REIGN PREVIEW – Ontario vs. Abbotsford, 1/17

WHO: Ontario Reign (18-6-3-1) vs. Abbotsford Canucks (11-12-3-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #29
WHEN: Monday, January 17 @ 3:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – AUDIO: Mixlr – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @ontarioreign

 

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign host the Abbotsford Canucks in the seventh meeting of the season between the two Pacific Division opponents on Monday afternoon at Toyota Arena. Ontario is in second place in the standings with 40 points in 28 games, while Abbotsford is in the seventh spot in the division with 26 points. The Reign are 3-2-0-1 in the previous six matchups with the Canucks.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Abbotsford has given Ontario all they can handle this season, most recently sweeping the Reign at the Abbotsford Centre on back-to-back nights Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Prior to that, Ontario was victorious in a previous Oct. 29-30 series in British Columbia with a 5-2 win and a 3-2 overtime decision with TJ Tynan scoring the winning tally. The Reign are the highest scoring team in the AHL, averaging 3.89 goals per game. Tynan continues to be Ontario’s hottest skater as of late. The reigning AHL MVP has picked up nine points in his last four games (1-8=9) to take over the team’s scoring lead for the season with 34 points. His year-long point total now ranks second in the league and he leads all active skaters with 1.55 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT: For the second straight night, the Ontario Reign got goals from five different skaters to defeat the Henderson Silver Knights by a final score of 5-2. Forward Tyler Madden scored for the third straight game and was the lone player that had a multi-point night with a goal and an assist, while forward Nikita Pavlychev netted his first career AHL goal and had a team-high five shots on goal. It was also the second straight win for goaltender Matthew Villalta, who stopped 29 shots in the win for Ontario. The Reign also put up a season-high 42 shots in the victory, with Quinton Byfield, Austin Wagner and Jordan Spence each also finding the back of the net.

POWER PLAY PROWESS: Ontario has done much of its offensive damage on the power play this season, which has been at its best recently. The Reign have scored man-advantage goals in each of their last five games, as well as in seven of their last nine. During that nine-game stretch, Ontario has converted on 12 out of their 34 opportunities with an extra man for a scorching 35% rate. Overall, the Reign have been successful on 26.5% of their power play chances this season which is the second-highest mark in the league.

STREAKING SPENCE: Rookie defender Jordan Spence posted a power play point for the fifth consecutive game with his second goal of the season during Saturday’s win for Ontario. The Sydney, Australia native has turned his game up to the next level as of late, posting eight points in his last seven games (2-6=8). Most recently, Spence led the Reign with 11 combined shots on goal in the team’s weekend sweep of Henderson. The rookie is third in scoring among active AHL rookie defenders with 16 points in 25 games on two goals and 14 assists and first with a +9 rating. Eight of his helpers have come while the Reign have been on the man-advantage, which is second-most on the team.

SCOUTING THE CANUCKS: Abbottsford, the newest addition to the AHL’s Pacific Division, has begun its inaugural season with 11 wins in its first 27 contests. Forward Sheldon Dries leads the club with 24 points in 24 games on a team-high 13 goals and a +6 rating. Dries has been particularly effective against Ontario, scoring nine points in the six-game series on seven goals and two assists. Justin Bailey has also been a top offensive producer this season with 19 points in 21 outings. Attacker Phil Di Giuseppe also has 18 points (7g, 11a), including three goals and three assists against the Reign. Goaltenders Michael DiPietro and Arturs Silovs have garnered most of the playing time in net. DiPietro appeared in 13 games before a recent promotion to Vancouver’s NHL taxi squad. Silovs has a record of 2-5-0 in eight games with one shutout, a goals-against average of 3.05 and a 0.888 save percentage.

GABE THE GREAT: Forward Gabriel Vilardi is currently on a five-game point streak which has seen him post seven points on two goals and five assists to increase his AHL season total to 16 points in 16 games (7-9=16). He has found recent success on a line with Quinton Byfield and Tyler Madden, leading to an increased offensive production for Ontario. After posting a pair of assists in each of last week’s contests, Vilardi stayed hot Friday night with a power play goal in the team’s win over Henderson and added an assist on Jordan Spence’s man-advantage goal in the third period Saturday evening.

BYFIELD AT HIS BEST: Forward Quinton Byfield was on the scoresheet for the fifth consecutive game Saturday, scoring Ontario’s first goal of the contest during a first period power play. The 19-year-old has netted goals in four of the five contests while putting a combined 18 total shots on net. A native of Newmarket, Ont., Byfield has played in 10 AHL games this season after suffering an injury during the preseason with the LA Kings. In 2020-21, his first pro season, Byfield totaled 20 points in 32 games for Ontario with eight goals and 12 assists.

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