With playoff implications, a win streak, and a points streak to extend, the Reign had a lot on the line when they hosted their division rival Abbotsford Canucks on Wednesday at Toyota Arena.
The visitors took an early lead, scoring two goals on their first two shots against Reign goaltender Aaron Dell; however, Ontario controlled the play in the period with a 12-5 shot advantage and held significant possession time throughout the opening frame.
Coming out of intermission down 2-0, the Reign set the tone with an early goal from their fourth line. Then late in the period, a shot by leading scorer Sammy Fagemo left a rebound out front where T.J. Tynan (7) collected and snapped the puck home with a shot between his legs to tie the game. Only 3:01 later, the go-ahead goal was scored on the power play by rookie Francesco Pinelli (8) to end the period 3-2.
Rounding into the final period, the Canucks scored an early goal to tie things up, only to see Fagemo strike again. His 30th goal of the season came when he lasered a skillful one-timer high in the slot to make it 4-3.
The dynamic Swede finished off his three-point night with an empty-net goal (31) to tie Adam Gaudette of Springfield for top scorer in the AHL.
With a 5-3 victory, Ontario extended their win streak to a season-high six games and have points in seven straight contests. They also moved into fourth place and now sit just three points back of Tucson for third.
Rivalry Week: To see both teams play such a tight checking and competitive match surprised no one after their last meeting ended in a feisty 2-1 affair. Coach Marco Sturm noted postgame how his players “always get fired up” when they face their rivals from Abbotsford. The two straight wins propelled Ontario to leap-frog the Canucks in the standings and earn a two-point advantage over their Canadian counterparts.
The rivalries continue, as the Reign visit another Pacific Division foe in Calgary next for a set of back-to-back games. They’re tied with each other, posting identical records of 29-19-6 this season – and they’ll be playing for seeding in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Another Shot, Another Goal: Fagemo’s career year continued when his two-goal third period pushed his team to a win and earned himself more praise from his coach. Sturm described Fagemo as a “pure goal scorer,” with a lethal shot that is a weapon on the power play. He leads the AHL in power play goals with 15. Sturm also expressed that while they’re happy to have him now on the team, he hopes to see Fagemo get another chance to prove himself at the NHL level.
Marty, Marty: In his second AHL season, Martin Chromiak has found himself in many roles up and down the Reign lineup. The fifth-round prospect has been getting an extended look on the top line recently with Tynan and Fagemo; where he contributed an assist on the game-winning goal vs. Abbotsford. Chromiak is eyeing a career year with 24 points (12G,12A) in 52 games played.
Franky Points: Pinelli, a first-year pro, has found the back of the net in two straight games and has four points (3G,1A) over the past four games. The Kings traded up in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft to specifically select the 6-foot-1 centerman out of the Ontario Hockey League and have high hopes for the 20-year-old freshman.
More Moverare: The LA Kings have signed defenseman Jacob Moverare to a two-year contract extension.
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