Carter George’s 29-save Shutout Helps Snap The Ontario Reign’s Six-game Losing Streak

Three different goal scorers and Carter George’s shutout helped the Ontario Reign end their six-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the Abbotsford Canucks.

Scoring

First period:

ONT: Koehn Ziemmer (5), ASST: Jack Hughes (3), Joe Hicketts (4)

Second period:

None

Third period:

ONT: PS Francesco Pinelli (2), ASST: None

ONT: EN Aatu Jamsen (5), ASST: None

Stats

Goals:

ONT: 3

ABB: 0

Shots:

ONT: 26

ABB: 29

Power plays:

ONT: 0/4

ABB: 0/5

The Ontario Reign played much better overall, with rookie goaltender Carter George leading the way with 29 saves. The win halted the Reign’s six-game losing streak, their first win since October 23rd, when they beat the Stars 5-3 in Texas.

Here are my takeaways from last night’s victory:

Koehn Ziemmer and Kaleb Lawrence stand out

The Ontario Reign played much better, minus several stretches in the second period, but it was still better than the night before. Two players who stood out were Koehn Ziemmer and Kaleb Lawrence.

We’ll start with Lawrence.

The former 2022 seventh-round pick entered the game with a goal in three straight contests, didn’t find the scoreboard, but still made an impact. He had a solid penalty-kill game, including a short-handed chance in the opening frame, and was physical on the forecheck. He had been the Reign’s most noticeable forward the last two games and continued that trend yesterday.

Now, on to Ziemmer.

Ziemmer, a former third-round pick (2023), had a strong game in the offensive zone. He was strong on the wall and forecheck, and put himself in position for high-danger chances in the opening 20 minutes. After two or three quality looks didn’t go in, Ziemmer finally broke through with his fifth goal of the season when Jack Hughes found him back door and all he had to do was sweep the puck past Ty Young.

Francesco Pinelli finally gets on the board

It’s no secret that Francesco Pinelli has had a disappointing start to the season in terms of production. Entering the game, Pinelli had only one goal and one point in 12 games. Non-existent, something I mention in my recap of Friday’s game, Pinelli finally found the scoresheet when he scored on a penalty shot in the third period to extend the Reign’s lead to 2-0.

Pinelli, showing off the silky mitts, deked Young with a forehand-to-backhand move and slid the puck into an open cage, making Young look foolish. Pinelli has good vision and can be crafty at times, but he’s been inconsistent throughout his pro career. We’ll see if that goal gets him going and produces more.

King Carter!

The star of the game: Carter George. The 20-year-old rookie was phenomenal, turning aside 29 saves for his first shutout of the season. Facing a team on an eight-game win streak and averaging nearly four goals per game entering the day, George didn’t flinch. He had three or four incredible saves and looked calm as ever.

Composure always stands out when you watch George play, and being that calm at the pro level at just 20 is impressive. In five starts, George has a 3-1-1-0 record, 1.99 GAA, .922 sv%, and one shutout. Kings fans have a lot to be excited about with the potential of the 20-year-old.

NOTES:

*Aatu Jamsen’s empty-net goal was his fourth goal in five games.

*George earned his second career AHL shutout (the other was on 4/12/25).

*Ryan O’Hara made his AHL debut after spending the beginning of this season and all of last year in Greenville to start his pro career.

*Jared Wright and Kenta Isogai did not play in the second game. Isogai crashed into the post in Wednesday’s game. He left briefly, but he finished it. Wright was a late scratch on Friday. Lord, in his post-game interview with Reign Insider Cam McGuire, said he was dealing with something that popped up. Scott Perunovich was a healthy scratch.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign return to game action on Saturday, November 14th, in a home matchup against these same Abbotsford Canucks. That game starts at 7 PM PST, and you can watch it on FloSports. If you can’t watch, you can listen on the Ontario Reign Radio Network.

Featured image credit: Darren Scott Francis/Abbotsford Canucks

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