Reign Wrap-up – Team Holds 1st Place With 3-2 Win Over Gulls
- Updated: January 23, 2017
After two disappointing losses to the Tucson Roadrunners at the beginning of last week, the Ontario Reign bounced back with two victories, including a 3-2 overtime win over arch rivals San Diego Gulls. The Reign – now 21-9-6 – find themselves in first place in the Pacific Division, percentage points ahead of the Roadrunners. They next play the Bakersfield Condors at 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 25 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena.
In the January 16 3-2 loss to the Roadrunners, the Reign outshot its opponent 35-25 but could only muster two goals – one from Jonny Brodzinski, his 10th, in the first period and one from Adrian Kempe, his 10th, in the third. The latter goal tied the game at 11.17 only to have the Roadrunner’s Zbynek Michalek get the winning goal a little over a minute later.
Ontario would drop another game to the same team two days later, as the Roadrunners ran away with a 4-1 victory in Tucson. A goal by Sean Backman early in the second period was matched with four Tucson goals including and empty netter.
The return to the win column came on Saturday, January 21 in big fashion as the Reign poured it on the San Jose Barracuda 7-2. Brodzinski got his 11th and 12th of the season, including the winning goal at 13:47 of the second period. The Reign never looked back scoring four goals in the torrential third. Goalie Jack Campbell stopped 24 of 26 shots in the victory.
In the 3-2 victory over the Gulls Sunday night, the Reign gave up a third period goal with just over a minute to go in regulation. A scoreless overtime forced a shootout where Brodzinski beat Kevin Boyle in a nifty move for the only needed goal, as Campbell stopped three of the Gulls’ shooters. Brodzinski also had his 13th goal of the season, which leads the team. Campbell, in his 21st straight start, stopped 30 shots and now leads the AHL with 18 wins.
Through Ontario Reign insider Lindsay Czarnecki, coach Mike Stothers said of Brodzinski’s shootout goal, “All of a sudden he pulled that move out. Oh man was that nice. That was the highlight of the night.”
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