For the Ontario Reign, coach Andrew Lord couldn’t have scripted a better start to December. A commanding 6-1 win over the visiting Wranglers on Saturday night could provide some much-needed momentum heading into what will be a busy schedule for the next few weeks.
Up first will be a Sunday afternoon rematch with Calgary that figures to be much closer than what unfolded in the first game of this weekend’s back-to-back set.
Lord isn’t expected to make an overabundance of lineup changes, yet a few tweaks could be in the works. For starters, Kings prospect Jakub Dvorak is likely to draw back in on defense. The 6-foot-5 rearguard has seen a noticeable improvement in his game this season, even though he’s rotated in and out of the lineup several times, as Lord tries to get his abundance of defenseman proper playing time.
In goal, Isaiah Saville should be slated to get the start. It will be his first appearance since Nov. 22, when he stopped 15-of-17 shots in Bakersfield.
With no practice between games this weekend, things remain somewhat uncertain at forward. However, one of Koehn Ziemmer or Jack Hughes may sit out as a healthy scratch to make room for somebody else to draw in.
A Quick Look Back
Last night featured a pair of firsts.
While there were plenty of storylines to emerge from last night’s win, none of the notes may be bigger than Kirill Kirsanov’s first two AHL goals. He tied the game at one in the opening period, then blew it wide open with a second-period strike that pushed Ontario’s lead to 4-1.
Through the team’s first 20 games, Kirsanov has been a highly reliable presence on Lord’s blueline, even if his contributions often fly under the radar due to limited scoring. In many ways, it echoes the conversation around Angus Booth from just a year ago.
Nikita Alexandrov, recently acquired in the Akil Thomas trade, also found the back of the net in Saturday’s contest. It marked his first goal with the Reign in his debut for the club.
Speaking of scoring, Andre Lee added yet another power-play marker, notching his team-leading fifth goal on the man advantage this season. The 25-year-old forward has already surpassed last year’s goal total and is well on his way to the most productive season of his career.
What You May Have Missed
Following up on the Thomas trade earlier this week, Ontario’s bench boss shared a few thoughts with us:
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Wranglers
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Alexandrov – Gawdin – Guttman
Chromiak – Pinelli – Ward
Lee – Connors – Wright
Jamsen – Hughes – Ziemmer
Hicketts – Dvorak
Booth – Burroughs
Kirsanov – Bolduc
Saville (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Brown, Isogai and (D) Salin, Millar
Injured: Doty, Lawrence (month-to-month), Parker-Jones, Portillo
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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