Coming off a well-deserved week off, the Ontario Reign are back in action tonight, kicking off a busy stretch of three games in five days, all against the Abbotsford Canucks.
Coach Andrew Lord’s group begins the weekend holding a three-game winning streak and sits atop the AHL’s Pacific Division. Meanwhile, Abbotsford has struggled for much of the season and currently find themselves at the bottom of the division. — a stark contrast to last year’s Calder Cup championship run.
Additionally, the Reign couldn’t have headed into the break on a higher note. In one of the most electric atmospheres of the season, Koehn Ziemmer recorded the Reign’s first hat trick in 658 days, with their last three-goal performance coming from Alex Turcotte in April 2024.
In the week since, Kings prospect Andre Lee represented Ontario at the AHL All Star Game in Rockford. See below for a recap of how he did.
All of this sets the stage for a pivotal five-day stretch, one in which the Reign have a prime opportunity to create real separation in the standings for playoff positioning.
It will be a pair of games in Abbotsford, followed by the teams squaring off in Ontario next Wednesday to complete the trio of games. With three straight contests against the division’s last-place team, it demands a high standard. Anything less than at least five points will likely be viewed as a missed opportunity.
In addition, a glance at second-place Colorado’s upcoming schedule shows it won’t be nearly as forgiving as Ontario’s over the next couple of weeks. Restating the obvious, now is the time for Ontario to make a big push.
In what should be some good news, Erik Portillo is set to start between the pipes tonight. He has won 11 of his last 12 decisions, continuing his rock-solid season.
And finally, one small tidbit to pass along. The AHL does something unique, where home teams where white jerseys during the first half of the season, then flip to their darks at home after the All-Star break. So, after wearing their white sweaters at home all season, tonight marks the first game Ontario will wear their whites on the road — something that will continue for the balance of their regular season schedule.
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Canucks
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Alexandrov – Gawdin – Guttman
Lee – Brown – Chromiak
Pinelli – Connors – Wright
Jamsen – Hughes – Ziemmer
Hicketts – Millar
Bolduc – Salin
Kirsanov – Booth
Portillo (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Doty, Lawrence and (D) Dvorak, Rego
Recalled to LA: Ward
Injured: Burroughs
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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