Three goals in each of the first two periods got the Ontario Reign (3-4-0-0) out to a big lead which finished in a lopsided 8-3 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights (2-7-0-0) on Saturday night at Toyota Arena.
13 Ontario skaters registered points in the win, which included multi-point efforts from seven different players in Samuel Fagemo (2-1=3), Charles Hudon (1-2=3), Glenn Gawdin (1-1=2), Jack Studnicka (2-0=2), Francesco Pinelli (0-2=2), Jeff Malott (0-2=2) and Reilly Walsh (0-2=2).
The Reign also piled up 50 shots on goal in the contest while holding Henderson to just 20 attempts on net. Ontario had their best results of the season on special teams as well, scoring three times on the power play (3-for-8), while holding the Silver Knights to an 0-for-3 finish on the man-advantage.
Henderson took the initial lead just 1:36 into the first on a goal by Jakub Brabenec in the opening stage of the game.
But Ontario came back to even things up at 8:11 of the first frame on a goal by Martin Chromiak off a centering feed by Pinelli on the rush to make it 1-1. A second assist on the play was credited to Taylor Ward, his first point of the season.
The Silver Knights went back in front on a goal by Matyas Sapovaliv at 10:31 of the opening period, but their second lead was even shorter lived than the first, with Fagemo tying the game at 2-2 on his first strike of the night at 12:14 from Jacob Moverare and Pinelli.
Studnicka put the Reign in front for good less than two minutes later with a power play goal at 13:59 from Tyler Madden and Joe Hicketts. Madden sent a puck to the front of the net that glanced off Studnicka’s skate for his first goal as a member of Ontario.
Hudon added on to the lead early in the middle period, scoring on a breakaway opportunity 1:25 into the frame on a stretch pass by Gawdin to make it 4-2. Malott also had an assist on the tally, his first of two helpers on the night.
Henderson cut into the lead at 4:50 of the second and made it a one-goal game again on a tally by Tanner Laczynski before Fagemo found the back of the net for the second time at 9:50 with a power play goal. Fagemo’s strike came with assists for both Hudon and Walsh.
Then just before the close of the stanza, Shawn Element scored in the final minute of a period for the second straight night to extend Ontario’s lead to 6-3 at 19:01. Element’s goal came unassisted while the Reign were shorthanded, the team’s first goal of the season while down a man.
The Reign tacked on two more goals in the third, with Gawdin scoring his first with Ontario at 6:46 on the power play from Malott and Hudon, before Studnicka added his second of the contest at 12:32 off a 2-on-1 rush with Walsh. Fagemo earned the second assist on the play, his third point of the night.
Pheonix Copley stopped 17 shots in the win for Ontario to earn his second victory of the season, while Henderson’s Jordan Papirny turned out 42 attempts at the other end of the ice in a losing effort.
Below, hear from Studnicka and head coach Marco Sturm after the game –
Jack Studnicka
On tonight’s win
Yeah, a lot of new faces in the room, so we knew it was going to be maybe some learning experiences. But you know, that’s the team I played against last year. That’s the system they play. That’s hard-nosed hockey, and I’m happy to be on this side.
On bouncing back from a slow start to the season
Yeah, I don’t know if we want to score eight every night, but the chances were there, and it’s nice to see a lot of guys capitalize on that.
On playing with Madden and Fagemo
I think me and Madds have been together pretty much all year. He’s a worker. He’s fun to play with. You know what you’re getting out of him every night. And Sammy I mean, you saw it once he put one in, here come the floodgates. So hopefully we can find them five on five a little bit more, but excited to build on what we’ve done so far.
On his power play goal
It was good. It was actually a pretty simple play. When things aren’t going great, get the puck to the net. Madds did a great job at that. I think it hit my skate, honestly. So you need some luck here and there, and hopefully we can take off.
Marco Sturm
On the team clicking and coming together
We carried the game over from last night, even when we were down one nothing. I think our mindset was right, and we stuck to it. We knew if we stay out of the penalty box and grind it out five on five, I think we will have a good opportunity. And that’s exactly what happened.
On getting to 50 shots on goal in the game
We had some games that we put a lot of pucks to the net. It just unfortunately didn’t end up in in their net. Today, they did. Give my guys a lot of credit. They’ve been working, working pretty hard all week long, getting to those tough areas, and it’s always nice when they get the reward.
On the Studnicka, Madden, Fagemo line
They had two games in a row now and I think the other lines too, I think they all clicked. That’s why I made that decision not to change anything for tonight’s game. Every line brought something to the table, and that’s exactly what we want. The game we played today, this is us. We stick together. We play really hard against our opponent and that’s the way we have to play every night.
On the confidence of his group
It’s funny how it works. Sometimes it’s all up between your ears, and that’s what sports are all about. It’s about confidence. You can see the power play all of a sudden things are clicking. You get the lucky bounce too, when you need it to. Unfortunately, it’s not going to go always that way but we got to stay positive. You have the right pieces. We just got to do it every night.
The Reign return to action on Wednesday night when they host the Abbotsford Canucks in the first meeting of the season between the two clubs at Toyota Arena beginning at 7 p.m.
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