With a 2-1 victory over Colorado on Saturday night at Toyota Arena, Ontario has reclaimed second place in the Pacific Division and now trail Colorado by just six points for the top spot. Equally important, they kept the four other teams nipping at their heels at bay, with only nine regular games remaining.
Reign goaltender Pheonix Copley delivered an outstanding performance in the opening contest of a back-to-back set this weekend, stopping 17 of 18 shots faced. Defenseman Joseph Cecconi praised Copley’s play, noting, “It is nice knowing I have a rock back there to make everything a little bit easier on us.”
Martin Chromiak found the score sheet again — something he’s done with much more frequency of late — recording an assist on Saturday’s game winning goal. Over his last seven games, Chromiak has registered three goals and four assists. Being put in a better position to succeed, by elevating to Ontario’s top line, has helped him look like a different player over the past few weeks.
First-year pro Kaleb Lawrence had his first AHL fight during the Reign win, riling up the sold-out crowd. Bench boss Marco Sturm was pleased with that tilt. “I think he picked the right moment today,” added the former NHL forward. “He had a good game.”
Sturm also emphasized a key stat when it comes to evaluating centers. “It starts right in the face-off,” he said. “Coaches look for face-off guys.” On Saturday, Lawrence went 4-for-8 at the dot, including winning several key draws on the penalty kill.
There will be no rest for either side, though, as the Reign and Eagles meet up again on Sunday afternoon for the second half of their back-to-back set this weekend.
Jacob Ingham is expected to start in net; after stopping 23 of 27 shots in a 7-4 victory over Iowa last week. That stat line alone doesn’t fully reflect his performance, nor does it capture the entire picture. Ingham played a strong game, with his defense collapsing in front of him on the goals he allowed.
All said, this afternoon’s contest carries huge implications. A win over Colorado would tighten the division standings. It could also clinch a playoff spot for Ontario if a win is coupled with a regulation loss by the Tucson Roadrunners in their game.
REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. EAGLES
Should there be any key changes during warmups, alignment below will be updated.
Hudon – Gawdin – Chromiak
Lee – Studnicka – Fagemo
Olson – Jamsen – Ward
Element – Lawrence – Doty
Hicketts – Cecconi
Jones – Walsh
Dvorak – Millar
Copley
Ingham
Other roster options include: (F) Singleton and (D) Walsh
Injured: (D) Booth, Krygier and (G) Portillo
Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 pm Pacific Time and the game can be viewed on FloHockey. An audio only feed is also available on the ESPN LA app.
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