Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From Game 5’s 3-2 Double OT Loss

The Ontario Reign suffered a heartbreaking season-ending loss in double overtime to the Coachella Valley Firebirds in their Game 5 defeat.

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

CV: Jani Nyman (3), ASST: Logan Morrison (4), Ty Nelson (4)

Second period:

ONT: Jack Hughes (2), ASST: Kenta Isogai (3), Nikita Alexandrov (1)

CV: Oscar Fisker-Molgaard (6), ASST: Lleyton Roed (4), Jagger Firkus (4)

Third period: 

ONT: Andre Lee (1), ASST: Jared Wright (1), Kenny Connors (2)

First overtime: 

None

Second overtime:

CV: J.R. Avon (5), ASST: Tyson Jugnauth (3), Eduard Sale (2)

Stats

Goals: 

CV: 3

ONT: 2

Shots: 

CV: 34

ONT: 36

Power plays: 

CV: 0/0

ONT: 0/3

Here are the three takeaways from Game 5’s double overtime defeat…

Season over

The Reign and Firebirds had their respective season’s hanging in the balance entering the night and gave the fans a great game.

Both teams traded jabs with the Firebirds striking first on Jani Nyman’s third of the playoffs at 5:52 of the opening frame. The Reign answered back with Jack Hughes’ second goal of the series as he poked the puck past Nikke Kokko. The Firebirds’ netminder tried trapping the puck with his glove hand, but Hughes was able to get his stick to the puck before Kokko could cover it.

Oscar Fisker-Molgaard would answer back with his sixth of the playoffs nearly seven minutes later by poking the puck past Erik Portillo on a rebound opportunity that came off a two-on-one chance. Andre Lee answered with 5:23 left in the opening frame with a backdoor tap-in on a great individual effort and pass from rookie Jared Wright with 5:23 left in regulation.

It’s fitting that this game needed overtime to declare a winner. Although both teams had chances to win it in the first overtime session, the game would require a double overtime. That is when the knockout punch was delivered.

Rookie defenseman Tyson Jugnauth made a long stretch pass to spring J.R. Avon on a breakaway attempt and, after getting Portillo to bite on the initial move, lifted a backhand attempt past the netminder to clinch the series for Coachella Valley.

Having your season end with a loss is tough. When your season ends unexpectedly in double overtime in a winner-take-all game, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Captain Joe Hicketts and Head Coach Andrew Lord called this team a “tight group” when speaking to the media after the game.

It’ll be a rough 24-48 hours, maybe 72, for the Reign, but when this team looks back on its season, they’ll realize they accomplished a lot.

Jack Hughes and Erik Portillo shine in the series

Two players who stood out in this series for the Reign were Hughes and Portillo.

Hughes, inked to an AHL contract after not signing his entry-level deal, led all Reign skaters with four points (2 G, 2 A). Hughes served as Ontario’s fourth-line center for most of the season and, in the series against the Firebirds, had a strong two-way game.

The 22-year-old was strong in battling for those 50/50 pucks along the wall, driving play, and being an effective penalty killer. If you had told me he would be one of the Reign’s best centers in the series, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

Now on to Portillo.

Despite going with a goalie rotation, I thought Portillo was solid in all three games he started. Throughout the series, especially in his last two starts, Portillo made gigantic saves in crucial moments. In the loss, the 25-year-old made 31 saves on 34 shots, including a HUGE left pad save on Logan Morrison in the first overtime session to keep Ontario alive (at the moment).

Portillo finished the series with a 2.14 GAA and a.926 SV% in three starts. The fierce competitor was just that in the series. With Kuemper and Forsberg under contract for one more season and Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky most likely taking over the net for the Reign next season, it’ll be interesting to see if the LA Kings make room for a roster spot for Portillo. That is something to keep an eye on this offseason.

A season of growth

In a season filled with lots of highs, including a Pacific Division Title, the Reign saw some growth from their prospects this season. Aatu Jamsen, a seventh-round pick (2020), had a strong sophomore season on the offensive side (16 G, 12 A, 28 Pts in 59 GP) and even started to take baby steps on the defensive side of the ice by showing a willingness to block shots.

Koehn Ziemmer, a third-round pick (2023), didn’t have the prominent role and ice time he had in juniors, but had a knack for scoring big-time goals. Martin Chromiak, a fifth-round pick (2020), set a new career-high with 28 goals.

Perhaps the biggest strides came from Kenny Connors, Jared Wright, Angus Booth, and Kirill Kirsanov. Connors and Wright played on a line together for most of the season and generated instant chemistry. Connors, a fourth-round pick (2022), was referred to as “Mr. Consistent” by Lord on multiple occasions. He served as Ontario’s third-line center and played in every situation. Wright, a sixth-round pick (2022), had speed, penalty prowess, and an uptick in offensive production with the Reign. Both were solid contributors for a Reign team that was masked with plenty of first and second-year players.

Booth (2022 fourth-round pick) and Kirsanov (2021 third-round pick) formed a strong defensive pair and took on tough matchups. Captain Joe Hicketts had nothing but praise for the two left-handed defensemen.

“They were able to shoulder minutes I don’t think anyone in the organization thought they could,” Hicketts said. “Last half of the year, they were great. They did things the right way. That’s what you need at this level [AHL] from guys like that.”

I can’t see what is in store for the incoming prospects in Ontario next season.

NOTES:

*Ontario went 0-for-9 on the power play in the five games.

*Lee scored his first and only goal of the series.

*Ontario is 2-8 in their last 10 playoff games.

*The Firebirds have ended the Reign’s season twice in the last three seasons.

*Nyman scored his eighth goal in 24 career games against the Reign. He is officially an Ontario Reign killer.

*Fisker-Molgaard recorded his team-leading 10th point in eight games for the Firebirds.

UP NEXT: The Reign season is officially over. Next up are the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup playoffs, the draft, free agency, training camp, and then the puck drops for the Reign’s 12th season in the AHL. Today also marks Mother’s Day! I want to take this time to give a special shout-out to my Mom, who has been an important part of my life for the past three years. Mom, if you are reading this, I hope you have an excellent day, and thank you for all of your support and encouragement throughout the last three years!

Featured image credit: John Huerta/Ontario Reign

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