REIGN PREVIEW 3/18 – Ontario at Texas

WHO: Ontario Reign (34-19-3-1) at Texas Stars (34-19-3-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #58
WHEN: Tuesday, March 18 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: H-E-B Center – Cedar Park, TX
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign are set to open a two-game series in Texas against the Stars on Tuesday evening. This week’s road contests mark the first road trip outside of the Pacific Division for the Reign in over three years.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Coming into Tuesday’s matchup, Ontario and Texas have almost identical records, with each team winning 34 contests and dropping 19 in regulation. The Reign have played one more game than the Stars and have one extra point in the standings, totaling 72 to Texas’ 71. The Stars have only contested 56 games, which is tied alongside Bakersfield as the lowest number in the AHL. Ontario enters the contest riding a three-game win streak after a sweep of Tucson in Arizona last week and a shootout victory over Henderson on Sunday. Texas pulled off a sweep of their own over the weekend, winning back-to-back contests against the Cleveland Monsters by 4-1 and 5-4 scores. Both teams hold second place in their respective divisions, with Ontario sitting four points back of first-place Colorado, while the Stars are just one point behind Milwaukee with four games in hand on the Admirals. The Reign average the second-most shots on goal in the league (31.96) and also allow the second-lowest total per game (25.93). Texas is ranked third on the offensive end, averaging 3.48 goals per game, and has an impressive home record of 17-8-3 this year.

LAST TIME OUT: The Ontario Reign held on to defeat the Henderson Silver Knights in a shootout by a final score of 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena. Pheonix Copley helped keep Ontario in the game with 20 saves during regulation and overtime before turning down both shooters he faced in the skill session. Jack Studnicka added a goal and an assist to lead the way on the offensive end for the Reign.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Ontario and Texas met twice in Southern California earlier this season in late November and early December, the first contests between the two clubs since the 2018-19 campaign when the clubs split a two-game series. The Reign took the first game at Toyota Arena on Nov. 29 by a 4-0 score with two goals from Samuel Fagemo and 27 stops by Pheonix Copley. Texas returned on Dec. 3 and secured a 5-3 decision backed by two goals from Arttu Hyry. Francesco Pinelli had a goal and an assist in the loss for Ontario, while Samuel Fagemo and Angus Booth also found the back of the net. Six years ago, each side earned a win in its home building with the Reign securing a 5-3 victory in Ontario on Nov. 1, 2018. The Stars responded with a 5-1 win in Texas on Dec. 29 of that year. The teams also met the year prior in the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs, with the Stars securing a series win in four games, which included two overtime contests. Texas went on to play in the Calder Cup Finals that year, losing to the Toronto Marlies in seven games. The last time the teams played each other four times in a single season was during 2017-18 when Ontario won three of the four matchups.

SHOOTOUT SUCCESS: Ontario’s shootout win on Sunday was their seventh victory from a skills session this season, tying Grand Rapids for the most in the American Hockey League this year. The only team with a higher winning percentage from shootouts this season is Texas, who has gone 3-0 during the breakaway competition. The Reign have been led by Glenn Gawdin and Jeff Malott, who are both perfect this year during shootout situations. Gawdin is 5-for-5, while Malott has gone 4-for-4. Gawdin has scored the deciding goal in four of Ontario’s shootout wins, while Taylor Ward has also gone 2-for-4 with one finishing tally. Erik Portillo has been in net for six of the shootout wins, saving a combined 15 of 16 attempts, while Pheonix Copley has a 2-0 record, including Sunday when he made saves on both shots he saw during the first two rounds.

SCOUTING THE STARS: Forward Matej Blümel leads Texas in scoring with 56 points from 51 games this season and enters Tuesday night’s matchup on the heels of his first-career hat trick, which saw him net the game-winning goal to defeat Cleveland with just 45 seconds left in regulation. Blümel’s 31 goals are second-most in the AHL and have matched his total from last season, achieving the number in 21 fewer games. Rookie forward Justin Hryckowian is second on the team with 49 points in 52 contests with 17 goals and 32 helpers. Cameron Hughes has also chipped in with 47 points in 54 games on 20 goals and 27 assists, while Anthonio Stranges has 18 goals and 25 helpers for 43 points. Defender Kyle Capobianco has 35 points on five goals and 30 assists, which leads the team’s blueliners in scoring. In goal, Magnus Hellberg has played in 33 of Texas’s contests and has a 21-10-1 record with a goals-against average of 2.78 along with a 0.904 save percentage. Remi Poirier has also seen action in 22 games and has a 2.80 goals-against and two shutouts.

FAGEMO’S FIVE-GAME RUN: Forward Samuel Fagemo has been on the scoresheet in five consecutive contests for Ontario and has also posted assists in his last four. It’s the second time this season he’s had points in five straight, but earlier in the year he had goals in each contest. This time he’s having more success passing the puck, posting five helpers from his last four outings. Fagemo also has two goals during the run, giving him a team-high 23 on the season. The fifth-year forward’s 37 points rank fourth on the team, while his 181 shots on goal are the highest of any Reign skater and are third-most in the AHL. Eight of Fagemo’s goals have come on the power play this season and two have been game-winners. In 253 career AHL contests, all of which have come with Ontario, Fagemo has 126 goals, the most in franchise history, along with  67 assists for 193 points.

POWERFUL PINELLI: Reign forward Francesco Pinelli was one of the heroes in the team’s win over Tucson on Wednesday night, scoring the game-winning goal with less than three minutes remaining on the clock. Pinelli took a pass from Jeff Malott low in the Roadrunners’ zone and fired home his 14th goal of the year, besting the total from his rookie season to set a new career high while extending his point streak to four games. While the streak came to an end on Sunday, Pinelli continued his effectiveness, putting four shots on net while skating on Ontario’s top line with Malott and Samuel Fagemo. Overall, the attacker has 26 points this season, ranking sixth among Reign forwards. The Stoney Creek, Ontario native also has seven multi-point efforts this year and has appeared in 123 AHL games over the past two campaigns while totaling 46 points (27 goals, 19 assists).

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Texas:
Fri., Nov. 29 vs. Texas, 4-0 W – Full Recap
Tue., Dec. 3 vs. Texas, 2-4 L – Full Recap
Tue., Mar. 18 at Texas, 5 p.m.
Wed. Mar. 19 at Texas, 5 p.m.