By Megan Sanders, March 4, 2025
The Ontario Reign moved into first place in the Pacific Division Feb. 23 after a 2-1shootout win against the Calgary Wranglers in their second game of the weekend.
Reign were tied for first with the Wranglers at 63 points going into the weekend, with both teams coming up short in games the day before.
After the Reign displayed a poor effort against the San Jose Barracuda losing 3-1 Feb. 22, they came back the next day and won in a physical and high-stakes game against the Wranglers.
After Saturday’s loss, Reign’s coach Marco Sturm said the team’s energy wasn’t there from the start, and the players weren’t able to connect on plays like normal.
“I thought (Pheonix Copley) was the only guy who kind of played normal,” Sturm said. “The rest, it was just not good enough.”
Sturm also said going into the game against Calgary, the Reign knew what was on the line, and they were aware they’re going to have to work harder every game at this point in the season.
Reign’s team captain, defenseman Joe Hicketts, put them on the board after he batted the puck in off a rush against Calgary in the second period after being down by 1after the first.
Forward Jeff Malott reached the milestone of 100 career assists, and forward Charles Hudon extended his point streak to nine games after both were credited with assists on Hickett’s goal.
Having no goals scored in the third, the game went to overtime and then to a shootout where Ontario’s goalie Copley stopped two shots, and forwards Glenn Gawdin and Malott scored to secure the win for the Reign.
Reign defenseman Jakub Dvořák had over a four-minute shift in the game against San Jose and had a good effort on Sunday’s game, where he made several smart plays under pressure and was assertive with the puck.
San Jose came ready Saturday while Ontario struggled with finding the lanes to the net, according to Dvořák.
“It’s hard, especially when it’s not two minutes, but five minutes,” Dvořák said about his long shift. “You just try to stay at the net-front because you don’t have that much energy to run around corners.”
Dvořák said one positive from Saturday’s game was forward Martin Chromiak’s power play goal late in the third.
This was Chromiak’s third straight power play goal after scoring one against Calgary Feb. 17 and another against the Barracuda Feb. 19 during Reign’s three-game road trip earlier in the week.
The Toyota Arena was buzzing with energy during the weekend games, celebrating Black Heritage Night Saturday and Monarchs Night Sunday. With two of the top teams facing off during Sunday’s game, it gave the feel of the playoffs, and the energy showcased that.
Charles Woodland, 60, a Cal Poly Pomona alumnus and a 17-year season ticket holder for the Reign, said going to Reign games is more than just watching hockey. The fans add so much to the atmosphere, and Woodland is able to build relationships with other fans.
“A lot of times, fans expect perfection and for them to play like the Kings, but this is where players are encouraged to make mistakes and to work on their skill level with the hopes of one day playing in the NHL,” Woodland said.
Over the next week, the standings could see some changes, but the Reign have played in less games than the Wranglers, leaving them with some wiggle room if they need to work their way back to the top.
Reign’s next home game is March 5 against the Tucson Roadrunners, where they will go head-to-head for the fifth time this season.
Feature image courtesy of Megan Sanders
