with Portillo, but you could see their side of the argument, as Roed may have been bumped slightly by Kirill Kirsanov, causing the contact. Unfortunately for the Firebirds, goaltender interference is one of the many plays that aren’t reviewable in the AHL as they are in the NHL. Head Coach Derek Laxdal wasn’t too pleased with the call. He said, “It’s not goalie interference. It’s the worst call I’ve ever seen in my history of coaching. Probably the worst call I’ve ever seen…you wish you have video review in the American Hockey League to see this call.”

*The Reign scored a power-play goal in five straight games.

*The Reign finished the season with a 21-14-1-0 record on the road. They also extended their overall winning streak to five games with the victory.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign don’t play again until Friday, April 17th, in the final regular-season matchup against the San Diego Gulls. The game starts at 7 PM PST and can be seen on FloSports, or you can listen to it on the Ontario Reign radio network or the ESPN LA app.

Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

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