REIGN PREVIEW 1/19 – Ontario vs. Calgary

WHO: Ontario Reign (21-13-0-1) vs. Calgary Wranglers (26-12-1-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #36
WHEN: Sunday, January 19 @ 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 host the Calgary Wranglers for the second time during the 2024-25 campaign on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena in the first of a two-game set in the Inland Empire this week. Once today’s game is completed, the Reign will have played exactly half of their season schedule.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Calgary has the highest points percentage in the American Hockey League at the start of Sunday’s action, which sits at 0.679. The Wranglers have collected 53 points from the 39 games they’ve played, which includes wins in three straight matchups. Ontario on the other hand has hit a rough patch, coming up short in its previous three outings which matches the longest losing streak of the season. The Reign have won just one of their last five contests and as a result, have dropped into a tie for fourth place in the Pacific Division standings with 43 points alongside San Jose. Calgary has the second-highest scoring offense in the AHL, averaging 3.62 goals per game, while Ontario averages the third-most shots on goal per contest in the league (32.2). The Wranglers have outscored their opponents 141-112 on the season, a goal differential of plus-29.

LAST TIME OUT: Goaltender Carl Lindbom stopped all 25 shots he faced, and Jonas Rondbjerg scored on the power play five minutes into the third period, giving the Henderson Silver Knights a 1-0 win over the Ontario Reign at Toyota Arena on Saturday night. Reign netminder Pheonix Copley turned out 21 shots for the home side in a losing effort, with Ontario allowing just six shots on goal during the third as they attempted to solve Lindbom and get even in the contest.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Reign defeated Calgary in the only previous meeting of the season between the two clubs by a final score of 2-1, in a contest that was played a month ago on Dec. 18. Charles Hudon netted the game-winning goal halfway through the third period, while Ontario out-shot the Wranglers 38-14 with Erik Portillo turning out all but one of Calgary’s attempts, a goal by forward Sam Morton. A year ago the Reign secured points from six of their eight meetings with Calgary, earning a 5-2-0-1 record in the season series. Ontario managed to claim three points from the teams’ first series of the year last November and then split with the Wranglers north of the border in January. After Calgary earned a win in Ontario in February, the Reign returned to the Saddletome the following month and claimed their first-ever sweep inside the building before closing the series with a win in the IE the following week. Ontario outscored the Wranglers 26-16 in last season’s series and had six power play goals on 29 opportunities (20.6%) while killing off 27 of Calgary’s 32 chances (84.3%). Samuel Fagemo led the Reign with nine points from that series on seven goals and two assists. Returning forward Adam Klapka had six points against the Reign for Calgary on two goals and four helpers.

CONFIDENT COPLEY: Reign goaltender Pheonix Copley stopped 21 of 22 shots against Henderson on his 33rd birthday Saturday night in a solid bounce-back effort despite the team’s 1-0 loss. Now in his 11th professional season, Copley, a native of North Pole, Alaska, has posted a 10-7-0 record for the Reign in 17 appearances with one shutout while playing 972 minutes of action for a goals-against average of 2.78. The netminder has spent most of his career in the AHL, racking up 254 games during his time in the league with three different teams in Ontario, Hershey and Chicago. Copley’s AHL career-high in wins came in his final season with the Bears in 2021-22 when he posted 18 in 35 outings, while his career-low goals-against average was back in his rookie year with Hershey during 26 games in 2014-15. Copley has also appeared in 77 games at the NHL level with the LA Kings and Washington Capitals, producing a combined 44-16-8 record with a 2.84 GAA and three shutouts.

SCOUTING THE WRANGLERS: Forward Rory Kerins was leading the team with 34 points from his first 34 games this season before recently earning his first NHL call-up from the Flames. In his absence, Dryden Hunt has taken over the team’s scoring lead with 37 points on 11 goals and 26 assists. Hunt’s point total is also tied atop the league’s leaderboard alongside Cleveland’s Luca Del Bel Belluz. His 26 assists are the most of any skater in the AHL this season. Forward Clark Bishop has 32 points including 16 goals, which is already a career-high for the nine-year veteran. Former Reign forward Martin Frk is also in the Calgary lineup and has posted 30 points on 12 goals and 18 assists in 35 games. Defender Ilya Solovyov paces the blueliners with 19 points on five goals and 14 assists. Devin Cooley has led the Wranglers in net with a 17-7-0 record from 25 appearances and a 0.933 save percentage that is first in the league among active netminders along with a stellar 2.10 goals-against average. Cooley’s win total is tied for the most in the AHL, while Waltteri Ignatjew has also seen action between the pipes in 13 contests.

GOOD GAWD-IN: Reign forward Glenn Gawdin a native of Richmond, British Columbia, posted a goal and an assist in his return to his home province Tuesday after recording his team-high fourth three-point game of the year last Sunday afternoon with two goals and an assist in a win over Iowa. Gawdin also assisted on Samuel Fagemo’s third period power play strike in the team’s final game in Abbotsford Wednesday. The attacker leads the team with 36 points this season while appearing in each of the club’s 35 games and is on pace for his highest-scoring pro season after finishing with a career-best 55 points as a member of San Diego during 2023-24. Gawdin’s current point total ranks second in the AHL this season behind Calgary’s Dryden Hunt and his three game-winning goals already equal the most he’s had during a single campaign. Gawdin also has a 15.9% shooting percentage, the third-highest among active Ontario skaters. In 363 career AHL games split between three different clubs, Gawdin has totaled 272 points on 98 goals and 174 assists.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Although the Reign could not find a goal in the third period of Saturday’s loss to Henderson, the third has been their most successful frame this season. Ontario has outscored opponents a combined 45-28 in the third period this year, netting more than 10 goals from the final frame than their totals from the first (33) and the second (34). In addition, the Reign have secured the extra point from four of their five games that have gone past regulation, going 3-1 in four shootout competitions while winning the only game they’ve had that finished in overtime on a strike by Samuel Fagemo on Jan. 8.

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Calgary (all times Pacific):
Wed., Dec. 18 vs. Calgary, 2-1 W – Full Recap
Sun., Jan. 19 vs. Calgary, 3 p.m.
Tue., Jan. 21 vs. Calgary, 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 15 at Calgary, 1 p.m.
Mon., Feb. 17 at Calgary, 1:30 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 23 vs. Calgary, 3 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 5 at Calgary, 12:30 p.m.
Mon., Apr. 7 at Calgary, 6 p.m.