1/6 REIGN FINAL – Reign 5, Barracuda 4 – Sturm, Fagemo + Ingham

Samuel Fagemo registered his second-career hat trick with a game-winning goal in overtime to help the Ontario Reign (18-10-3-1) hold off a late charge from the San Jose Barracuda (11-15-5-0) and secure a 5-4 victory on Saturday night at Toyota Arena.

With the win, Ontario earned a sweep of the weekend series against San Jose. Fagemo also added an assist on a power play goal by Akil Thomas and finished with four points from the contest. Charles Hudon also picked up two assists, while goaltender Jacob Ingham recorded the win with 21 saves.

BOX SCORE

Fagemo got the scoring started just 42 seconds into the game, giving Ontario an early 1-0 lead by converting a cross-ice pass from Hudon on the right circle. Defender Kim Nousiainen had the second assist on the play, his third helper of the 2023-24 campaign.

Ontario extended its lead to 2-0 at 15:54 of the opening frame when Samuel Helenius wristed home his fourth goal of the year from the high slot. Assists on the Reign’s second goal of the game went to the defensive pair of Wyatte Wylie and Cole Krygier.

Thomas made it a 3-0 game midway through the second, scoring his second goal in as many nights against San Jose by burying a rebound in front with a backhand shot that went inside the right post. Fagemo had the initial shot on goal during the play, while Hudon secured the second assist.

Ontario was comfortably in front at the start of the third, but things changed quickly. Radim Simek got the Barracuda on the board 1:47 in to make it 3-1 with a goal that came with one second remaining on San Jose’s first power play chance of the game.

Then Fagemo scored what looked like an important insurance goal later on at 11:20, putting the Reign in front 4-1 by deflecting a shot by Cody Haiskanen into the back of the net to give the team’s newest defender his first AHL point.

But the Barracuda netted three straight in the final eight minutes, including two by Scott Sabourin in a span of 2:01, to tie up the game and force overtime. Shakir Mukhamadullin found the back of the net at 12:36 to get San Jose’s scoring started, while Sabourin, who formerly played for the Reign during 2015-16, scored on the power play at 15:54 and again at 17:55 to even things up at 4-4.

The Reign earned a man-advantage opportunity of their own with 90 seconds remaining in regulation when Ethan Frisch was called for tripping up Andre Lee, but weren’t able to score either late in regulation or during the first 30 ticks of overtime.

Fagemo saved the day and won the game for Ontario with the hat trick goal, his 16th strike this season, from TJ Tynan and Jacob Moverare at 2:17 of overtime. Moverare also finished with a pair of assists Saturday and has posted six helpers in his last five games.

Thomas’ power play goal was the Reign’s lone man-advantage conversion of the night, as they finished 1-for-6 while San Jose was 2-for-3 with the extra attacker. Magnus Chrona suffered the loss in the crease for the Barracuda, turning out 22 Ontario shots.

Marco Sturm

Samuel Fagemo

Jacob Ingham

Ontario will now travel to Tech CU Arena to begin a five-game road trip on Tuesday night with their third consecutive battle against San Jose beginning at 7 p.m.