The Ontario Reign (4-4-0-0) had their biggest offensive output in a single period this season, taking a 4-1 lead in the first on their way to an 8-4 win over the Abbotsford Canucks (5-5-0-1) Wednesday night at Toyota Arena.
It was the second consecutive game with an eight-goal output for Ontario, which featured 12 skaters who produced points in the victory. Tyler Madden (1-2=3), Jeff Malott (1-2=3) and Samuel Fagemo (2-1=3) each had three-point efforts, while Charles Hudon scored twice, Jack Studnicka added a goal and an assist and Glenn Gawdin, Angus Booth and Joe Hicketts each had a pair of helpers.
Ontario took control of the game with an opening goal by Fagemo just 3:48 into the first period. The high-scoring winger flashed through the crease and had the puck glance off his body and in to make it 1-0 in favor of the Reign. Assists on the strike were credited to Madden and defenseman Jacob Moverare.
Taylor Ward increased the Ontario lead to 2-0 less than a minute later at 4:40, netting his first of the season off a feed in front by Martin Chromiak, who drove down the right wing to the net before dropping it off to Ward. The third member of the line, Francesco Pinelli, picked up the second assist on the play.
Abbotsford got on the board at 6:01 of the first with a power play goal by Danila Klimovich which cut the Reign lead to 2-1.
26 seconds later, however, Hudon netted his first of the night off a centering feed that came one-handed from Gawdin who was on his stomach on the right-wing boards. Hudon’s goal made it 3-1 at 6:27 and had a second assist credited to Malott.
Then Malott scored his first as a member of the Reign on a rebound in front of the net at 12:54 to put Ontario up 4-1 before the first intermission. The primary assist on the play came from Booth, who got his first professional point, while Gawdin was credited with the second helper.
3:40 into the second, Hudon made it 5-1 in favor of the Reign by knocking in a loose rebound at the side of the Abbotsford net from Malott and Hicketts.
The Canucks cut the Ontario lead back to two goals in the middle of the second, with a pair of tallies from Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Ty Mueller to make it 5-3 before the third.
But Madden scored his third of the season at 5:01 of the third period to extend the Reign advantage back to 6-3 from Studnicka and Fagemo.
Abbotsford’s Arshdeep Bains responded at 7:30 to put the Canucks back within two goals at 6-4, but Studnicka found the back of the net on the power play for Ontario at 14:16 and Fagemo capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal at 17:50 to seal the win for the Reign.
Below, hear from Madden, Malott and head coach Marco Sturm after the game –
Tyler Madden
Jeff Malott
On playing with Gawdin and Hudon
It’s nice just getting used to playing with those guys. Obviously, a lot of experience with Hudy and Gawds. I think just trying to stick with it. It’s a volume game, and the more we can get on net, the better our odds are. Right now, they just seem to be going in.
On the team scoring eight goals
I think a lot of games things just weren’t going our way, we weren’t getting bounces, and now we’re sticking with it, not changing a whole lot, just trying to play the right way and they’re going in.
On the team’s compete
We knew there were some ugly moments. We knew there were some stuff we weren’t really connected on, but just trying to stick with it. Play the right way. Make good decisions, play hard. Down the stretch, start to learn how to put games away.
Marco Sturm
On the team’s overall play in the win
A lot of good, a lot of bad. It feels different than the last few games. The first probably 30 minutes were really good. Everything went in. We played the right way, and then all of a sudden we just kind of stopped playing. It is sometimes it is hard when you get the lead, all of a sudden your mind shuts off a little bit and but again, that’s something we have to learn. That’s what we have to get better at to not give any team a chance to come back. It sounds good eight goals, but I think just the four goals against that was that was not good enough.
On his team staying with it and holding the lead
I told my guys those are kind of games you got to win too and they did it. They stuck with it in the third period, played a little bit better, a little bit smarter. We have to learn from it. It’s still early on in the season. So again, every game, you can’t be perfect, but you just have to grind it out. The other team just outworked us and that’s something that’s in our control. That’s the only thing that kind of bug me today.
On what he thought of the team’s defensive play
There were a few turnovers, or few too many turnovers. We talked about their team, about how good they are on their transition. We were not smart with the puck and some of the defensive plays. We have some young guys too, in our in our back end. We just have to support them a little bit better too and just make sure we’re going to come out clean with the puck.
The Reign are back at Toyota Arena on Friday night to host the Coachella Valley Firebirds for Hockey Fights Cancer at 7 p.m.
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