The Ontario Reign defeated the San Diego Gulls in overtime Friday night by a final score of 4-3 in front of 4,721 fans at Toyota Arena. The Reign will play Coachella Valley on Sunday for their final pre-season game with puck-drop at 5 p.n. PST.
Aatu Jämsen scored 1:27 into overtime to hand the Reign the victory. Kaleb Lawrence and Jack Hughes found the back of the net in period one giving Ontario a 2-0 lead. After the Gulls scored twice in the second period, Nate Corbet gave Ontario back the lead early into the third period. San Diego tied the game back at 3-3 minutes later.
Ontario led 2-0 after the first period outshooting San Diego 13-6. Jack Hughes got the Reign on the board at 7:01 from Vojtech Čihař and Michael Mastrdomencio. Back behind his own blue line Mastrodemnico stretched Čihař up the right-wing swall. From there Čihař attacked through the right circle sweeping the puck off the paddle of Suchanek. Hughes captured it below the right face-off circle and zipped a wrist shot into the net. San Diego’s Lukas Jirousek was assessed a high sticking minor at 11:49 and then him and Nate Corbett dropped the gloves. On the power-play Kaleb Lawrence would doble the Reign advantage from Henry Brzustewicz and Aatu Jämsen at 12:47. From the top of the right circle Jämsen fed Brzustewicz at the blue line where he sent a one-timer to the cage. Suchanek made the intital save but Lawrene was at the right side of the crease to bang home the rebound.
San Diego got on the board twice early into the second period as the score was 2-2 through 40 minutes of play with shots favoring the Gulls 15-4 in the frame. Just 40 seconds into the period Matthew Phillips got San Diego on the board and then 74 seconds later Herman Träff tied the score.
Nate Corbet put the Reign in front 3-2 from Ryan O’Hara and Brendan Gorman 1:55 into the third period. At the right wing side in the offensive zone Gorman fed O’Hara rink wide. From just inside the left point O’Hara sent a shot off the back boards where Corbet met the puck at the goal line and chipped it by Clara. At 8:45 Sash Mutala tied the game at 3-3. Shots in the third period favored Ontario 11-5.
Just 1:27 into overtime Aatu Jämsen handed the Reign the victory from Michael Mastrodemnico and Kaleb Lawrence. Through the left circle Jämsen cut to the net and lifted a backhander over the glove of Clara from the crease.
Hampton Slukynsky started the game for Ontario and made 14 saves on 16 shots in 30:43 while Carter George turned away 10 of 11 shots in 30:44. Tomas Suchanek started the game for San Diego making 13 saves on 15 shits in 30:43 while Damian Clara turned aside 13 of 15 shots in 30:44. Ontario went 1-for-2 on the power-play while San Diego did not receive a power-play opportunity.
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