PREVIEW – Ontario @ Bakersfield, 3/27

WHO: Ontario Reign (22-28-6-3) @ Bakersfield Condors (37-17-3-2)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR SEASON GAME
WHEN: Wednesday, March 27 @ 6:30 PM
WHERE: Rabobank Arena – Bakersfield, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @ontarioreign & @reigninsider

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign are back in action to kick off a three-game week tonight in Bakersfield. The Reign enter tonight’s action after picking up three of a possible four points last weekend, including a win over the Condors on Friday in Ontario.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Reign and Condors square off for the third time in 12 days, the second at Rabobank Arena. Each team has won one of the prior two meetings, with Bakersfield earning three points to Ontario’s two. Ontario has struggled in the season series to date, at just 2-5-1 overall, but has notched a 1-1-1 mark at Rabobank Arena. Goaltender Cal Petersen was first off this morning for Ontario, while forwards Brad Morrison, Mason Bergh and Brett Supinski, along with defensemen Max Gottlieb and Justin Baudry were on late for extra work.

SHOOTING FOR SHOOTOUTS: After going to a shootout just three times in his first 57 games played this season, the Reign have now gone to the skills competition in back-to-back games, going 1-1. Forward Mike Amadio scored in both contests, while forward Sheldon Rempal scored on Friday, his team-leading third shootout tally of the season. Rempal is tied for sixth in the AHL in shootout tallies this season and is tied for the league lead amongst rookies.

HAT TRICK HERO: Captain Brett Sutter paced the Reign with three goals scored on Saturday, his first hat trick as a member of the Reign organization. Sutter previously tallied a hat trick once in his AHL career, which came on October 28. 2012 as a member of the Charlotte Checkers. Sutter’s third goal was his 19th tally of the season, tying a professional career high, set with Charlotte during the 2012-13 season.

SEEING REDD: Reign defenseman Chaz Reddekopp found the scoresheet for the second straight game, as he collected an assist on teammate Sam Herr’s goal on Saturday, one night after he scored his first career professional goal on Friday against Bakersfield. Reddekopp has now amassed seven points (1-6-7) from 31 games played and ranks second on the Reign with 83 penalty minutes.

MULTI-POINT MEN: Ontario defenseman Austin Strand and forward Nikita Scherbak each collected two assists on Saturday. The pair assisted on Sutter’s first and second goals, with the latter coming on the power play. The two helpers for Strand marked the second time in his professional career he’s tallied multiple helpers, while Scherbak accomplished the feat for the second time this season.

MULTI-POINT MEN: The Reign have added four new faces since their last game – Forwards Drake Rymsha, Brett Supinski (Union College), Mason Bergh (Colorado College) and defenseman Max Gottlieb (Brown University). Rymsha, who skated in 24 games with Ontario earlier this season, was reassigned to Ontario, from ECHL-Manchester, while the other three joined the Reign after completing their collegiate careers earlier this month.

DORMIE: The Reign enter tonight’s action mathematically alive for the postseason, but anything outside of a victory tonight, in addition to a San Jose regulation loss to San DIEGO, would officially eliminate Ontario from the race. The Reign remained alive by a hair over the weekend, as Tucson’s goal inside the final 10 seconds to play on Sunday earned them a regulation win over the Barracuda, sparing the Reign’s fate. Ontario and San Jose meet on Friday at the Shark Tank.