4/12 REIGN FINAL – Reign 4, Gulls 3 (OT) – Sturm, Tynan

Samuel Fagemo hit the 40-goal plateau with a power play strike during the second period and then tacked on his 41st in overtime to give the Ontario Reign (39-22-3-4) a 4-3 win over the San Diego Gulls (25-32-9-1) in the team’s regular season finale at Toyota Arena on Friday night.

The victory gave the Reign points in 14 consecutive home games to finish the year, tying the club record. Ontario’s captain TJ Tynan also chipped in with two assists, while Francesco Pinelli scored the opening goal of the game and Taylor Ward converted on a penalty shot in the third.

BOX SCORE

Fagemo now owns Ontario’s team single-season goal-scoring record, breaking Martin Frk’s high mark of 40 tallies which was set during the 2021-22 campaign.

The Reign and Gulls completed their eight-game season series with each team claiming four wins against the other. Ontario still owns a share of second place in the Pacific Division alongside the Tucson Roadrunners, each with 85 points.

Reign goaltender Erik Portillo stopped 27 San Diego shots en route to his 22nd victory of the season in 36 appearances, while Gulls’ netminder Tomas Suchanek made 35 saves in a losing effort.

Pinelli put Ontario in front at 10:53 of the first with his 11th goal of the season on a wrist shot that found its way in through traffic at the front of the net. Defense pair Kim Nousiainen and Cole Krygier picked up the assists on the play which stood up as the lone goal of the opening period.

San Diego evened the game at 1-1 when Drew Helleson scored off the rush at 6:21 of the middle period.

The Reign went back in front less than a minute later when Fagemo one-timed a pass into the net to convert on the team’s first power play chance of the game just 17 seconds into a four-minute double minor man-advantage. Tynan and Brandt Clarke registered assists on the goal, which made it a 2-1 game.

Before the end of the second, Trevor Carrick found another equalizer for the Gulls, scoring on the power play at 17:10 of the frame to send the teams into the second intermission even at 2-2.

Ward put Ontario back in front at 4:58 of the third, converting on a penalty shot to make it a 3-2 game. The chance came after San Diego knocked their own net off its pegs during an odd-man chance for forwards Quinn Olson and Alex Turcotte just after the Reign had killed a penalty.

But once again the Gulls responded to tie the game at 3-3 when Pavol Regenda scored at 7:40 of the third.

The contest remained deadlocked for the remainder of regulation and the teams headed into overtime. Fagemo sent Ontario’s fans home happy with the game-winner off a feed from Turcotte, who drew the Gulls’ skater to him near the front of the net and dropped it back for the one-time finish. Tynan was also credited with the second assist on the play, giving him his league-leading 53rd helper of the season.

Fagemo’s goal total (41) is tied with Springfield’s Adam Gaudette for the most in the AHL.

Ontario out-shot San Diego 39-30 in the game, and finished with a 2-for-3 mark on the power play while holding the Gulls to a 1-for-3 night on the man-advantage.

Postgame thoughts from Reign head coach Marco Sturm, Tynan and Fagemo are below.

Marco Sturm

TJ Tynan

Samuel Fagemo

The Reign travel to Henderson for their next matchup, a battle against the Silver Knights on Saturday night at 7 p.m.