REIGN PREVIEW – Ontario at San Diego, 3/12

WHO: Ontario Reign (33-10-4-3) at San Diego Gulls (19-25-2-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #51
WHEN: Saturday, March 12 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Pechanga Arena – San Diego, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – AUDIO: Mixlr – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @ontarioreign

 

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign play their only contest of the weekend when they travel to face the San Diego Gulls Saturday night at Pechanga Arena. The matchup is the eighth meeting of the season between the Southern California rivals. Ontario has won six of the first seven contests between the two teams this season, including all five matchups that have taken place in Ontario. The Reign have a hold of second place in the Pacific Division standings, while San Diego comes into this evening’s game in seventh.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Reign continue to be the highest-scoring team in the AHL, leading the league with an average of 4.06 goals per game. Ontario has scored 13 more times than any other team in the league and recently reached the 200-goal mark in their win over Bakersfield on Monday. The Gulls have struggled on offense, averaging just 2.89 goals per contest. The Reign power play is also No. 1 in the AHL, converting on 27.3% of opportunities. In the seven previous meetings between the two teams this season, Ontario has outscored San Diego 28-18 and outshot the Gulls 209-155 while scoring seven power play goals in 29 man-advantage opportunities (24.1%). A few Ontario players will look to extend impressive streaks Saturday, as forward TJ Tynan has scored points in his last 10 games overall, while Martin Frk has registered points in eight straight and Samuel Fagemo has been on the scoresheet in seven straight contests.

LAST TIME OUT: A late goal by Samuel Fagemo forced overtime, but the Ontario Reign ultimately fell to the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday night at Toyota Arena by a final score of 4-3. Forward Martin Frk scored his league-leading 31st goal on the power play in the second period, while TJ Tynan added two assists to extend his point streak to 10 games and his AHL leading assist total to 63 helpers.

FRK TAKES LEAD IN GOAL-SCORING RACE: Forward Martin Frk scored his 31st goal of the season in Wednesday night’s overtime loss to San Jose, putting himself back on top of the AHL’s goal-scoring leaders ahead of Chicago’s Stefan Noesen and Abbotsford’s Sheldon Dries, who have each posted 30 tallies apiece. The Pelhrimov, Czech Republic native also had an assist on a goal by Brayden Burke in the second period, increasing his overall point total to 58 this season which is third-most in the AHL. In addition, Frk is near the top of the league’s rankings in plus-minus (+22, 4th) and power play goals (13, 2nd).

TYNAN AT THE TOP OF THE HEAP: Forward TJ Tynan has posted multi-assist performances in five consecutive home contests, helping the Reign secure points in all five and totaling 11 helpers to take over the AHL’s overall scoring lead with 74 points in 44 games. His assist total is 17 more than the next highest player, Chicago’s Andrew Poturalski, who is also second in the league with 68 points. Tynan has been on the scoresheet in 10 consecutive games, totaling 22 points during that stretch on three goals and 19 assists. The Orland Park, Ill. native has recorded two or more assists in 24 games this season and he also leads the league with 33 power play assists and 35 power play points.

SCOUTING THE GULLS: San Diego is coming off an impressive 3-0 shutout win in Bakersfield on Friday, further cementing themselves in seventh place in the Pacific Division which is the final playoff spot ahead of San Jose and Tucson. The Gulls have been led offensively by defenseman Nikolas Brouillard, who has also played forward this season and scored a team-best 29 points in 45 games on nine goals and 20 assists. Forward Brayden Tracey is tied for second on the team with 26 points (9-17=26) in 39 games. After a waiver claim by Anaheim, forward Lucas Elvenes has joined the Gulls and been impressive, posting 15 points in 22 games on five goals and 10 assists. In goal, rookie netminder Lukas Dostal is 13-10-0 in 26 outings with a team-leading 2.64 goals-against average and a 0.915 save percentage.

FAST STRIKE FAGEMO: Forward Samuel Fagemo came up big for the Reign on Monday night, scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Bakersfield at 5:27 of the third period. The unassisted marker came just 21 seconds after an equalizing tally by forward Martin Frk and was enough to give Ontario its fifth win over the Condors this season. Two nights later, Fagemo scored another big goal late to send the game vs. San Jose into overtime with his 19th tally of the season. Fagemo has long surpassed the 10 goals he collected in 32 games during his rookie year in 2020-21. The former second round selection by the LA Kings in 2019 is third on the team in goal scoring and ranks eighth in the AHL with a +20 rating. Fagemo also made his NHL debut earlier this season, suiting up for four games with Ontario’s parent club in January.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Reign have a jam-packed month of home games during March at Toyota Arena, with nine total contests in their building. Ontario won’t have to leave California at all during the month, staying close by with a pair of matchups in San Diego against the Gulls on Saturday and two weeks from now on Mar. 26th. The Reign have the best home record in the AHL this season through 26 games with a mark of 19-2-3-2 and a points percentage of 0.827. The team’s road record is no slouch either, earning a mark of 14-8-1-1 which is fourth in the league percentage-wise, and second in the Pacific Division. Ontario also leads the league in goals scored in both home and away situations this season, netting 107 goals in Ontario and 96 tallies on the road.