Putting it simply, the Reign need a win tonight in Tucson. Coach Marco Sturm has seen his team fall into an 0-4-1 streak, along with only four wins in their past 10 games played. The week ahead begins with a pair of games in Tucson, where the Reign will face a Roadrunners squad they had beaten four straight times to start the season before falling to their Pacific Division rival 4-1 at Toyota Arena last week.
For tonight’s contest, the Reign will again be without the services of two Kings prospects — goaltender Erik Portillo and forward Martin Chromiak. From what we’ve been able to gather, the former is likely to be out a few more weeks before he’ll be ready to take back his crease. By contrast, Chromiak could return as early as tomorrow night. If he’s still not quite ready at that point, he should return this coming weekend, when the team is back home on Sunday afternoon. Fellow Kings prospect Angus Booth, a first-year defenseman who has been impressive thus far, remains sidelined without a timeline established for his eventual return.
Through all of their ups and downs in 2025, the Reign still hold the third-best points percentage in the Pacific Division and have played fewer games than nearly every team above or below them in the standings. A first-place finish is not out of the question and is actually very attainable. Sturm has repeatedly emphasized playing “the right way” to achieve success, a philosophy that has yielded positive results throughout the season and should help get the team back to their winning ways soon.
With the absence of Portillo, veteran Pheonix Copley has had to step up and assume the No. 1 netminder role, delivering notable performances like a 26-save effort in a recent overtime win. Offensively, the Reign need to get their spark back, as they’ve been shut out twice during this current five-game skid.
Meanwhile, the Roadrunners (27-23-5) have shown resilience this season, with veteran forward Kailer Yamamoto providing leadership and offensive prowess. He leads the team 47 points this season and is crucial on their power play, which operates at a solid 20% conversion rate.
REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. ROADRUNNERS
Malott – Gawdin – Fagemo
Lee – Studnicka – Ward
Hudon – Pinelli – Jamsen
Element – Lawrence – Olson
Hicketts- Millar
Jones – Cecconi
Walsh – Rowe
Copley
McKay
Other roster options include: (F) Chromiak, Doty and (D) Booth, Krygier, and (G) Portillo
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 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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