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With one win in the books, there’s only one more to go.
Ontario claimed their first victory of the 2024 postseason with a 5-1 victory over Bakersfield in Game One of their opening round series. With Wednesday’s success on home ice, the Reign now need only one more win over the Condors in their next two games to advance to the second round.
Straight off the opening faceoff at Toyota Arena, playoff intensity was obvious and on display, as every check was finished and most stoppages in play were accompanied by scrums. After a scoreless first period, Ontario opened the scoring in the middle frame and netted four straight goals to bury Bakersfield with a 4-0 lead, courtesy of Andre Lee (1), Tyler Madden (1), Joe Hicketts (1), and Akil Thomas (1).
Reign starting goaltender Erik Portillo appeared to be headed toward a shutout in his first professional postseason game until a puck slid under his leg pad on a penalty kill halfway through the final frame of regulation. Just minutes after the score went to 4-1, Tyler Madden (2) converted his second goal of the night off an Alex Turcotte centering pass just as a Reign power play was ending. Portillo and Co. shut the door the rest of the way to earn the first victory of their playoff run.
Coach Marco Sturm described the game as the best “structure win,” during his short tenure with the Reign and was proud of his players’ preparation and game readiness.
As is customary for this time of year, the Reign bench boss was focused on some preparation of his own and surprised just about everybody with several lineup changes prior to warm-ups. Following what he described as a gut instinct, Sturm elected to sit a pair of his skilled forwards, Martin Chromiak and Francesco Pinelli, replacing them with heavyweights in anticipation of a physical playoff battle – and it worked.
In a rather decisive win, the Reign were able to match the physicality of the Condors by deploying a bottom six of:
Lee (6’4″) – Helenius (6’6″) – Ward (6’2″)
Hodgson (6’2″) – Pavlychev (6’7″) – Doty (6’3″)
Sturm indicated he expectation the two players he sat would still be involved in the playoffs at some point moving forward.
Portillo’s First Playoff: The 6-foot-6 Swede bounced back from his last performance of six goals-against to play decisively as a difference-maker in net. His team noticed as well and awarded Portillo the game puck in his first professional playoff victory. Portillo made 30 saves with only one goal against, while his coach credited him for keeping the team in a tightly-played opening period.
Thomas, Playoff Performer: The 24-year-old forward recorded two points (1G, 1A) against Bakersfield and has six goals in six career AHL playoff games. Thomas has accrued 12 points (6G, 6A) over the past eight games too, including a shorthanded play where he passed to Hicketts on a 2-on-1 for a skillful one-timer off the rush.
Lee’s Breakout: Over the nine games he’s suited up in since returning from injury, Lee has put away seven points (5G, 2A), including his first AHL postseason tally to start things off Wednesday night. After a career-year despite being sidelined for roughly two months, all eyes will be on the lumbering forward in the postseason.
Turcotte Extends Streak: In six AHL playoff games, Turcotte has chipped in for four assists. With an added assist against the Condors, the third-year pro extended his points streak to five games with seven points (3G, 4A) over that stretch.
Clarke Ejected: Rookie defenseman Brandt Clarke has not only been filling the stat sheets with 12 points (2G, 10A) over the past nine games, he’s also learning how to press all the right buttons to prod the emotion out of opponents. With 8:34 left in his first AHL playoff game, the young defender was ejected from the game for continuing altercations resulting from a heavy Reign hit on a Condors player. Clarke squared off with an opponent in a minor line brawl and had him head-locked and primed for his second AHL fight; however, at the last moment, decided to skate off and not risk injury. The Kings prospect is growing a reputation of being a bit of a pest and adding an extra layer of sandpaper to his game.
Game Two is set for Saturday in Bakersfield with puck drop at 7PM PDT and can be viewed on AHL TV.
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Lead photo by Miles Mendez
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