REIGN PREVIEW – Ontario vs. Abbotsford, 3/20

WHO: Ontario Reign (33-12-4-3) vs. Abbotsford Canucks (28-19-4-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #53
WHEN: Sunday, March 20 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – AUDIO: Mixlr – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @ontarioreign

 

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign clash with the Abbotsford Canucks for the final time during the 2021-22 regular season on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena. The two teams got very familiar with each other in the first half of the season, facing off six times prior to January. The Reign have a chance to even the series with a win on Sunday, after going 3-2-0-2 in the first seven meetings with Abbotsford this season. Ontario is in second place in the Pacific Division standings with a points percentage of 0.702 and the Canucks are tied for fourth with at 0.587.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Reign are just two points away from clinching a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs and can secure a postseason berth with a win in Sunday’s game. Ontario’s games with Abbotsford have been extremely close, with six of the seven meetings decided by just a single goal. The Reign continue to be the highest-scoring team in the AHL, leading the league with an average of 3.94 goals per game. The Canucks rank 10th in the league offensively, averaging 3.33 goals per contest. The Reign power play is also No. 1 in the AHL, converting on 26.8% of their opportunities. In their seven previous meetings with Abbotsford this season, Ontario has scored eight power play goals on 37 opportunities (21.6%).

LAST TIME OUT: Two goals by Adam Cracknell helped the Bakersfield Condors defeat the Ontario Reign 3-2 on Friday night at Toyota Arena. The loss spoiled the return of Reign goaltender Garret Sparks, who made his first appearance since Jan. 8 with a 34-save performance. It was the first home regulation loss for Ontario since Dec. 31, 2021, snapping a streak of 14 straight games in which the team secured a point.

FEROCIOUS FAGEMO: Forward Samuel Fagemo has been on a tear as of late for the Reign, scoring points in eight of his last nine games over the last month dating back to Feb. 26. Most recently Fagemo had points on both of Ontario’s tallies in a 3-2 loss to Bakersfield on Friday night, scoring a goal and an assist during the first period. Prior to that, he scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win over the Condors on Mar. 7 and followed that up with another big strike two nights later to send a game vs. San Jose into overtime. Fagemo, a second round selection by the LA Kings in 2019, is third on the team in goal scoring with 20 and ranks ninth in the AHL with a +20 rating. Fagemo made his NHL debut earlier this season, suiting up for four games with Ontario’s parent club in January.

TALES OF TYNAN: Forward TJ Tynan continued his scoring success at home on Friday, posting an assist for the 10th consecutive game at Toyota Arena. Prior to that he had posted multi-assist performances in five consecutive home contests, helping the Reign secure points in all of those games. Tynan ranks second in the AHL in overall scoring with 75 points in 46 games. His assist total of 64 is 10 more than the next highest player, Chicago’s Andrew Poturalski, who is ahead of Tynan in overall scoring by a single point (76). The Orland Park, Ill. native has recorded two or more assists in 24 games this season and he also leads the league with 33 power play assists and 35 power play points.

SCOUTING THE CANUCKS: Abbottsford, the newest addition to the AHL’s Pacific Division this season, is on track to earn a postseason berth in its inaugural season. Forward Sheldon Dries leads the club with 57 points in 47 games and has scored a team-high 31 goals. Dries has been particularly effective against Ontario, scoring 10 points in the series on eight goals and two assists. Attacker Phil Di Giuseppe has also been a top offensive producer this season with 35 points (12g, 23a), including three goals and three assists against the Reign. Defender Jack Rathbone leads the team’s blueliners with 25 points this season on seven goals and 18 assists. Goaltenders Spencer Martin and Michael DiPietro have garnered most of the playing time in net this season. Martin has a record of 14-3-2 with three shutouts and a leading goals-against average of 2.46 along with a 0.915 save percentage in 19 appearances, while DiPietro has appeared in 23 games and has a GAA of 2.81.

NEW FACES FOR THE REIGN: Ontario has had some shake-ups to its roster in the past two weeks due to injuries at the NHL level with the LA Kings that have seen as many as six players join the NHL club including Martin Frk, Rasmus Kupari, Jordan Spence, Austin Strand, Gabriel Vilardi and Christian Wolanin. Joining the roster as replacements have been forward Loren Ulett from ECHL Kansas City, who made his AHL debut last Saturday in San Diego, as well as defender Kevin Lohan who has served as the captain for ECHL Orlando this season and blueliner Marcus McIvor who signed a PTO agreement with the Reign for the second time this year. Ontario also recalled forward Brett Kemp from ECHL Greenville who made his AHL debut on Friday against Bakersfield. Most recently on Saturday, the LA Kings signed forward Taylor Ward for the 2022-23 season and he will begin his pro career on an ATO with the Reign for the remainder of 2021-22. In addition, defenseman Thomas Hickey has also joined the roster, on loan from the New York Islanders.

HERCULEAN HELGE: Rookie defenseman Helge Grans reached the 20-point plateau Friday night when he scored the seventh goal of his first pro season during the first period. It was the second tally in the last five games for Grans, who executed a give-and-go with TJ Tynan in the offensive zone before blasting a shot into the net to extend an early Reign lead. Overall, the Ljungby, Sweden native has seen action in 46 contests this season and has 13 assists in addition to his goal total. Grans has also posted a plus-minus rating of +9 while only taking a single minor penalty.

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