Looking to extend their winning streak to eight games in a row, the Reign stormed Coachella Valley on Wednesday night with high hopes. Things didn’t exactly turn out in their favor, though, as they were quickly run out of town by a Firebirds team that is first in the Western Conference.
It was a game best described by Reign coach Marco Sturm — saying it was not up to “their standard” — after seeing Ontario come out on the wrong side of the ledger against a high-powered Firebirds club. Despite a 3-1 final score, it was never really that close.
The match began with a spirited opening frame that brought a combined 30 minutes of penalties amongst the budding rivals. Ontario leaned heavily on starting goaltender Aaron Dell to keep the score tied at zero while facing 13 shots against in the first period.
Things didn’t improve much from there either. While killing a penalty just four minutes in, the Reign left Dell helpless on a 2-on-1 down low for a power play goal against. Then, over the next eight minutes, Ontario allowed two more tallies, giving up a 3-on-1 opportunity and a converted penalty shot, making the score 3-0 after 40 minutes of play.
Sturm made several lineup adjustments in the third period looking to find any spark to his team’s game; however, the only goal came from Tyler Madden (15) when he received a clever pass from Brandt Clarke, who had the vision to find Madden all alone behind the defense.
During his post-game media availability, Sturm expressed disappointment in his team’s effort. While not naming any players specifically, he felt there was an opportunity for some guys to rise up to the occasion and make an impact – yet it never happened. Ontario’s bench boss went on to say he hopes the game served as a wake-up call for his players moving forward.
Even with the loss, the Reign hold a 20-game record of 15-3-2 and home ice advantage for the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs by four points. This season’s opening round series is scheduled to be a three-game homestand for the second, third, and fourth Pacific Division seeds, while the first seed receives a bye directly into the second round.
Up next, the Reign head home for their final regular season game at Toyota Arena on Friday to face the San Diego Gulls.
Turc is Back: It’s not easy to return from injury without the luxury of practice, and that’s just what faced Turcotte as he was inserted into the lineup against Coachella Valley after rejoining the club on a conditioning assignment from the NHL. Reappearing in his usual spot on the second line, LA’s 2019 draftee rekindled the chemistry he shares with Madden and received praise from his coach postgame. While he skated as a plus-one rating with one shot on goal, Turcotte is still eyeing a return to the NHL after a 20-game call-up that had kept him off the Reign roster for 22 games.
Milestone Madden: The third-year pro lead all skaters in the game with nine shots on goal and has now recorded eight points (3G, 5A) in his past eight games. Sturm complimented the 24-year-old after the game, calling out Madden as a smart player that helps the coaching staff in all game scenarios. Improvement in consistency and scoring touch were some things Sturm had highlighted for Madden to become more dependable this season.
Andre’s Impact: Andre Lee received the tap from his head coach after the second intermission to join the top line in an effort to shake up the dreary play throughout the lineup. After seeing him score in three straight games, Sturm was hoping the streak could continue. And while according to Sturm it wasn’t his best game, the 6-foot-5 forward has been contributing on and off the scoresheet — producing four points (3G, 1A) in four games since his return from injury.
Goalie Rotation: Sturm returned to his steady rotation of alternating goaltender starts. Dell is enjoying a record of 7-1-1 in his past 9 games. All eyes will be on Sturm’s usage of his goalies throughout the playoffs, where he’ll have the veteran play of Dell to mix in with Erik Portillo’s stellar rookie-season performance.
Rookie Clarke: The offensively gifted 21-year-old has played 13 games since his return to the AHL after his 16-game call-up to the Kings. While it took some time to return to form, he’s settling in with five assists over his past seven games, with most of those being crafty and skillful plays unique to a player of his caliber. A shift of focus to playing a stronger defensive game could be the culprit for the minor drop in offensive numbers; however, he’s still enjoying a freshman campaign of 40 points (8G, 32A) in 45 games played.
Clarke is Crushing: When comparing his numbers to others in the AHL, Clarke’s debut season has been rather remarkable. He leads all defensemen in points-per-game (.89). Additionally, he leads all rookie blueliners in assists (32) and is only four points back of the league leader in points — all while playing about 20 games fewer than most of the players vying for those titles. Clarke also sits ninth overall in points among all AHL defensemen. Again, he’s only played 45 games, while nearly everybody else above him is in the 62-68 games played range.
Scoreless Sammy: Samuel Fagemo has stormed the league with 39 goals in only 46 games played this season. Without a goal in Coachella Valley, the sniper forward has now been held off the scoreboard in consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 9. Yes, two months ago.
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