Goaltender David Hrenak stopped all 25 shots he faced in his pro debut to earn the first shutout of the season for the Ontario Reign (39-15-5-4) who blanked the San Diego Gulls (27-30-3-1) by a final score of 3-0 on Friday night in the final regular season home game of the 2021-22 season at Toyota Arena.
Forward Martin Frk scored his team-leading 38th goal of the season while playing in his 500th game, while Taylor Ward scored for the third consecutive game and defender Cameron Gaunce added a goal and an assist.
More from Reign Assistant Coach Chris Hajt, Hrenak and Gaunce below –
The win was Ontario’s sixth of the season at home over the Gulls, finishing with a perfect 6-0-0 record in front of their fans against their rivals.
Ward got the scoring started with a power play goal at 8:33 of the opening period, firing a shot underneath goaltender Lukas Dostal to make it 1-0.
Frk added on with a breakaway tally at 5:03 of the second, netting his fourth goal in the past three days against San Diego from Gaunce and his defensive partner Nelson Nogier.
The Reign, with help from Hrenak, continued to play with the 2-0 lead until the final minutes of the contest when the Gulls pulled Dostal in favor of an extra attacker. After a faceoff win by forward TJ Tynan in the defensive zone, Gaunce sent the puck the length of the ice and into the empty cage to seal the victory for Ontario.
The Reign outshot San Diego 29-25 in the contest, with Dostal turning aside 26 shots in a losing effort for the Gulls. Ward’s power play goal was the lone special teams tally of the game and had Ontario finish 1-for-3 on the power play while holding San Diego to a mark of 0-for-3.
Chris Hajt
On David Hrenak recording Ontario’s first shutout of the season in his first game
It was exciting for David to get an opportunity to go in and play in his first game, and he played great. He was really solid, very calm, and very positionally-sound. He did a great job. The guys in front of him played very well defensively too. There were some really good on puck decisions and puck management. They put a lot of pressure on you on the walls and I thought our wingers were able to make some really nice wall plays while being under pressure. Ultimately, we were able to get the shutout and obviously [Hrenak] made the big save with about 20 seconds left too to preserve it. Happy for the team and happy for David.
On Fan Appreciation Night:
The fans here are unbelievable. Its just a great place. We love playing here. With COVID and everything and playing out of the practice rink, there was something missing, and it was our fans and our building and the atmosphere of coming here. They’ve been fantastic all year. They’re loud, they’re passionate, and they applaud. They’re just passionate people and hopefully we do great in the playoffs and go on a long run for them, because they deserve it.
On getting ready to play five straight road games
You want to build your game. We’ve been in that mindset for the last few weeks that once we made the playoffs, now we want to build toward the playoffs and see the little things that we can do better, whether its blocking shots or defensive structure, but also having good special teams and continuing to improve our game moving forward. It’s so important to continue to build. Being on the road is important. You have to win on the road in the playoffs. You have to be able to win an ugly game or be in a hostile situation because there’s going to be adversity all the time. Being against another team’s best in their home building is part of playoff hockey. We’re looking forward to the challenge.
David Hrenak
On recording a shutout in his professional debut
I keep asking myself, “Why am I so lucky?” First of all, coming here not really knowing a lot of guys, and they’ve all just made me feel comfortable here. The coaching staff made me feel comfortable by how they helped me get ready because I didn’t come in the best shape after the illness that I had. Then on the ice, look at the guys and how they played in front of me today! That’s unbelievable. I’m so thankful for that because they were blocking shots and winning puck battles and all those little things. It was just unbelievable and it means so much to me. I don’t know why I’m so lucky but I’m very thankful for that for sure.
On how he’s feeling after recovering an illness
The doctor said I probably wasn’t going to feel 100% for about a month and a half, but the guys made me feel like I was at 100%! They made my job so easy and it’s really just unbelievable. I guess that’s good.
On preparing for pro hockey
Thanks go to Matty Millar, Adam Brown and all the coaches at St. Cloud State. I came and they started teaching me all the little things and how to create good habits. They are great coaches, and probably more importantly, they are great human beings. I’m really thankful for that and they’ve done an amazing job.
On his first impressions of playing in Ontario
It’s amazing. The first impression that I had is that this is going to stick with me the rest of my life. That’s for sure something I will look back at a few years from now. I know it will have a special place. I’m happy for that.
Cameron Gaunce
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