GAMEDAY – Ontario vs. Texas, 11/1

WHO: Ontario Reign (1-4-2-1) vs. Texas Stars (4-3-1-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR SEASON GAME
WHEN: Thursday, November 1, @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: Citizens Business Bank Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – AUDIO – Mixlr – TWITTER: @ontarioreign & @reigninsider

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign host the Texas Stars tonight for the first of just two meetings this season between the two teams. The Reign enter tonight’s action off of their first regulation loss at home this season, an 8-5 final against the Tucson Roadrunners last Friday at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Tonight’s matchup is the first of two games between the Reign and Stars this season and the only meeting in Ontario. Tonight’s game was originally scheduled to be played tomorrow evening, but was changed to today due to accommodate the Marco Antonio Solis concert at the CBBA tomorrow. Ontario looks to tighten things up this weekend to shake a slow start to the season, in which the Reign have yet to win in regulation. Ontario enters tonight’s action on a three-game losing streak in regulation and a six-game losing streak overall and faces a Texas team that lost back-to-back games on home ice last weekend. I missed most of today’s Ontario morning skate but did see that goaltender Cal Petersen was off first and forwards Jamie Devane and Boko Imama were on late.

RONNY JAMES ama-DIO: Forward Mike Amadio was assigned to Ontario over the weekend. The 6-2 center has amassed 76 points (29-49-76) from 100 career AHL games, including 11 goals and 35 points from just 32 games played with Ontario last season. Amadio has also skated in 46 NHL games over the past two seasons, in addition to one game in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and collected one goal from nine games played with the Kings in 2018-19.

DYNAMIC DUO: Amadio and forward Matt Moulson combined to form a lethal combination last season after Moulson joined the team on December 9. Including that night, Amadio began a 17-game scoring streak, on which he collected 28 points (9-19-28) and was named AHL Player of the Month in December. Moulson amassed 24 points (5-19-24) over the same 17-game stretch, including a 10-game scoring streak to begin his tenure with the Reign.

ENDLESS LUFF: Second-year winger Matt Luff is expected to be the third member of that top line tonight for Ontario. Luff led the Reign last week with two goals and three points in the team’s only game and posted a +3 rating in Ontario’s three-goal loss. Luff has amassed nine points (4-5-9) from seven games played thus far this season and is tied for the team lead in both goals and points, while leading the AHL in shots on goal (39).

WE ARE MERSCHALL: Texas brings with it a familiar face as forward Michael Mersch returns to Ontario for the first time as a visiting player. Mersch spent the last four seasons in the Los Angeles organization, including much of the past three campaigns with the Reign. Mersch left as Ontario’s all-time leading scorer with 61 goals and 125 points. The 6-2 forward is also second all-time in Reign history in assists (64) and third in games played (165).

MAKING MOVES: Ontario saw forward Austin Wagner and defenseman Sean Walker reassigned to Ontario yesterday morning, following stints in the NHL for both players. This morning, both moves were reversed with Wagner and Walker returning to the Kings. Walker has collected one assist from three games played with Los Angeles, while Wagner is scoreless from seven games played with the big club.

THURSDAY THEATRE: Tonight is Ontario’s only Thursday home game of the season and one of just two that it will play in total (Ontario will visit Bakersfield later this month for a school-day showdown with the Condors on Thursday, November 29). All-time on Thursday, the Reign are 2-1 in the regular season, with all three games coming in 2015. Ontario has also played on Thursday three times in the postseason, with a 1-0-2 record, including a 4-3 overtime loss against Texas in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs in April of this year.