Ontario Reign: Four Takeaways From Game One Victory

Goal Breakdown

First period:

None

Second period:

ONT: Andre Lee (1), ASST: Taylor Ward (1), Brandt Clarke (1)

ONT: PP Tyler Madden (1), ASST: Samuel Fagemo (1)

ONT: SH Joe Hicketts (1), ASST: Akil Thomas (1)

ONT: PP Akil Thomas (1), ASST: TJ Tynan (1), Charles Hudon (1)

Third period:

BAK: PP Lane Pederson (1), ASST: Seth Griffith (1), Raphael Lavoie (1)

ONT: Tyler Madden (2), ASST: Alex Turcotte (1)

Stats

Goals: 

BAK: 1

ONT: 5

Shots:

BAK: 31

ONT: 35

Power plays:

BAK: 1/5

ONT: 2/7

Here are the four takeaways from game one’s victory:

Containing the rush

The Bakersfield Condors have made a living off the rush and the power play (more on that later) against the Reign this season. They clog the neutral zone, similar to the Reign, and beat you off mistakes. That was one of my concerns entering the series, but the Reign passed the test in game one by not allowing the Condors to stymie them in the neutral zone.

The Condors had their chances early in the game, which Erik Portillo slammed the door on, but I thought the Reign defended the rush well. Entering the third period up by four, the Reign went into their 1-3-1 and didn’t allow Bakersfield to get any offensive zone pressure and their rush chances. As for the neutral zone, the Reign did a good job of not turning the puck over, dumping it in, and allowing their forecheck to go to work.

They’ll need more of that in game two.

Intensity rises

This was a very, very physical game on both sides. Head coach Marco Sturm opted for a heavy lineup in the bottom six that saw Hayden Hodgson, Andre Lee, Samuel Helenius, Jacob Doty, and Nikita Pavlychev all have a physical impact in the physicality department. Most of the games against Bakersfield and Sturm opted for the physical element over the skill, which saw Martin Chromiak and Francesco Pinelli as healthy scratches over Pavlychev and one of Doty or Hodgson.

The depth of the Reign roster makes those decisions tough for a coach, but not only do those players bring physicality, but they can add offense. Last night, they were solid defensively, brought a spark in the physicality department, and got a goal from Lee to start the scoring in the second period. We’ll see if Sturm goes back to this lineup for game two.

Winning the special teams battle; second-period firepower

The special teams categories were going to be a huge factor in this series and played a huge role in game one. Doty committed a slashing penalty 2:26 into the game, which gave the Condors an early power play, The Reign, who were ranked 30th on the penalty kill at home this season and struggled against the Condors at home as well, got a successful kill with two or three saves from Portillo. After that kill, the Reign got to their game but the game remained scoreless after the first 20 minutes.

That brings us to the second period.

The Reign scored four goals in a span of 12:34, which was started with Andre Lee’s five-on-five goal on an outlet pass that was rimmed around the boards from Brandt Clarke, then was finished off on a backhand pass from Taylor Ward that found Lee in the high slot and his shot beat Condors netminder Jack Campbell glove side high.

After Lee’s goal, the special teams played a factor for the rest of the period. Tyler Madden’s power-play goal put the Reign up 2-0 after a failed clearing attempt went off Samuel Fagemo and Madden, in the right place at the right time, slid the puck five-hole on Campbell.

Defenseman Joe Hicketts scored on a two-on-one rush with Akil Thomas, while the Reign were shorthanded at four-on-three for 53 seconds. This was the back-breaker for the Condors because being down 2-0 and having a lot of room on the ice for a four-on-three for almost a minute could’ve swung momentum as the Condors started to gain offensive zone time. Instead, Thomas and Hicketts rushed up the ice after the faceoff and extended the Reign lead to three.

That wasn’t the end of it. Condors defenseman Max Wanner got called for hooking Akil Thomas on the rush with 2:25 remaining in the middle frame. 42 seconds later TJ Tynan would find Thomas in the bumper, and Thomas’ quick release beat Campbell stick side to put the Reign up 4-0, essentially putting Bakersfield in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

While Lane Pederson’s power-play goal got the Condors within three, the Reign did a great job in the special teams department. On the penalty kill, they got sticks in the passing lanes, kept the Condors on the perimeter, and Portillo made saves when needed. The power play got the two goals they needed and a goal from the penalty kill unit. The special teams department was going to play a role in this series and the Reign dominated that area in the second period, which led to their victory.

Erik Portillo earns first professional playoff win

Two weeks ago, Marco Sturm hinted the coaching staff was hoping Portillo would grab that number-one goalie position for the playoffs with solid play down the stretch. With Aaron Dell being the third goalie for the LA Kings in their playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers, Sturm tabbed Portillo as the game-one starter after a rough outing in the Reign’s season finale loss.

If there is one thing to like about Portillo, it’s that he has a short memory and doesn’t dwell on things too much. Any concern on how he would fare in his first professional playoff win was answered right away in the first and second periods when he made key saves on the penalty kill, a save on Condors forward Ty Tulio all alone in front, and on Cameron Wright’s breakaway attempt in the second period with the game still scoreless. Overall, Portillo made 30 saves, was a brick wall in the net, and didn’t look out of position. He was calm and collected between the pipes. He earned the second star of the game and his first Calder Cup playoff win in his first playoff game.

NOTES:

*Marco Sturm earned his first playoff win as a head coach.

*Tyler Madden recorded his first two-goal game in his Calder Cup playoff career. It was the first two goals of his playoff career as well.

*Akil Thomas recorded his seventh point in six career Calder Cup playoff games with his two-point night.

*Andre Lee recorded his first career Calder Cup playoff goal.

*Alex Turcotte had another solid game. he was great on zone entries, back-checking, and creating chances.

UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign have a chance to close out the series in game two at Bakersfield. That game is on Saturday, April 27th, at 7 PM PT and can be seen on AHLTV.