REIGN PREVIEW 1/12 – Ontario vs. Iowa

WHO: Ontario Reign (20-10-0-1) vs. Iowa Wild (12-19-2-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #32
WHEN: Sunday, January 12 @ 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 and Iowa Wild complete a two-game weekend set at Toyota Arena on Sunday afternoon. Iowa will be looking for a sweep after securing a 5-0 win in the first meeting between the two teams since 2019 on Friday night, while Ontario has other ideas, aiming to salvage a split from the series.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario has 41 points to its name through 31 contests this year which has them in a three-way tie for third place in the Pacific Division standings alongside Colorado and Coachella Valley and two behind San Jose. Iowa is sixth in the Central with 26 points, six back of the final playoff spot in their division. Friday’s win evened the Wild’s record against Pacific teams to 3-3-0 on the season, with their two previous wins coming against the Barracuda. Ontario holds the fifth-highest scoring offense in the AHL, averaging 3.42 goals per game, while also posting the third-most shots on goal per contest (32.3). Iowa has outscored its opponents 31-17 in the first period this season. The Reign have been good at bouncing back this year, holding a record of 6-3-0 in games that have followed a regulation loss.

LAST TIME OUT: The Iowa Wild scored three times in the first period to build a lead and got a 34-save shutout performance from goaltender Samuel Hlavaj to defeat the Ontario Reign by a 5-0 score at Toyota Arena on Friday night. In the first meeting of the teams since 2019, Iowa was led offensively by Graeme Clarke who scored twice and added an assist, while Liam Öhgren also helped set up three of the Wild’s goals.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Friday’s matchup was 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 a month later for another split at Toyota Arena which included a come-from-behind win for the Reign who erased a 3-0 deficit before Mikey Eyssimont netted a late game-winning goal 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 31 games this season, which ranks third in the AHL. In addition, Fagemo’s 119 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 had been on a tear when the announcement from the league came earlier this week, previously scoring goals in seven of his last 10 outings before Friday. Earlier in the season he had a five-game goal-scoring streak spanning from Nov. 20 thru 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 before flipping the script in Ontario on Friday. The Wild are led offensively by forward Travis Boyd, who has a team-high 21 points in 24 games on four goals and 17 assists. Brendan Gaunce has found the back of the net 11 times to lead the club and ranks third in scoring with 18 points from 24 games, while rookie forwards Liam Öhgren (10-9=19) and Hunter Haight (9-9=18) have both made a big impact offensively in their first years with the Wild. David Spacek is first among the team’s defenders offensively with 15 points from 33 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 four of his 12 appearances while posting a 2.66 GAA.

MILLAR MAKES IT HAPPEN: Rookie defenseman Jack Millar has been a bright spot for the team on the blueline this season, appearing in 26 of the team’s 31 games and recording a team-high plus-15 rating. That number is sixth-highest among all active AHL skaters and the right-shot defender has played in less games than anyone above him on the list. Millar has been in Ontario’s lineup in each of the team’s last 20 games, dating back to Nov. 15, after starting the campaign by appearing in just six of the first 11 contests. A native of Westminster, Colorado, Millar signed with Ontario after finishing his collegiate career at Colorado College where he appeared in 134 games over four seasons and made his AHL debut on Apr. 21 of last season in his home state against the Eagles in Loveland.

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 a 23 of a possible 24 points after scoring first, a 0.958 points percentage. In the 19 games in which they allowed an opening strike, Ontario has been able to successfully come from behind to win during 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, 0-5 L – Full Recap
Sun., Jan. 12 vs. Iowa, 3 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 22 at Iowa, 4 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 23 at Iowa, 1 p.m.