The Ontario Reign (41-18-3-2) defeated the Tucson Roadrunners (29-24-9-0) Friday night by a final score of 3-2 in front of 4,044 fans at Tucson Arena becoming the first team in the Pacific Division to clinch a spot into the playoffs. The Reign and Roadrunners will wrap up the back-to-back series Saturday night at 7 p.m. PST.
Martin Chromiak scored a pair of goals and added an assist in the victory with his second goal of the game being the game winner at 5:35 of the third period. His first goal came on the power-play with just 4.4 seconds left in the first period giving the Reign a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Tucson grabbed an early pair of goals in the second period capturing a 2-1 advantage before Cole Guttman scored on the power-play with 35 seconds left in the stanza making it 2-2 through 40 minutes. Logan Brown and Nikita Alexandrov each tallied a pair of assists.
The Reign led 1-0 after the first period as Martin Chromiak (23rd) scored on the power-play from Logan Brown and Nikita Alexandrov with just 4.4 seconds remaining in the frame. Inside the right point Alexandrov fed Brown down the wall. From the right circle Brown found Chromiak all alone in the high slot where he cranked a one-timer top shelf past Stauber. There were six total penalties called in the stanza as Ontario went 1-for-3 on the man advantage and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The score was all tied at 2-2 through 40 minutes of play. Robbie Russo tied the contest for Tucson 27 seconds into the frame on a wrist shot from the point. Then at 5:47 Jalen Luypen gave the Roadrunners a 2-1 advantage when he was setup at the near crease slipping the puck past the right leg of Copley. Ontario went on their fourth power-play of the night with 58 seconds to play in the stanza and it would be Cole Guttman (21st) tying the score at 2-2 from Logan Brown and Martin Chromiak with 35 seconds left in the period. From just inside the blue line Guttman fired a wrister over the glove of Stauber.
Martin Chromiak (24th) scored his second of the night at 5:35 of the third period giving the Reign a 3-2 lead from Glenn Gawdin and Nikita Alexandrov. Back behind the Ontario blue line Alexandrov spring Gawdin at the attacking line left wing side. On a two-on-one break Gawdin from the left face-off dot sent a saucer pass to Chromiak inside the right circle where he directed the puck upstairs over a sliding Stauber for the game winner.
Pheonix Copley made 23 saves on 25 shots for his third straight win improving to 6-0-1 in his last seven games and 8-1-1 in his last 10 contests. Jaxson Stauber suffered the loss making 13 saves on 16 shots.
Ontario finished 2-for-4 on the power-play, their third straight game scoring on the man advantage, while going 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Postgame thoughts from Andrew Lord, Glenn Gawdin, and Martin Chromiak.
Lord
Gawdin
Chromiak
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