REIGN PREVIEW 10/26 – Ontario at Abbotsford

WHO: Ontario Reign (3-1-1-0) at Abbotsford Canucks (2-3-0-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #6
WHEN: Sunday, October 26 @ 3:00 Pacific
WHERE: Abbotsford Centre – Abbotsford, BC
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey – AUDIO: Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ReignInsider & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign and Abbotsford Canucks square off in the second of eight total meetings this season, the second of four in Abbotsford at Abbotsford Centre. The Reign played spoiler on Friday night defeating the Canucks by a final score of 5-2 on their 2025 Calder Cup banner raising night. Ontario has won back-to-back games for the first time this season while Abbotsford has dropped three in a row.

LAST TIME OUT: Andre Lee and Taylor Ward each scored twice on Friday while Ward capped off a three-point night with an assist. Lee’s first goal of the game came 2:36 in as the Reign took a 1-0 lead for the first time this season. After Ben Berard tied things up on the power-play with 13 seconds left in the first period Ward scored a pair of unanswered goals, his first at 12:38 of the second and his second 4:20 into the third putting the Reign on top 3-1. Just 3:19 later Lee struck on the power-play making it a 4-1 advantage. Mackenzie MacEachern potted Abbotsford’s second man advantage strike of the evening with 5:46 left in regulation and then Glenn Gawdin sealed the win for the Reign providing an empty net tally with 36 seconds left for a 5-2 final score.

BACK IN THE PIPES: Pheonix Copley looked comfortable in between the crease in his first game of the season making 24 saves on 26 shots in the victory. Copley joined the club in Abbotsford on Thursday afternoon after clearing waivers earlier in the day. He was placed on waivers by the Kings on Oct. 1 and was claimed by Tampa Bay the following day before being traded back to the Kings on Oct. 15. Erik Portillo had started the first four games of the season and surrendered just two goals against in each of his last three starts making 65 saves on 71 shots.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: For the Reign, Glenn Gawdin scored his first goal of the season Friday and tallied an assist earlier in the game for his 300th career AHL point and has a three-game point streak (1-2-3). Taylor Ward got on the scoresheet for the first time this season and collected his fourth three-point game of his career and is now two points shy of 100 career AHL points. Tim Rego made his AHL debut Friday finishing plus-two while Jack Hughes saw an increase in ice time notching his first professional point with an assist on Lee’s first goal of the contest. For the Canucks, Ben Berard tallied a goal and an assist in the loss Friday while leading all skaters with six shots.

DEFENSIVE SHUTDOWN: Ontario currently ranks 10th int the AHL allowing just 2.60 goals-against per game. After allowing five in a 5-4 overtime loss on opening night back on Oct. 10 the Reign have surrendered just two goals against in four straight contests. The Reign have allowed just three goals in the second period of play through five games this season including just one in their last three.

SPECIAL TEAMS IMPACT: The Reign finished 1-for-6 on the power-play Friday night and have scored a power-play goal in four of their first five games. They’re 19th in the league (5-for-28, 17.9%) having had the fourth power-play opportunities in the league. Ontario’s penalty kill is just (15-for-21, 71.4%), 26th in the AHL. They allowed two power-play goals against on three short-handed deficits on Friday; the second time they’ve given up two power-play tallies in a contest this season. The Reign have allowed a power-play goal against in four of five games and have taken the 11th most minor penalties in the league with 27.