Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From

Goal Breakdown

First period: 

CGY: PP Jeremie Poirier (4), ASST: Rory Kerins (16), Martin Frk (24)

CGY: Martin Frk (20), ASST: Hunter Brzustewicz (16), Rory Kerins (17)

Second period:

ONT: Glenn Gawdin (15), ASST: Jeff Malott (23), Charles Hudon (24)

Third period:

ONT: PP Martin Chromiak (9), ASST: Jeff Malott (24), Charles Hudon (25)

Overtime:

ONT: Jeff Malott (16), ASST: Jack Studnicka (16), Joe Hicketts (21)

Stats

Goals: 

ONT: 3

CGY: 2

Shots: 

ONT: 30

CGY: 26

Power plays: 

ONT: 1/6

CGY: 1/5

Here are the three takeaways from yesterday’s overtime victory

Erik Portillo gets the start again

Marco Sturm has gone with a goalie rotation for the past month (except the February 1st and 8th games) but went against that yesterday afternoon. Erik Portillo got the nod between the pipes again, while the Wranglers tabbed Devin Cooley as their starter, A rematch from Saturday’s contest. The game had an almost identical start, with Calgary scoring first and taking a two-goal lead.

For Portillo, it was a similar story entering Saturday with him trying to turn the tide. The two goals Portillo surrendered were on a five-on-three for the Wranglers and a defensive breakdown on a broken play that left Martin Frk wide open in front of Portillo. However, there were several instances – especially in the opening frame – where he allowed a big rebound or lost track of the puck.

Luckily, neither of those instances came back to bite him. The closest one was Parker Bell’s shot attempt on a rebound hitting the post. Rebound control is an area that has been a work in progress for Portillo since he joined the organization. While it didn’t hurt him yesterday, it was noticeable. As for the result, Portillo made 24 saves on 26 shots. It was the first time he surrendered less than three goals in a game since January 24th (five starts). Being the fiery competitor Portillo is, nobody wants to get out of this slump more than he does. Perhaps a win like this can bring that confidence level back up.

The big boys came to play

The top line for both sides made an impact in this game. In the opening 20 minutes, Calgary’s top trio of Frk, Rory Kerins, and Dryden Hunt combined for four points – a goal and an assist for both Kerins and Frk – on a five-on-three and five-on-five goal. For Frk, it was his fourth point of this two-game series.

Ontario’s top line got in on the action the rest of the way. Glenn Gawdin got the Reign on the board with a backhand attempt that floated past Cooley after the Wranglers couldn’t get possession after a faceoff in their end. It was Gawdin’s 100th career AHL goal, and Jeff Malott and Charles Hudon got the assists.

Malott and Hudon would also get the assists on Martin Chromiak’s power-play goal early in the third period to tie the game. If you’re keeping score at home, that is one five-on-three and five-on-five goal for each side.

Malott’s goal in overtime would break that tie on his third primary point of the game, giving the Reign a consecutive overtime win against the Wranglers.

The top three scorers from both sides made an impact, and it’s no secret why all are in the top 20 in league scoring.

How sweep it is

The Reign traveled north of the border and will come back south with a sweep. Ontario never led, trailed by two goals on at least one, and entered the third period trailing. Through all that, they somehow managed to pull off the sweep and hand Calgary a pair of losses when leading after 40 minutes. Character and resiliency would be the best way to describe these two comeback victories for the Reign.

To be able to do that against the team at the top of the division – who are wheeling at the moment – in their building speaks volumes. The trio of Malott, Gawdin, and Hudon led the way offensively yesterday – mixed in with a Martin Chromiak power-play goal – and are a big reason why Ontario is in second place, two points behind the Wranglers for the division.

With these two games having a playoff feel and chippiness in them, wins like these can give a team confidence they can win any game, no matter the scenario or opponent. However, Ontario would like to make things easier as they have allowed the first goal in three straight and trailed 2-0 at one point in both games in this series.

NOTES:

*Calgary has scored first in all five meetings and is outscoring Ontario 6-1 (+5) in the opening frame.

*Cole Krygier got injured in the second period and didn’t return. He hobbled off the ice, favoring his right leg.

*Gawdin finally reached the 100-career goal plateau in the AHL.

*Malott’s three-point afternoon was his second of the season. He has nine points during this five-game point streak of his (6 G, 3 A).

*Hicketts extended his point streak to four games with a secondary assist on Malott’s overtime goal (1 G, 4 A).

*Charles Hudon extended his point streak to six games with two secondary assists (3 G, 6 A).

*Martin Chromiak’s ninth goal of the season tied the game early in the third period on a five-on-three power play for the Reign.

*The 26 shots on goal from the Wranglers are the most in any of the five games against the Reign this season.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign returns to California with a road matchup against the San Jose Barracuda. The game starts at 7 PM PST and can be seen on FloSports (FloHockey). You can also listen to the game on the ESPN LA app or ontarioreign.com/radio.