REIGN PREVIEW 2/28 – Ontario at Colorado

WHO: Ontario Reign (31-15-2-1) at Colorado Eagles (28-14-5-2)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #50
WHEN: Friday, February 28 @ 6:05 PM Pacific
WHERE: Blue Arena – Loveland, CO
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: As February comes to a close, the Ontario Reign begin a weekend series in Colorado against the Eagles on Friday night at Blue Arena. The teams come into the matchup separated by two points at the top of the Pacific Division standings.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario is at the top of the table after 49 games this season, leading a group of four teams separated by just two points with seven weeks remaining in the 2024-25 regular season. The Reign, with wins in seven of their last 10 outings, have 65 points, while Calgary and Coachella Valley each have 64 and Colorado has earned 63 with the best goal differential in the division (+42). Anytime the Reign have scored first this year, which has only happened in 18 of their 49 outings, they’ve had the upper hand, posting a 15-2-0-1 mark from those contests. Ontario has also amassed a 16-5-0-1 record on the road, earning 33 of a possible 44 points, the third-highest road points percentage in the AHL (0.750). Colorado is third in the league on both sides of the puck, averaging 3.49 goals per game and allowing just 2.63 through 49 games. The Reign rank fifth in the league on the offensive end with 165 total tallies, an average of 3.37 per game. Ontario also averages the second-most shots on goal in the league (32.02) while allowing the second-lowest total per game (26.08).

LAST TIME OUT: Despite allowing the first goal for the sixth consecutive game against the Calgary Wranglers, the Ontario Reign once again came from behind to earn a victory over their foes from Alberta, winning 2-1 in a shootout on Sunday at Toyota Arena. Overall, the Reign have earned points from all six of their matchups against Calgary this season and are now alone at the top of the Pacific Division standings.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Colorado has picked up victories in two of the first three battles between the two teams this season, taking the most recent contest in Ontario on Jan. 29 by a 4-2 score after the clubs split a series on consecutive days in Loveland Nov. 15-16. The Reign won the first road matchup 5-3 before dropping the second by a 6-4 score. Glenn Gawdin and Reilly Walsh both have two goals and an assist in the series, while Jeff Malott has picked up three helpers from the three contests for Ontario. Former Reign captain TJ Tynan leads the Eagles with four assists in the three games, which included a three-helper output in Colorado on Nov. 16. The Reign are 2-for-6 on the power play in the series (33.3%) while holding the Eagles to a 1-for-9 mark on the man advantage (11.1%). Ontario won just three of eight against the Eagles a year ago, finishing with a 1-3-0 mark in Colorado. Former Eagles forward Charles Hudon was one of the Reign’s top scorers against his former team last season, scoring eight points on five goals and three assists.

CHARLIE CHATTER: Forward Charles Hudon enters Friday night’s matchup on a nine-game point streak, the longest active run in the AHL and the best of any Reign skater this season. The stretch dates back to Jan. 31 and consists of 15 points on three goals and 12 assists. Hudon aims to finish February with points in all of Ontario’s nine games and currently ranks third in the league in scoring during the month with 14 points (2-12=14). Hudon’s 48 total points from 45 games this season leads the team and is also tied for third in the AHL, while the Alma, Quebec native has six game-winning goals on the year, which is tied for the second-most in the league. Hudon has done more damage on the man-advantage than any other Reign attacker this season, totaling 17 power play points on three goals and 14 helpers. If he continues at his current pace, Hudon will set a new career-high in scoring, which he achieved with 57 points both in 2014-15 with the Hamilton Bulldogs and during 2021-22 as a member of the Syracuse Crunch. He is also two goals shy of reaching 200 during his AHL career.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Forward Matthew Phillips is tied with TJ Tynan at the top of the team’s scoring leaderboard this season, each with 38 points. Phillips has played in 46 games this year with 14 goals and 24 assists, while Tynan has eight goals and 30 helpers from 39 outings. Blueliner Jacob MacDonald, who represented Colorado in the AHL All-Star Classic, is just one point behind the two top forwards with 37, including a team-best 21 goals and 16 assists. MacDonald’s goal total is the most of any defender in the league this season. Captain Jayson Megna has also made a big impact with 33 points on 11 goals and 22 assists, while defender Wyatt Aamodt has just 11 points in 48 games on three goals and eight assists but has managed to rack up a league-high plus-31 rating. In goal, Trent Minor has an impressive 2.38 goals-against average from 22 appearances, while Kevin Mandolese has also played in 15 games with a 0.907 save percentage and Adam Scheel has earned an 8-1-2 record from 11 decisions.

CAN’T STOP COP(LEY): Reign goaltender Pheonix Copley has won six of his last seven starts for Ontario, improving his record on the season to 16-8-0 from 24 appearances. The veteran netminder had his best run of the campaign last month, allowing one or fewer goals in five consecutive starts from Jan. 18 through Feb. 12. The North Pole, Alaska native has also posted two shutout victories this season and has 17 during his stellar AHL career. Copley’s 2.41 goals-against average ranks 11th in the league this season among qualifying netminders, while his save percentage sits at 0.908. In 261 career AHL games since 2014-15, Copley has a 2.51 goals-against and a 0.911 save percentage while posting 140 wins.

MALOTT OF OFFENSE: Forward Jeff Malott saw his season-high six-game point streak come to an end last week in Ontario’s loss to San Jose on Saturday, but he rebounded the following night to set up Joe Hicketts’s tying goal in the second period of Sunday’s 2-1 win over Calgary. Malott’s primary helper was his fifth assist in the Reign’s six contests against the Wranglers this season, where he has totaled a point per game (1-5=6). The Waterdown, Ontario native is in his fifth professional season and ranks third on the Reign in scoring with 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) while appearing in all 49 of Ontario’s games. Earlier in February, Malott had his first two multi-goal efforts with the Reign and later recorded the seventh three-point output of his AHL career. Malott had a career-high 52 points in 70 games a year ago while playing for the Manitoba Moose, scoring 22 goals and 30 assists. It was his third consecutive 20-goal season with Manitoba, where he played from 2020-24, totaling 237 AHL games.

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Colorado:
Fri., Nov. 15 at Colorado, 5-3 W – Full Recap
Sat., Nov. 16 at Colorado, 4-6 L – Full Recap
Wed., Jan. 29 vs. Colorado,  2-4 L – Full Recap
Fri., Feb. 28 at Colorado, 6:05 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 1 at Colorado, 6:05 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 29 vs. Colorado, 6 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 30 vs. Colorado, 3 p.m.
Wed., Apr. 16 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.