REIGN PREVIEW 1/21 – Ontario vs. Calgary

WHO: Ontario Reign (21-13-1-1) vs. Calgary Wranglers (27-12-1-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #37
WHEN: Tuesday, January 21 @ 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: The Ontario Reign will move past the halfway mark of its 2024-25 regular season when they complete a two-game series with the Pacific Division-leading Calgary Wranglers on Tuesday night at Toyota Arena.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Calgary has the highest current points percentage in the American Hockey League, which sits at 0.688. The Wranglers have collected 55 points from the 40 games they’ve played, including wins in four straight contests. Ontario on the other hand has hit a rough patch, coming up short in its previous four outings which is the club’s longest losing streak of the season. As a result, the Reign have dropped into fourth place in the Pacific Division standings with 44 points to their name. Calgary has the second-highest scoring offense in the AHL, averaging 3.65 goals per game, while Ontario averages the third-most shots on goal per contest in the league (32.3). The Wranglers have outscored their opponents 146-116 on the season, a goal differential of plus-30.

LAST TIME OUT: A three-goal comeback by the Ontario Reign forced overtime on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena, but the Calgary Wranglers came away with the extra point on a winning goal by Ilya Solovyov in the final minute of the extra session. Four different goal scorers found the back of the net for Ontario in a losing effort including Jack Studnicka and Taylor Ward, who led the way with a goal and an assist each.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Prior to Sunday’s series-opener, the Reign had defeated Calgary 2-1 in the only previous meeting of the season between the two clubs 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 the Saddledome 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 a year ago on two goals and four helpers.

MIDSEASON MARKS: The Reign are exactly halfway through their 72-game regular season schedule, winning 21 of their first 36 games and accumulating 44 points (0.611). Ontario has an 11-8-1 record at home inside Toyota Arena and sports a 10-5-0-1 mark on the road. The Reign have a 12-1-0-1 record when they score the first goal and have outscored their opponents by an overall differential of 120-109 while out-shooting them 1,165-950. Ontario’s 14.67 penalty minutes per game rank as the fifth highest among the league’s 32 teams. Glenn Gawdin leads the club with 37 points, the third-most in the league, while Samuel Fagemo has a team-high 20 goals, the second-highest total in the AHL. Fagemo’s 130 shots on goal are also tied for the most in the league.

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 40 points on 12 goals and 28 assists. Hunt’s point total is also tied atop the league’s leaderboard alongside San Jose’s Andrew Poturalski. His 28 assists are the most of any skater in the AHL this season. Forward Clark Bishop has 33 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 32 points on 12 goals and 20 assists in 36 games. Defender Ilya Solovyov, who scored the game-winner in overtime on Sunday, paces the blueliners with 20 points on six 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 14 contests.

GOOD GAWD-IN: Reign forward Glenn Gawdin scored on the power play during the second period Sunday to cap off a productive week that included points in three of Ontario’s four games and totaled seven points on four goals and three assists. The Richmond, British Columbia native 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 had an assist on Samuel Fagemo’s third period power play strike in the team’s final game in Abbotsford on Wednesday. The attacker leads the team with 37 points this season while appearing in each of the club’s 36 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 third in the AHL and his three game-winning goals already equal the most he’s had during a single campaign. Gawdin also has a 16.7% shooting percentage which is the second-highest among active Ontario skaters. In 364 career AHL games split between three different clubs, Gawdin has totaled 273 points on 99 goals and 174 assists.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Ontario’s best frame this season has been the third period. The Reign have outscored opponents a combined 46-28 in the final period this year, netting more goals from the final frame than their totals from the first (33) and the second (37). The latest example of Ontario’s third period success came on Sunday afternoon when they were able to erase a 4-3 deficit with the lone goal of the frame while out-shooting Calgary 13-4.

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, 4-5 OTL – Full Recap
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.