If there’s anything a slumping team battling injuries could ever need, it’s a two-week period with only one game, a lot of rest, and some good old-fashioned practice.
Ontario hit the road to Tucson once again on Friday night, facing the rival Roadrunners just three weeks after splitting two contests in the Arizona desert late last month. Those were a pair of games featuring a combined 188 penalty minutes between both teams. While the penalties were more subdued this time, the scoring was relentless in a game where the visitors netted eight goals on a mere 28 shots.
Rookie Francesco Pinelli opened the scoring for the Reign, and then came seven more goals in an onslaught from Samuel Fagemo (his team leading 21st of the season), Akil Thomas (16), Tyler Madden (10), Wyatte Wylie (2), and an unexpected hat trick from veteran blueliner Steven Santini (1,2,3).
Defenseman Jacob Moverare pitched in with three assists and a plus-four rating, while Samuel Helenius added two assists. Helenius now has five points in the past five games of his sophomore season (3G,2A).
Goaltender Erik Portillo impressed once again, saving 23 of 24 shots faced, improving his record to 13-8-2 with a 2.54 GAA and .919 save percentage. The rookie Swede has now been the goaltender of record in five of the team’s past eight wins and has stymied Tucson in all three starts against them this season, going undefeated with a 1.00 GAA and .969 save percentage.
It’s been no secret that a depleted group available to suit up and play has been a driving force behind Ontario’s recent slump of just one win in nine games. With NHL call-ups, illness, and injuries, the team last week was only able to dress 17 skaters (instead of the traditional 18) and forced to play a defender in a forward position.
This match brought the return of Helenius and Martin Chromiak from illness, plus defenseman Joe Hicketts (40 games lost) and forward Jacob Doty (9 games lost) were back in the mix after missing time with injuries.
Roster depth rewarded each line with at least one goal for and brought Ontario’s five-game winless streak to a definitive close.
Akil Watch, 2024: Thomas extends his point streak to three games with a goal in the second period. He now has a healthy nine points in eight games (3G,6A). Coach Marco Sturm had the new-look second line of Thomas centering wingers Charles Hudon and Madden together for the second consecutive game.
First Period Starts: The Reign have struggled at times controlling the play in the first periods of several games over the past month, including the last two in Tucson where they were on the wrong side of shot differentials in both opening periods (4-15, 6-14). Ontario outshot the home team 16-5 in this one to take control and win the period 4-0.
Special Teams, Any Teams: If watching six different players score goals wasn’t exciting enough, the Reign also scored once on the power play (1-4) and once on a shorthanded break. The penalty kill went 2-2 and allowed no goals against.
The Reign look to make it two wins in a row Saturday night in the second game of the back-to-back, with puck drop scheduled for 6pm Pacific Time.
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