This year’s Ontario Reign team is on the verge of something special, and they’re doing it without a full compliment of Kings prospects.
Coach Marco Sturm’s squad arrives in San Diego tonight for a matchup with their longtime rival in the San Diego Gulls — in fact, for years it was the AHL’s best rivalry.
After claiming victory in eight straight games, the Reign have matched the longest winning streak since the franchise moved to SoCal in time for the 2015-16 season.
Back in Oct/Nov 2021 the team also won eight straight games. And that came after an Opening Night win over the Gulls, followed by a shootout loss, so that team actually picked up points in 10 straight games.
Currently, the Reign have points in nine straight, as just prior to rattling off their eight straight wins, they pushed a game to the shootout.
It’s a stretch that also includes a 3-2 win in San Diego, and most recently, a 3-0 shutout over the Gulls at Toyota Arena two weeks ago.
The aforementioned group from 2021-22 came after a major influx of Kings prospects turned pro the season prior – including: Sammy Fagemo, Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte, Quinton Byfield, and Jacob Moverare.
This time around, the Reign are without some of LA’s top prospects. Turcotte and Moverare are up with the Kings, and Thomas remains sidelined after a blindside hit on Sunday.
Veteran goaltender Aaron Dell was in net the last time the Reign and Gulls played — and he scored the win in Ontario’s most recent game, a 6-2 victory in Calgary on Monday. However, Sturm is expected to turn back to rookie netminder Erik Portillo for tonight’s contest. The 24-year-old first-year pro has faced the Gulls twice this season, compiling a 1-0-1 record.
Overall, the 6-foot-6 Portillo has helped backstop the Reign to points in seven straight games (5-0-2).
With Thomas out of the lineup, fellow rookie Franky Pinelli was asked to take on a bigger role, moving from centering the fourth line up to the second line. Continuing with his recent offensive contributions, Pinelli picked up an assist that night, giving him five points in his last six games. He’s also amassed a plus-6 rating over that same stretch.
On the blueline, Brandt Clarke is expected to make his third straight start for Sturm. He has scored in two of the four games he’s played vs. San Diego this season, and has points in three of them.
REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. GULLS
Chromiak – Tynan – Fagemo
Hudon – Pinelli – Madden
Young – Helenius – Ward
Hodgson – Pavlychev – Doty
Hicketts – Clarke
Connauton – Santini
Krygier – Rowe
Portillo (starter)
Dell
Other roster options include: (F) Thomas and (D) Inamoto, Nousiainen, Wylie
Injured: Lee (expected back late March)
Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm Pacific Time and the game can be viewed on AHL TV.
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