Tyler Madden scored to give the Ontario Reign (2-0) their first lead of the night with 3:06 remaining in the third and give his team a 3-1 victory over the Bakersfield Condors (0-2) in Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs on Saturday night at Mechanics Bank Arena.
The win advanced Ontario to the Pacific Division Semifinals, which will begin next week against the Colorado Eagles or the Abbotsford Canucks. Other Reign goal scorers in the game included Taylor Ward and Charles Hudon, while Erik Portillo stopped 23 shots in the Ontario crease to earn the winning decision.
After the Reign were unable to capitalize on a first-minute cross-checking penalty to Condors’ captain Brad Malone, Bakersfield took the initial lead at 6:10 on a power play goal by Seth Griffith off a goalmouth scramble in the Ontario crease.
The Condors outshot the Reign 11-8 in the opening period and held their early edge on the scoreboard into the first intermission.
Ward netted the lone goal of the middle frame at 2:42 to tie the contest back up at 1-1. The goal came off a faceoff play that saw Brandt Clarke whip Ward a cross-ice feed for a clean one-timer that beat goaltender Olivier Rodrigue, while Joe Hicketts also contributed with the second assist.
The game remained even for the remainder of the second and throughout the third until Madden put the Reign in front for good with his late deciding strike. Madden’s third goal of the two-game series was unassisted after he stole the puck away from a Bakersfield defender in Ontario’s attacking zone and flipped it over the left pad of Rodrigue.
Moments later, the Condors pulled Rodrigue in exchange for an extra attacker in an attempt to tie the game. Ontario’s defense kept Bakersfield to the outside of their defensive zone and eventually got the puck to Hudon who fired it the length of the ice and into the empty net to seal the victory.
The Reign out-shot the Condors by a 15-2 margin in the third period, controlling the final frame on their way to the win. Overall, Ontario held a 34-23 shots on goal advantage in the game.
Bakersfield’s goal was the lone man-advantage strike during the contest, with the Condors finishing 1-for-4 on the power play and holding the Reign to an 0-for-5 mark. Rodrigue stopped 31 shots in a losing effort.
Marco Sturm
On recovering from a slow start to win the game
We definitely didn’t have the start we wanted. I think guys were a little tight or nervous. A lot of times we started to panic. It was one of those games where hopefully it will help us moving forward. This team hasn’t been through games like that. Those are the games you have to stay calm in. A lot of things can happen but you always have to be ready and be willing to do the little things right, and that’s what we did especially in the third.
On Taylor Ward’s strong series
He took his role really well. I really like his line, especially tonight, because I put them out a lot against their big boys. They shut them down pretty well and that’s why I put them out there on the end. Him, and the rest of the guys, did a great job.
On Tyler Madden scoring the winner late in the third
That’s Mads. He can be very streaky and that’s just what he does. It was probably not his best game but when it matters he shows up and he puts the puck in the net. He was good, and I liked that line too. It took them a little bit but I thought we deserved the win, especially with the way we played in the third.
On the team finding ways to win close games
When you start winning those kinds of games, you’re automatically going to be confident. We had some winning stretches at home, and I thought that was important, and we carried that out on the road too. We feel good about it. Today I thought it was a little different because it was a playoff game, but again I was trying to settle the guys down and focus on our play, like they’ve done all year long. I think the first two or three minutes of the third we all knew we got this. That carried on until the last second.
On Joe Hicketts’ impact
He was outstanding. There were a couple times when Clarke got caught, and he ended up with a two-on-one a few times, but he killed it all. He’s a big time player and he’s been through it, and you can tell. I always like when [the players] faces are read, because that means they worked hard. I told Hicks that today he was one of them.
On not having to bus to Ontario for a third game
It’s great. I was not worried about if we had to play tomorrow because we’d win that series, but it’s definitely nice to have a day off and not go to the rink. We’re going to take that day because we’re going to start Wednesday again. It’s going to be quick and hopefully, the Reign fans are ready to go, because we need them. We need a loud building and a full building because whoever we play next, we’re going to try to beat them.
Joe Hicketts
On tonight’s win
We allowed one goal and it was a power play goal for them. Obviously it was a really good defensive effort. [Portillo] helped a lot with that but I think we had some moments where we hopefully learned a couple lessons. The last games of a series when you’re trying to close a team out are the toughest ones to win, especially with a captain who’s announced his retirement. Congrats to Brad Malone, he had a hell of a career. It’s something we’ve got to learn. It’s two wins and one series win. If we want to go far we’ve got to learn we’re going to have to learn to do that a couple more times. Right now, we’re going to enjoy this game and enjoy the win, and reset for whoever we get in the second round.
On the great setup for Taylor Ward’s game-tying goal
It was just something where our coaches have done a really good job in the pre-scout. [Bakersfield] lined their defense up in that back corner on every defensive zone faceoff for them. Credit to Clarke. He made a hell of a play getting it to Ward open on the backside. When you can slide it in like that, it definitely relieves a some stress. I think we were gripping the stick a little tight in the second. Hopefully we can keep this going moving forward.
On improving throughout the playoffs
I think just getting back to simple hockey. It still wasn’t great in the second if I’m being honest. We had a lot of turnovers that carried over from period one. Like I said, it’s something to learn from. We got away with that tonight but as the series gets tighter and you go on longer, you’re not going to get away with those mistakes. We’re going to have to learn to bear down, learn to take care of the puck, and really play heavy. In playoffs it’s a different game. A lot of the older guys have experienced it. When you have the puck, it’s your responsibility to make sure you can deal with it.
On his workload during this series
I feel fine. I’m well-rested after my half season absence. You want to get out there and help your team and I thought everyone contributed. In a playoff series like this, sometimes the bench gets short, but I thought everyone did a good job making contributions and making sure that we played the way that we wanted.
On clinching the series in two games
These three-game series are so short. You have to really manage your rest. I feel like momentum is a big thing in these series. Last year we lost one overtime game in game one when I was back in Iowa. We played two days later and we were still kind of back on our heels, so for us to pull that one out tonight and make sure we took care of business was big for this group.
Ontario will find out their next opponent on Sunday at the conclusion of Game 3 between the Colorado Eagles and Abbotsford Canucks which will be played in Loveland, Colo. at Blue Arena.
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