REIGN PREVIEW 12/8 – Ontario vs. Bakersfield

WHO: Ontario Reign (11-8-0-0) vs. Bakersfield Condors (7-9-2-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #20
WHEN: Sunday, December 8 @ 3:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: KCAL+ / FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign go up against the Bakersfield Condors for the second time in as many weeks and the third time overall during the 2024-25 season on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: A win over San Diego on Saturday has the Reign in position to move up in the Pacific Division standings if they can secure another victory over Bakersfield on Sunday. While they are currently in sixth place, Ontario is one point behind Abbotsford, two behind Colorado and three points back of third-place Coachella Valley. All four teams are in action on Sunday afternoon. The Condors are in eighth in the division with 17 points to their name through 19 games this season. Ontario ranks eighth in the AHL on the offensive end, averaging 3.47 goals per game. Bakersfield, who is coming off a 5-3 loss to San Diego on Friday, has been good in close contests this season, going 4-0-2-1 in one-goal games. Ontario has moved into the league’s top 10 in penalty killing, discarding 86.3% of opponent chances which ranks sixth highest. The Reign have done that by killing off 30 of their last 31 over a 10-game span.

LAST TIME OUT: In their first game that extended past regulation this season, the Ontario Reign secured a 2-1 shootout victory over the San Diego Gulls at Pechanga Arena on Saturday night in a game that saw them outshoot their rivals by a 38-22 margin. Andre Lee netted a tying goal for Ontario in the third period and Taylor Ward scored the lone tally during the skill session, while Erik Portillo made 21 stops during the 65-minute contest before shutting the door on all three attempts he faced in the shootout.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Bakersfield claimed the first meeting between the two teams this season on Oct. 18 in Ontario by a score of 4-1, but Ontario responded on the road at Mechanics Bank Arena last week with a 3-1 win on Nov. 30. Last season, the Reign won five of the eight regular season matchups against the Condors before recording back-to-back postseason victories over Bakersfield in the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The lone meeting of the series to go past regulation was the final one of the regular season, with the Reign earning a 4-3 victory on an overtime goal by Martin Chromiak. Ontario’s scoring was evenly distributed in last year’s regular season series, with Tyler Madden sharing the team lead with six points on two goals and four assists, while Charles Hudon had five points on three goals and two assists. Madden’s success against Bakersfield carried over to the postseason, where he scored twice in Game 1 before adding the series-winning goal to end the Condors season in the third period of Game 2.

LEE-DING THE OFFENSE: Forward Andre Lee scored 2:58 into the third period on Saturday to put Ontario on the board for the first time in the game and even the contest at 1-1 with his first goal of the season. Lee was playing in just his third AHL game of the 2024-25 campaign after beginning the year with the LA Kings and has seen action in 16 NHL contests. The Karlstad, Sweden native posted two assists with the Kings and had one helper in his first two appearances with Ontario this year before striking on Saturday night off a pass by linemate Jack Studnicka. A year ago, Lee had 13 points with the Reign in 36 games on eight goals and five assists. He has also posted career AHL totals of 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists in 108 games with the Reign.

SCOUTING THE CONDORS: Bakersfield is coming into Sunday’s contest having lost four straight and is looking to get back on track, currently sitting outside of the top-7 in the division. Returning veteran forward Seth Griffith is the Condors’ leading scorer with 14 points on seven goals and seven assists from his first 18 appearances. Matthew Savoie has also factored in with 11 points on four goals and seven assists, while Drake Caggiula, Noah Philp and Daniel D’Amato have each scored five goals. Blueliner Connor Carrick has the scoring lead among active defenders with seven points on a goal and six assists. In net, Olivier Rodrigue leads Bakersfield with a 0.918 save percentage in 11 appearances, posting a record of 5-5-1. Collin Delia has also played eight contests, going 2-4-2 with a 2.97 goals-against average.

PORTILLO STYMIES SAN DIEGO: Goaltender Erik Portillo won his second consecutive AHL start against San Diego on Saturday, making 21 saves during regulation and overtime before turning out all three attempts he saw in the shootout. The Goteborg, Sweden native has won three straight AHL appearances for Ontario, improving his record to 5-2-0 on the year to go along with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. The 24-year-old also made his NHL debut last month, stopping 28 of 29 against the Anaheim Ducks to record his first victory for the LA Kings. Portillo has built on an impressive rookie campaign a year ago when he went 24-11-3 in 39 games for the Reign during 2023-24 with a 2.50 GAA and a .918 SV%.

ROAD PENALTY KILL: Ontario has allowed just two power play goals on the road this season in their nine games that have been played away from Toyota Arena. The success on the penalty kill has helped them to a 6-3-0 record on the road, discarding 93.9% of opponents’ opportunities on the man-advantage with a 31-for-33 mark. That percentage has them ranked No. 1 in the AHL as the only team that has allowed two or fewer power play goals while on the road this season. Combined with an 80% penalty kill rate at home, Ontario has only allowed 10 man-advantage goals on the year during 73 opponent power plays.