REIGN PREVIEW 1/10 – Ontario vs. Iowa

WHO: Ontario Reign (20-9-0-1) vs. Iowa Wild (11-19-2-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #31
WHEN: Friday, January 10 @ 7:00 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: After moving back into second place in the Pacific Division with a win in Henderson on Wednesday, the Ontario Reign begin a weekend series with the Iowa Wild on Friday at Toyota Arena, the first of four meetings against the Central Division foe this year.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario has 41 points to its name through 30 contests this year, sitting one ahead of San Jose and two above Coachella Valley. Iowa is sixth in the Central Division with 24 points, eight back from the final playoff spot in their division. The Wild are just 2-7-1-0 from their past 10 contests. Ontario holds the fourth-highest scoring offense in the AHL, averaging 3.53 goals per game, while also posting the third-most shots on goal per contest (32.2). Iowa has out-scored its opponents 28-17 in the first period this season. Reign forward Charles Hudon is on a seven-game point streak that has spanned over a month, dating back to a Dec. 8 win over Bakersfield. During the stretch, he has totaled 12 points on five goals and seven assists.

LAST TIME OUT: On the day he was selected for the league’s upcoming All-Star Classic, Samuel Fagemo stood out among the rest, scoring on a power play opportunity in overtime to give the Ontario Reign a 2-1 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights on Wednesday at Lee’s Family Forum. Ontario’s 20th win of the season also came with a goal from defender Cole Krygier, as well as 22 saves in net by Erik Portillo, who improved his record to 10-3-1 on the season. The Reign secured victories in all four of their contests played in Henderson during 2024-25.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Friday’s matchup is the first between Ontario and Iowa since the 2019-20 season when the clubs split a four-game series with each side winning one in its home building and one on the road. The Reign secured a 3-2 victory at Wells Fargo Arena on Nov. 9, 2019, with former defender Austin Strand scoring twice in the third period while Cal Petersen turned out 39 shots from the crease. The Wild responded with a 3-0 shutout the following day before the teams met up again the following month for another split at Toyota Arena which included a come-from-behind win for the Reign, erasing a 3-0 deficit before Mikey Eyssimont netted the game-winning goal late in the third. The only Ontario skater who played in those games that remains on the team’s roster is forward Jacob Doty.

A SWEDE STAR IS BORN: Reign forward Samuel Fagemo has been selected to represent the Pacific Division in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held on February 2-3 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert. Fagemo leads his team in goal scoring with 19 tallies through 30 games this season, which ranks third in the AHL. In addition, Fagemo’s 117 shots on net are the most of any skater in the league. The Goteborg, Sweden native has recorded 10 power play points with six goals and four assists on the man-advantage, factoring in on the scoring of over 50% of the team’s goals when up a man. Fagemo has been on a tear as of late, scoring goals in seven of his last 10 outings dating back to Dec. 15. Earlier in the season he had a five-game goal-scoring streak spanning from Nov. 20 through Dec. 3. After being held without a goal from his first six appearances to begin the campaign, Fagemo broke out in November when he recorded back-to-back three-point performances, each consisting of two goals and an assist, during wins over Henderson and Abbotsford on Nov. 2 and Nov. 6. After being chosen for the honor on Wednesday, Fagemo scored the game-winning goal in overtime for Ontario in Henderson, his second deciding goal of the season.

SCOUTING THE WILD: Iowa began its four-game trip to the Pacific on Wednesday in San Diego, suffering a 5-1 defeat to the Gulls. The Wild are led offensively by forward Travis Boyd, who has a team-high 21 points in 23 games on four goals and 17 assists. Brendan Gaunce has found the back of the net 11 times to lead the club and ranks second in scoring with 18 points from 23 games. Rookie forwards Liam Öhgren (10-6=16) and Hunter Haight (9-7=16) have each chipped in with 16 points apiece. David Spacek is first among the team’s defenders offensively with 15 points from 32 games on three goals and 12 assists. Jesper Wallstedt is the Wild’s top goaltending prospect, but he has struggled in 13 AHL contests this season after a stellar performance a year ago. Wallstedt has a 5-7-1 record and a 3.89 goals-against average. Rookie netminder Samuel Hlavaj has won three of his 11 appearances while posting a team-best 2.94 GAA.

TOP NOTCH TANDEM: Ontario goaltenders Pheonix Copley and Erik Portillo have both turned in impressive performances this season, each ranking among the league’s top netminders with similar statistical numbers. They’ve each played the same number of games (14) and have the same win total (10), with Copley’s record at 10-4-0 while Portillo’s sits at 10-3-1. The backstops’ goals-against averages are also similar, with Portillo holding a mark of 2.47 while Copley’s is at 2.59. Portillo’s save percentage is 0.910 for the year, while Copley’s sits at 0.903. The two goaltenders have combined to play in 28 of Ontario’s 30 games during the 2024-25 campaign.

HOT OUT OF THE GATE: Ontario has been almost unbeatable when they’ve scored first this season, compiling a record of 11-0-0-1 after netting the opening goal of the game during 2024-25. The Reign have secured 23 of a possible 24 points after scoring first, a 0.958 points percentage. In the 18 games in which they allowed an opening strike, Ontario has been able to successfully come from behind to win in nine of them. The Reign are 8-2-0-1 when leading after 20 minutes this season and 8-2-0-0 from the nine games they’ve been even with their opponent at the end of the first period.

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Iowa:
Fri., Jan. 10 vs. Iowa, 7 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 12 vs. Iowa, 3 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 22 at Iowa, 4 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 23 at Iowa, 1 p.m.