REIGN PREVIEW – Ontario at Calgary, 12/21

WHO: Ontario Reign (15-8-1) at Calgary Wranglers (17-7-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR SEASON GAME #25
WHEN: Wednesday, December 21 @ 6:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, AB
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: AHLTV – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign go head-to-head with the Calgary Wranglers for the second straight evening Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. In Tuesaday’s meeting, first-ever matchup between the two clubs, Calgary scored twice in the second period to take a lead they never relinquished in a 4-1 decision. It was just the second loss during December for Ontario, who had found a winning recipe with five wins in its first six games of the month.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Wranglers now have a four-point lead on the Reign in the AHL’s Pacific Division standings and sit just one point back of Colorado for the top spot after winning eight of their last nine outings. Ontario is currently in fifth place in the table but remain within striking distance of third, sitting one point behind Abbotsford and two back of Coachella Valley. The Reign came into the series as the top defensive team in the AHL but Calgary’s four goals on Tuesday have moved Ontario back to third in the rankings, now allowing 2.46 goals per game. Calgary remains the top offensive team in the league after 25 contests, scoring an average of 3.96 goals per night. The Wranglers also rank second in shots on goal, putting an average of 34 attempts at the net per game. Calgary is also among the top five teams in the league on both special teams, scoring 36 power play goals while allowing just 13 man-advantage tallies. The Reign rank seventh in the league on the penalty kill, discarding 83.9% of their opponents’ opportunities.

LAST TIME OUT: The Calgary Wranglers scored twice in both the second and third periods on their way to a 4-1 win in the first-ever meeting against the Ontario Reign Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Alex Turcotte had the lone goal of the contest for the Reign late in the third period, while goaltender Cal Petersen turned aside 37 shots in a losing effort for Ontario. Dustin Wolf earned the win for Calgary with 37 stops and Martin Pospisil found the back of the net twice for the Wranglers.

TURCOTTE TIME: Alex Turcotte netted his second goal of the season in the third period of Tuesday’s loss, striking off a feed from linemate Quinton Byfield. The goal ended a four-game stretch in which the third-year forward had been held off the scoresheet after posting a goal and an assist in a win over Tucson on Nov. 27. Through 13 games in 2022-23, Turcotte has accounted for six points with two goals and four assists and a plus-4 rating. In an injury-plagued season the year prior, the Island Lake, Ill. native managed 18 points in 27 games on six goals and 12 assists.

SCOUTING THE WRANGLERS: The AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, the Wranglers have been instantly competitive in their first year playing in Calgary. The team’s leading scorer Matthew Phillips is currently with the Flames after posting 30 points in 20 games on 15 goals and 15 assists. Behind him, Jacob Pelletier has 27 points while finding the back of the net 10 times and Connor Zary is tied with Pelletier for the team lead in assists, each helping out on 17 goals. Rookie defender Jeremie Poirier leads the team’s blueliners with 19 points in 25 games on four goals and 15 assists. Former Reign captain Brett Sutter has been a mainstay in the team’s lineup, scoring 16 points on five goals and 11 assists while appearing in all 25 Wranglers contests. In net, reigning AHL Goaltender of the Year Dustin Wolf has played 20 games and picked up where he left off last season with a 2.26 goals-against average and a 0.925 save percentage with a record of 15-4-0 and three shutouts.

SPECIAL NIGHT FOR SUTTER: Brett Sutter, who is in his first year with AHL-Calgary after seven consecutive seasons with Ontario from 2016-22, is expected to skate in his 1,000th career American Hockey League contest on Wednesday night. Sutter, who celebrated his 1,000th pro game in January while captaining the Reign, ranks eighth all-time in games played in league history. He is also the career leader in many statistical categories during Ontario’s AHL existence including goals (81), points (180) and games played (379).

BYFIELD ON A TEAR: Quinton Byfield has been one of Ontario’s hottest forwards since he joined the team on loan from the LA Kings last month. The attacker had his longest point streak of the season come to an end on Saturday after registering a point in four consecutive contests which included five goals and two assists. Byfield has also posted 13 points in his last 10 outings with seven goals and six assists. Overall, the Newmarket, Ont. native leads the Reign with nine goals in 14 AHL games this season along with a total of 15 points which is second among active skaters behind captain TJ Tynan.

LEE TRIGGERS THE FLYING FUR: Rookie forward Andre Lee scored his first professional goal earlier this month during a Reign victory in Tucson and added another special tally Saturday night in Ontario. Lee’s second career goal broke a scoreless tie at 2:27 of the third period and set off the Reign’s Teddy Bear Toss for 2022. Ontario continued to keep Bakersfield off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game and Lee’s opening tally held up as the game-winner. The Karlstad, Sweden native has appeared in 14 contests for the Reign this season after turning pro with Ontario late in 2021-22 and registering two assists in 11 games.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD: Ontario has been at its best when getting out to a lead, posting an 11-0-1 record this season when scoring the first goal, and an identical 11-0-1 record when holding an advantage after 40 minutes. They are also unbeaten when they’ve been able to secure a lead in the first period of games, going 8-0-0 when they have an advantage after 20 minutes.