Reign Weekly Wrap-Up – Growing Pains Ahead
- Updated: November 28, 2016
With a 4-3 loss to the rival San Diego Gulls on Sunday, the Ontario Reign found themselves with a 1 – 2 record for this past week and now – with 16 points at 6-5-4 – three points out of last place and six points behind the Pacific Division leaders Texas Stars. Still a lot of growing ahead of them.
The Reign next play the Tucson Roadrunners on Friday, December 2 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena.
In the Wednesday, November 23 game against the Stockton Heat, the Reign scored three unanswered goals, one in each period, breaking the Heat’s three-game winning streak and winning 3-1 before 8,127 at the Citizens Arena. Jonny Brodzinski had the winning goal as well as one assist to lead the Reign.
“I think it’s kind of been a long time coming,” said Brodzinski through OntarioReign.com. “We’ve gotten better and better every single week, and we put together a full 60-minute game.”
Reign goalie Jack Campbell earned his third win saving 17 of 18 shots. Said Reign coach Mike Strothers of Campbell’s performance, through Ontario’s website: “I thought Jack was real good. In net, he made the saves that were necessary. There were no extra rebounds, he was calm, he was cool and he was collected.”
The weekend would see the Reign dip, as the team lost both Saturday and Sunday. In the Saturday 5-2 loss against the San Jose Barracuda, four unanswered goals by the Barracuda, including two power play goals and two goals by defenseman Tim Heed, sunk the Reign at the Citizens Arena. San Jose goalie Mantas Armalis stopped 22 of 24 shots while Ontario goalie Campbell (now 3-2-1-1 on the season) stopped 23 of 28. Ontario goals came from Sam Herr (2) and Andrew Crescenzi (5).
“They (San Jose) did what they’re supposed to do. They get a power play and score on them. The game is pretty much summed up in the fact that we took four penalties and they took one,” said coach Stothers through the Ontario Reign website. “When you’re trying to emphasize how important it is to do the little things right, and the inconsistency is there from game to game again you’re going to get the results you’re getting – win one; lose one. We need to grow up and start playing like we think we’re capable of.”
That growing up may have to take place after this weekend, as the Reign dropped another game Sunday, 4-3, versus arch rivals San Diego Gulls at the Citizens Arena. In net for the Reign this game was Jack Flinn, who stopped 19 of 23 shots. After a see-saw game that saw the teams tied two minutes into the third, the Gulls pulled ahead with two third period goals three minutes apart. A last minute (at 19:28) goal by Vincent LoVerde (5), from Michael Mersch and Justin Auger, was too little too late.
“I thought the effort was a lot better tonight than it was last night. Some of the processing wasn’t quite where it needs to be. There’s some growing pains that go along with it. I think I made it pretty clear I can handle that if the effort’s there. I’m somewhat more pleased tonight than I was last night. Somewhat,” said coach Strothers through the Reign Insider Lindsay Czarnecki. “That’s the way it is. Pro hockey. There’s ups, there’s downs. That’s why we don’t get too high when they’re doing well and why we don’t get too low when they’re struggling. That is the process in the American Hockey League.”
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One Comment
About Jim Ellis
Monica Squeri
November 29, 2016 at 2:51 am
Edit 11/23 Reign/Heat game:
“3 unanswered goals” would mean Reign won 3-0.
If Heat scored first, Reign would have “answered” and then taken the lead by 2 goals in a 3-1 game.