REIGN PREVIEW 11/13 – Ontario vs. Tucson

WHO: Ontario Reign (4-6-0-0) vs. Tucson Roadrunners (5-5-0-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #11
WHEN: Wednesday, November 13 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: KCAL+ / FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign go up against the Tucson Roadrunners for the first time during the 2024-25 campaign Wednesday night at Toyota Arena.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario and Tucson are separated by just two points in the Pacific Division standings, with the Roadrunners sitting in seventh place having secured 10 points while the Reign are in eighth with eight points to their name. Ontario now ranks 11th in the AHL offensively, averaging 3.3 goals per game from its first 10 games, while Tucson is 13th in the league with an offensive average of 3.2 tallies per contest. The Reign are also averaging 32 shots on goal per game (6th), but Tucson ranks 27th in the league in that category with 26 shots on net per night. Defensively, the Reign allow 26 shots per game (4th) and the Roadrunners are near the bottom of the league rankings, allowing 33.1 (31st).

LAST TIME OUT: Martin Chromiak scored twice in the first period, but the Ontario Reign were unable to add any more offense later in the game and fell by a final score of 4-2 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Arena. Pheonix Copley made the start in net and stopped 23 shots for Ontario in a losing effort, while Aatu Jamsen produced assists on both of Chromiak’s goals for the first multi-point game of his North American professional career.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Reign and Roadrunners were evenly matched last year, with each team winning four of the eight matchups during the regular season. Ontario fared better offensively in the series, outscoring Tucson 30-19. The Reign were also excellent on special teams in the series with a 25.7% power play conversion rate (9-for-35) and a 90% effectiveness on the penalty kill (19-for-21). Charles Hudon totaled 11 points against the Roadrunners last year on two goals and nine assists, while Akil Thomas led Ontario with six goals in the series.

TEAM SCORING TIGHT AT THE TOP: Through their first 10 games, Ontario’s top six scorers are all within a point of each other. Currently, there’s a tie for the team scoring lead between linemates Glenn Gawdin (2-6=8) and Jeff Malott (1-7=8), as well as Samuel Fagemo (4-4=8) who each have eight points. Just behind them are Tyler Madden (3-4=7), Jack Studnicka (3-4=7) and Joe Hicketts (0-7=7), each with seven points to their name. In addition, Charles Hudon and Martin Chromiak have six points apiece and are tied with Fagemo for the team goal scoring lead, each with four goals. All eight of the team’s highest-scoring players have played in every one of the Reign’s 10 games to begin the 2024-25 year.

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS: Tucson finished in second place in the Pacific Division standings last season but bowed out in the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, dropping a best-of-3 series to the Calgary Wranglers. Head Coach Steve Potvin is back behind the bench for a third season, and his eighth year overall as a coach with the Roadrunners. Forward Egor Sokolov Firkus leads the team in scoring with 14 points in 10 games this season on eight goals and six assists. Veteran forward Andrew Agozzino has also made a big impact with nine points on three goals and six assists, while Hunter Drew has four goals and two assists for six points in just five games. Defender Robbie Russo leads the blueliners with six assists on the back end in 10 contests. In net, Jaxson Stauber has split time with incumbent Matt Villalta, with Stauber winning four of his five appearances. Stauber has a goals-against average of 2.39 and a 0.931 save percentage.

CHROMIAK LOVES COACHELLA: Forward Martin Chromiak scored twice in the first period during Sunday’s loss to the Firebirds at Acrisure Arena. The attacker has fared well against Coachella Valley in his career, totaling 10 goals against the Firebirds in 19 games against the team over three seasons. 29% of his 34 career AHL goals have come against the Reign’s I-10 rival. The two-goal performance was Chromiak’s first of 2024-25 and his second multi-point effort of the season. Through 10 games, the attacker is tied for the Ontario team lead with four goals and has amassed six total points. Through 137 career AHL games with the Reign, Chromiak has 66 points on 34 goals and 32 assists.

HICKETTS HELPING OUT: Reign captain Joe Hicketts has picked up seven assists in his first 10 games this season, which leads the club. The 28-year-old blueliner is coming off a season where he was held to only 30 regular season appearances, but he was active offensively during that time, totaling 20 points on a goal and 19 assists. Hicketts was also an important factor during Ontario’s two playoff series wins and the Kamloops, B.C. native earned six points in eight playoff outings on a goal and five assists. Now in his ninth AHL season, Hicketts has 224 total points during 459 games on 35 goals and 189 helpers.