REIGN PREVIEW 3/1 – Ontario at Colorado

WHO: Ontario Reign (31-16-2-1) at Colorado Eagles (29-14-5-2)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #51
WHEN: Saturday, March 1 @ 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: The Ontario Reign are looking to shake off a shutout loss in Colorado on Friday and wipe the slate clean for a new month in Saturday’s rematch with the Eagles at Blue Arena, the fourth and final battle between the two divisional foes in the Centennial State.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: It was a short stay at the top of the table for Ontario, who enters Saturday’s contest in a third-place tie alongside the Eagles, with each club holding 65 points. There’s only one point separating the top four in the Pacific, which is now led by Calgary and Coachella Valley, who each earned wins on Friday and now have 66 points. Colorado has the best goal differential in the division (+46) and the most home goals of any team in the AHL this year (115). Anytime the Reign have scored first this season, which has only happened in 18 of their 50 outings, they’ve had the upper hand, posting a 15-2-0-1 mark from those contests. Ontario has also amassed a 16-6-0-1 record on the road, earning 33 of a possible 46 points, the third-highest road points percentage in the AHL and the best mark in the Western Conference (0.717). Colorado is second in the league offensively, averaging 3.50 goals per game, and third defensively, allowing just 2.58 per outing. Ontario averages the second-most shots on goal in the league (31.96) while allowing the second-lowest total per game (26.08).

LAST TIME OUT: Trent Miner made 29 saves and kept the Ontario Reign off the board in a 4-0 shutout win for the Colorado Eagles on Friday night at Blue Arena. Pheonix Copley made the start for Ontario and turned out 22 of Colorado’s opportunities in a losing effort. The Eagles are now tied with the Reign in the Pacific Division standings, with each club having secured 65 points from 50 games played.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Colorado has picked up victories in three of the first four battles between the two teams this season, taking three in a row after losing the first bout of the campaign to Ontario. Before the 4-0 win on Friday, the Eagles emerged victorious in Ontario on Jan. 29 by a 4-2 score. The clubs split a series on consecutive days in Loveland, Nov. 15-16, in their first two meetings of the year. The Reign won the first 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 four contests for Ontario. Forward Jake Wise leads the Eagles against the Reign, with five of his 15 total goals on the year coming in the four contests. Former Reign captain TJ Tynan has also produced four assists against his old teammates, which included a three-helper output in Colorado on Nov. 16. The Reign are 2-for-10 on the power play in the series (20%) while holding the Eagles to a 2-for-12 mark on the man advantage (16.6%). Ontario won just three of eight against the Eagles a year ago and finished 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.

FINAL NUMBERS FROM FEBRUARY: The Reign finished the second month of 2025 with a 6-2-1 record, earning 13 of a possible 18 points from their nine games. Ontario’s only road loss in the past 28 days came in their final contest on Friday in Colorado. The other four scheduled games away from home were wins for the Reign, including a 3-0-0 road trip last week, which consisted of two victories in Calgary and another in San Jose. Charles Hudon led the way individually with 14 points on two goals, 12 assists and a plus-8 rating, while his linemate Jeff Malott was not far behind, posting 11 points with seven goals and four helpers. Captain Joe Hicketts also had six points while suiting up in all nine games, scoring two goals and four assists.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Forward Matthew Phillips is tied with TJ Tynan as the highest-scoring forwards for Colorado 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 40 outings. Blueliner Jacob MacDonald, who represented Colorado in the AHL All-Star Classic, also has 38 points and is tied for the team lead in overall scoring. MacDonald posted an assist for the Eagles in Friday’s win and has a team-best 21 goals along with 17 helpers. His 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 2.27 goals-against average from 23 appearances, which ranks fifth in the AHL, while Kevin Mandolese has played in 15 games with a 0.907 save percentage and Adam Scheel has earned an 8-1-2 record from 11 decisions.

CHARLIE CHATTER: Forward Charles Hudon’s season-high nine-game point streak was snapped on Friday, falling one game short of recording points in each of the team’s February contests. Heading into last night’s games, the run was the longest active stretch in the AHL and was also the most for any Reign skater this season. Hudon’s streak began on Jan. 31 and consisted of 15 points on three goals and 12 assists. His success moved him up the league leaderboard, where he currently ranks third in overall scoring with 48 total points from 46 games. In February, Hudon had 14 points (2-12=14), which was the fifth most of any league skater. The Alma, Quebec native also has six game-winning goals this year, which is tied for the second-most in the league. Hudon has done more damage on the man-advantage than any other Reign skater this season, totaling 17 power play points on three goals and 14 helpers. If he continues on his current pace, the 11th-year pro 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. Hudon is also two goals shy of reaching 200 during his AHL career.

CECCONI’S REIGN DEBUT: After being acquired by the LA Kings in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, defenseman Joseph Cecconi made his debut for Ontario against Colorado on Friday night, recording one shot on goal and finishing with an even rating. The 27-year-old skated in 51 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild this season before the trade, recording 14 points on two goals and 12 assists with a plus-5 rating and 41 penalty minutes. Now in his sixth pro season, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound blueliner has accumulated 68 points (10-58=68) in 326 career AHL games with Iowa, Rochester and Texas. Cecconi was originally selected by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft and has since also suited up in 21 career Calder Cup Playoff games, notching eight points on three goals and five assists with a plus-8 rating. Before turning pro, he played four seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan, tallying 62 points (9-53=62) and 103 PIM in 147 games with the Wolverines.

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, 0-4 L – Full Recap
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.