REIGN PREVIEW 12/20 – Ontario at Coachella Valley

WHO: Ontario Reign (14-8-0-0) at Coachella Valley Firebirds (13-9-1-3)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #23
WHEN: Friday, December 20 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Acrisure Arena – Palm Desert, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: Coming off consecutive wins over the top two teams in the AHL’s Pacific Division, the Ontario Reign aim to secure their first victory of the season against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the opener of a two-game home-and-home series on Friday night at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario is carrying a four-game win streak into Friday’s contest, part of a stretch that’s seen them secure 10 wins in their last 12 outings. The Reign have made the most of nights when they’ve started off on the right foot, earning wins in all nine games they’ve scored first in this season. Coachella Valley holds third place in the Pacific Division with 30 points from 26 games but is just two ahead of Ontario who is locked in a tie for fifth with Tucson after just 22 contests. The Reign have the fourth-highest scoring offense in the AHL, averaging 3.55 goals per game. The Firebirds are smack dab in the middle of the league’s rankings both offensively and defensively, holding the No. 16 spot in each category with 3.15 goals scored per night while allowing an average of three against. Both clubs are in the top five among AHL teams in shots on goal per contest, with the Reign ranking third (31.77) and Coachella Valley fifth (31.35).

LAST TIME OUT: A third period goal by Charles Hudon sent the Ontario Reign past the Calgary Wranglers for their fourth straight win by a 2-1 score on Wednesday night at Toyota Arena. Ontario has now won 10 of its last 12 games and three consecutive decisions in Ontario. The Reign held Calgary, the first place team in the Pacific Division, to just 13 shots on goal in the victory which included 14 saves by goaltender Erik Portillo.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Firebirds have had success against Ontario this season, winning each of the first three matchups to begin 2024-25. Forwards Ryan Winterton and Eduard Sale have led the way for Coachella Valley with four points apiece in the series. Winterton is one of three Firebrids players with two goals against the Reign, including Jani Nyman and Ville Ottavainen. Ben Meyers has also added three assists for Coachella Valley. Martin Chromiak is Reign’s leader in goal scoring against the Firebirds with two tallies. A year ago, Ontario won four of the eight matchups against Coachella Valley during 2023-24 with a record of 4-3-0-1. Samuel Fagemo had a team-high five goals against Coachella Valley last season along with an assist for six points while playing in six of the contests. The Firebirds ended the Reign’s season, winning the teams’ first-ever postseason series in the Pacific Division Finals.

JUST CALL HIM HU-DINI: Forward Charles Hudon scored for the third straight outing Wednesday, netting the game-winning goal at 9:58 of the third period off a 2-on-1 rush into the Calgary zone. The tally moved him into double-digits for the season with 10 goals. Hudon has scored at least 10 in all eight of his career AHL campaigns. His career-high came while with the Syracuse Crunch during the 2021-22 year. The Alma, Quebec native is second on the team in goal-scoring behind only Samuel Fagemo (12). The former fifth-round selection by Montreal in 2012 has 18 points from his first 22 games this season after finishing 2023-24 with 54 points in 56 outings with 20 goals and 34 assists. Hudon scored 10 of his 20 goals on the power play a season ago and previously led the AHL in power play goals when he totaled 17 as a member of the Colorado Eagles during 2022-23.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: Coachella Valley advanced to the Calder Cup Finals in each of its first two seasons in the AHL but came up short of the league’s title both times, falling to the eventual champion Hershey Bears. The Firebirds have finished both of their first two regular seasons with 103 total points in the Pacific Division standings, earning a first-place finish and a bye in the opening round of the postseason last year. Forward Ben Meyers has made a big impact on the scoresheet in his first season with the Firebirds and currently leads the team in scoring with 18 points in 21 games on nine goals and nine assists. John Hayden is just behind him with 17 points on six tallies and 11 helpers. Attackers Jani Nyman (8-7=15) and Ryan Winterton (7-8=15) have both totaled 15 points and are even with defender Max Lajoie (2-13=15) who is first in scoring among the team’s blueliners. While Ales Stezka has garnered the majority of playing time in goal, appearing in 17 games with a .909 save percentage, rookie Nikke Kokko has the better record, going 7-1-1 in 10 contests.

ELEMENT-ARY, MY DEAR WATSON: Forward Shawn Element found the back of the net for the second straight game Wednesday, putting Ontario on the board and tying the game at 1-1 just before the second intermission. Element’s sixth strike of the season came off a setup by linemates Jacob Doty and Tyler Madden, who were both credited with assists on the play. The Victoriaville, Quebec native is halfway to his career-high of 18 points, which he reached in each of the last two seasons while with the Syracuse Crunch.

EARLY STARTS SPELL SUCCESS: Ontario has a 9-0-0 record when it scores the first goal this season and is the only team without a loss of any kind when they net the opening tally of the night. The nine wins feature three come-from-behind victories, including Sunday’s triumph over San Jose which featured two comebacks in the third period. The Reign also own a 7-2-0 mark when leading after the first period and an unblemished 8-0-0 record when they enter the second intermission with an advantage on the scoreboard.

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Coachella Valley:
Fri., Oct. 25 at Coachella Valley, 2-5 L – Full Recap
Fri., Nov. 8 vs. Coachella Valley, 3-4 L – Full Recap
Sun., Nov 10 at Coachella Valley, 2-4 L – Full Recap
Fri., Dec. 20 at Coachella Valley, 7 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 21 vs. Coachella Valley, 6 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 28 at Coachella Valley, 6 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 4 vs. Coachella Valley, 6 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 25 vs. Coachella Valley, 6 p.m.