Weekly Reign Wrap-up: Team in Third – Magic Number 5
- Updated: April 3, 2017
You win some; you lose some. And for the Reign this week that means the team is now 33-19-10-0, still in third in the Pacific behind San Jose and San Diego. After beating the Bakersfield Condors 3-1 March 31 and then losing to the same team 4-1 the next day, the magic number to reach the playoffs is at five with six games remaining. Playoffs are calling. The Reign next plays at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 5 against the San Jose Barracuda in an away game.
In the Friday game at the Rabobank Arena, the Reign broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period as Brett Sutter registered his 16th goal of the season at :54. An insurance goal by rookie Philippe Maillet came at 16:54. Goalie Jack Campbell took the win saving 24 on 25 shots. Even with the win, the Reign finished the game 0-for-5 on the power play. We’ll take the W no matter.
In the Saturday game, it was no April Fools, though coach Mike Stothers did wonder about one quick whistle that stole a goal away from his team. Losing 1-0 in the first, the Reign appeared to tie the contest with less than a minute to go when goalie Sam Herr left the puck free so forward Sam Herr buried it into an open net. However the early whistle negated the score.
Said Stothers, through the Reign Insider, “It was bad watching it ‘live,’ but it looked even worse when I watched it between periods. There was absolutely no reason to have the whistle anywhere near your mouth unless you are training dolphins. ‘No one feels worse than me right now Mike’ was the explanation I got. At least he took ownership of the mistake, and if that is ever brought up as a reason for the loss, then it’s nothing but an excuse. I won’t hear of it, or ever accept it!”
The lone goal by the Reign came in the second at 6:33 by Joel Lowry, his first. Campbell made 23 saves, and watched his record dip to 29-14-6.
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