In our pregame article yesterday, we noted that this weekend’s two-game series in San Jose would be a mixed bag for Ontario. On one hand, there was the revenge factor in play, as it was the Barracuda who swept the Reign out of last year’s Calder Cup Playoffs. And on the flip side, LA’s AHL affiliate went through some major reconstruction over the summer – including a new head coach in Andrew Lord and more than a handful of fresh-faced Kings prospects who made the jump to pro hockey.
All of it was on display Friday night.
Returning forward Taylor Ward — one of the most experienced players on the Reign roster — scored before the game was five minutes old, giving Ontario an early 1-0 lead. Assisting on the goal were Martin Chromiak and Glenn Gawdin, to additional players who were part of last year’s team and who experienced that postseason disappointment at the hands of San Jose.
Second-year pro Aatu Jamsen, another member of that group, tipped a shot home early in the second frame to put Ontario up 2-1. Rookie Koehn Ziemmer assisted on the goal, giving him his first pro point. He wasn’t done either.
Midway through the middle frame and holding a 3-1 advantage while dominating every inch of the ice, Ontario’s youth movement went to work. Ziemmer went back to work, setting up Jack Hughes for his first pro goal.
Big defenseman Jakub Dvorak, LA’s top pick at the 2023 NHL Draft, found the back of the net on a wrist shot just a minute later. It was the 6-foot-5 rearguard’s first North American goal, and he had the Reign up 5-1 heading into intermission.
Early in P3, Kenny Connors — who was a featured part of our pregame story, including quotes from Lord explaining the impact he’s already having on games — found the back of the net for his first AHL goal.
Through it all, Angus Booth also picked up two assists on the evening. Of course, he just returned from injury on Wednesday. Lord and the coaching staff seem to be pushing all the right buttons. With several options on defense, they moved the pairs around on Saturday, putting Booth and rookie Kiril Kirsanov together. They also put Ziemmer back in the lineup after sitting him out earlier in the week for a game in Henderson.
Also of note, Erik Portillo — who wasn’t available for last year’s playoffs — stopped 36-of-37 shots and was a steady presence all night long for Ontario. The only time the puck got by him was during a San Jose power play late in the first period. Overall, Portillo was under siege throughout much of the opening frame, where the Barracuda outshot the Reign 14-7.
The same two teams will rematch on Saturday afternoon in San Jose, then see each other again on Tuesday night back at Toyota Arena in Ontario. This best-of-three span won’t have the same impact as a playoff series, yet it’s still an important stretch of games in the ultra-competitive Pacific Division
Full game highlights can be viewed here:
Pregame notes and lineups can be found in the article linked below.
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