REIGN PREVIEW 1/25 – Ontario vs. Coachella Valley

WHO: Ontario Reign (23-13-1-1) vs. Coachella Valley Firebirds (21-13-1-5)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #39
WHEN: Saturday, January 25 @ 6:00 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 wrapping up a season series with one California rival on Friday when the Reign prevailed with a 3-2 shootout win in Bakersfield, Ontario returns home on Saturday for its eighth and final meeting of the 2024-25 campaign against the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Toyota Arena. The Firebirds have won four of the first seven contests between the two clubs this season.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario and Coachella Valley are even in the Pacific Division standings, with each team claiming 48 points which is good for second place, seven behind the Calgary Wranglers at the top. Anytime the Reign have scored first this year, they’ve had the upper hand, posting a 12-1-0-1 mark in the 14 games where they’ve taken an initial lead. The Firebirds have managed to score the first goal in all seven previous meetings between the two teams this season and have a record of 11-5-1-3 when netting the first goal and a 7-1-0-2 record when they hold a lead after 20 minutes. Ontario averages the fourth-most goals per game in the AHL this season (3.39), while Coachella Valley is 10th in the league offensively (3.28). The Reign also average the second-most shots on goal per contest in the league (32.5), while the Firebirds are seventh in the AHL in shots per game (30.8).

LAST TIME OUT: Tyler Madden scored in the third to force extra time and Glenn Gawdin was the lone skater to score in the shootout Friday night as the Ontario Reign found their way to a 3-2 victory over the Bakersfield Condors at Mechanics Bank Arena. Martin Chromiak also factored into both Reign goals during regulation, scoring on a breakaway in the first before earning the first assist on Madden’s third period strike. Erik Portillo made the start between the pipes and stopped 22 shots in 65 minutes before denying all three of Bakersfield’s shootout attempts to pick up his 12th win of the year.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Firebirds emerged victorious from the first three matchups between the I-10 rivals to begin the 2024-25 season before Ontario won the next three to even up the series. Coachella Valley claimed the most recent outcome on Jan. 4 by a 4-3 score and now lead the series by the same number. Forward Ryan Winterton has led the way for Coachella Valley in the series with seven points on four goals and three assists. Forward Jani Nyman also has four tallies against Ontario, while Lleyton Roed (3-3=6) and Jagger Firkus (1-5=6) have totaled six points apiece. Samuel Fagemo and Charles Hudon are the scoring leaders for the Reign in the series with six points each. Fagemo has five goals and an assist, while Hudon has one tally and five helpers. In addition, Jeff Malott has five points in seven games against the Firebirds on three goals and two assists. Pheonix Copley has two of the Reign’s three wins against Coachella Valley and a 0.908 save percentage while Firebirds’ goaltenders Nikke Kokko and Ales Stezka are both 2-1-0 against Ontario. A year ago, the Reign won four of the eight matchups against Coachella Valley during 2023-24 with a record of 4-3-0-1.

MADDEN-ING FINISH: Reign forward Tyler Madden netted his seventh goal of the season to help Ontario complete a third period comeback in Bakersfield on Friday night in an eventual shootout victory. The goal was similar to one he had in the third period of the Reign’s playoff series-clinching victory over the Condors at Mechanics Bank Arena last April, when he broke a 1-1 tie with his third goal of the series to send Ontario into the postseason’s second round. Friday was also Madden’s second consecutive game finding the back of the net after a two-point effort on Tuesday in a 6-1 win over Calgary. Madden has been on the scoresheet in five games during January and is up to 22 points overall this season while appearing in all 38 games for the Reign. The former third-round selection of the Vancouver Canucks in 2018 has played all 242 of his professional games with Ontario during a five-season career, totaling 125 points on 57 goals and 68 assists.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: Coachella Valley advanced to the Calder Cup Finals in each of its first two seasons in the AHL but came up short of the league’s title both times, falling to the eventual champion Hershey Bears. The Firebirds have finished both of their first two regular seasons with 103 total points in the Pacific Division standings, earning a first-place finish and a bye in the opening round of the postseason last year. Forward Ben Meyers has made a big impact on the scoresheet in his first season with the Firebirds and currently leads the team in scoring with 27 points in 32 games on 11 goals and 16 assists. Jani Nyman is second on the team with 25 points, but the rookie forward leads the club with 16 goals from 39 games. Lleyton Roed and Logan Morrison have both totaled 24 points on the year, with Roed scoring 11 times and assisting on 13 others, while Morrison has 10 goals and 14 assists. Defender Max Lajoie is first in scoring among the team’s blueliners with 20 points on three goals and 17 assists. While Ales Stezka has garnered the majority of playing time in goal, appearing in 23 games with a .902 save percentage, rookie Nikke Kokko has the better record, going 12-2-1 in 16 contests with a 2.52 goals-against average.

NO WORRIES WITH WALSH: Defender Reilly Walsh is the top-scoring blueliner on Ontario’s roster this season, accumulating 20 points on four goals and 16 assists while appearing in all 38 of the team’s games. With assists in three of his last five contests, the fifth-year skater is on pace to surpass his point total from last season when he managed 28 in 60 games with the Providence Bruins on nine goals and 19 assists. Walsh’s career-high in scoring came in his second pro campaign when he totaled 43 points in 70 games with the Utica Comets (nine goals, 34 assists). Three of Walsh’s four goals have come via the man-advantage where he is tied for second on the team with 11 power play points.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: The third period has been Ontario’s best frame this season. The Reign have outscored opponents a combined 48-28 in the final period this year, netting more goals from the final frame than their totals from the first (35) and the second (41). They’ve backed up that year-long success in their latest three outings against Bakersfield and Calgary. First, they erased a 4-3 deficit with the lone goal of the frame on Sunday to force overtime while holding a 13-4 shot-on-goal advantage, then held the Wranglers quiet on Tuesday with just five shots allowed while an insurance goal by Samuel Fagemo sealed a victory. Most recently on Friday, Ontario out-shot the Condors 12-8 in the third and Tyler Madden scored the only goal to force overtime in an eventual shootout win.

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Coachella Valley:
Fri., Oct. 25 at Coachella Valley, 2-5 L – Full Recap
Fri., Nov. 8 vs. Coachella Valley, 3-4 L – Full Recap
Sun., Nov 10 at Coachella Valley, 2-4 L – Full Recap
Fri., Dec. 20 at Coachella Valley, 4-1 W – Full Recap
Sat., Dec. 21 vs. Coachella Valley, 4-2 W – Full Recap
Sat., Dec. 28 at Coachella Valley, 4-3 W (SO) – Full Recap
Sat., Jan. 4 vs. Coachella Valley, 3-4 L – Full Recap
Sat., Jan. 25 vs. Coachella Valley, 6 p.m.