Fresh off a gutsy come-from-behind victory last night, coach Andrew Lord’s Ontario Reign will have little time to savor what happened on Saturday, as they quickly turn the page for an afternoon showdown with the visiting Iowa Wild.
It will mark the Reign’s third meeting with an out-of-division opponent this season, and the first of two straight matchups against Iowa this week. Last season, Ontario and the Wild split their season series at 2-2.
All eyes today will be on Kings prospect Erik Portillo, who is expected start in net for the first time since Nov. 12.
Before the injury, Portillo had been more than rock solid in the crease, posting a 5-1-1 record and a .915 save percentage.
Furthermore, a look at his game log shows that Portillo’s only rough outing for Ontario this season came on opening night, when he surrendered five goals on 27 shots. Even that performance came with context, as it marked his first game action since Feb. 17, following an injury suffered in Calgary that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season and playoffs. Thus, a healthy Portillo remains one of the Kings’ most promising prospects.
With the return of another LA prospect last night, forward Frankie Pinelli, it seemed logical that Lord would revert to the line combinations he used prior to the injury. However, somewhat surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. Lord kept Andre Lee on the top line alongside Glenn Gawdin and Martin Chromiak, while slotting Nikita Alexandrov on the second line with Cole Guttman and Taylor Ward, then placing Pinelli with Kenny Connors and Jared Wright.
For what it’s worth, the shuffle paid off, as the Reign battled through a full 60 minutes of gutsy hockey to secure the win. Their comeback began with Lee — who leads the team in goals and points — scoring on the power-play to even things up at 1-1. There simply aren’t enough adjectives to capture just how impactful Lee has been this season — he’s been vital to the Reign both on and off the ice.
Ontario entered the third period trailing 2–1 last night, but Guttman extended his hot streak, netting another goal — and bringing his total to six points since returning from suspension three games ago.
Adding the cherry on top, young Kings prospect Kirill Kirsanov scored a gorgeous backdoor tap-in off a rocket pass from Martin Chromiak. Coach Lord had plenty of praise for the rookie blueliner in his postgame comments.
With the win, the Reign have now climbed back into second place in the Pacific Division.
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Wild
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Lee – Gawdin – Chromiak
Alexandrov – Guttman – Ward
Pinelli – Connors – Wright
Ziemmer – Hughes – Doty
Hicketts – Salin
Dvorak – Bolduc
Kirsanov – Booth
Portillo (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Brown, Isogai and (D) Rego and (G) Saville
Injured: Burroughs, Lawrence, Millar, Parker-Jones
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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