In a game that just oozed Reign hockey, Ontario outscored, outshot, and outhit a beleaguered San Diego Gulls team to claim a series clinching 2-1 victory on Saturday night.
While 2-1 may seem like a close score, the game was heavily skewed in the favor of the Reign in terms of scoring chances and possession time. The Gulls were held to just 16 shots on the evening, six of which game in the final period of their season.
All of the scoring in the game came in a slow-paced second period. Joel Lowry was the benefactor of a error in decision making by goalie Matt Hackett as he attempted to throw the puck through the middle from behind his own net. Lowry, who was cruising in front blocked the puck and it feel to his feet with a wide open net.
It was exactly what the Reign needed after a first period that saw just two scoring chances between the two teams. While the pace was high and the stoppages were few, both teams came out in the first prepared for a slugfest through the center lane.
San Diego answered back though, as the Reign got caught with too many men down low in the offensive zone, leading to a 3v2 San Diego rush. Chris Wagner made no mistake and beat Budaj to even things.
Just moments later, however, the Reign answered with an oddman rush of their own. Justin Auger capitalized on some poor blueline puck management by the Gulls second line, beating Matt Hackett on a 2v1 chance to put the Reign back in front.
It was Auger's third of the postseason and second of the series. The birthday boy also had the Game 2 overtime winner in San Diego.
The Reign closed out the rest of the game in style, preventing the Gulls from moving through the neutral zone with any semblance of structure or speed. It was an example of the altogether dominant and well coached series the Ontario Reign put together. It was, in a microcosm, exactly what molded this series. The Gulls never could quite find the next gear, and the constant smothering and hard hitting Reign forecheck kept them down all series.
Turning Points
The Justin Auger game winner came just 25 seconds after San Diego tied the game up. Despite not playing the best hockey, San Diego was staring at a 1-1 hockey game past the halfway point. That reality was snatched away from them in less than 30 seconds. It proved to be the final gutshot of many the Gulls took in this series.
Overall, the series really turned on the Game 4 overtime winner in San Diego. While the Game 2 overtime win was also of significant importance, the Reign put San Diego behind the 8-ball in just for good in Game 4. It had to have felt like an uphill battle from Game 2 on for the Gulls. While they put together a valiant effort in Game 3 to take a game on Ontario's home ice, they never really mustered a complete effort outside of that game.
There were also two major turning points before the series even began as San Diego lost Anton Khudobin and Michael Sgarbossa for the majority of the series (And in Khudobin's case, the whole series). While it is AHL hockey, you are still taking away a team's No. 1 center and No. 1 goalie. It does not matter what league in the world you play in, that is going to sting. The Gulls were never able to match depth with the Reign, and it showed on most nights with contributions from the likes of Justin Auger or Jeff Schultz. From top to bottom the Reign were a more complete team in this series, and the series scoreline shows that.
Key Stats
4-for-4, 18-for-20
The Reign were perfect again on the PK tonight, bringing the series total to a staggering 18-for-20. The high octane poweprlay that includes Brandon Montour, Nick Ritchie, Chris Mueller, and Shea Theodore, never got anything going. In fact, on most penalty kill occasions, the Reign garnered more threatening chances than the Gulls powerplay.
165-116
courtesy of reader Tkecanuck341, the Reign heavily outshot the Gulls this series 165-116. For a running average, that is 33 shots a night to San Diego's 23. While the Reign are by no means an offensive powerhouse, but with more shots that usually means more zone time and possession. It was evident in watching games that the Reign logged much heavier time on attack with extended cycling shifts. San Diego usually played more one and done hockey, aside from Game 3 where they actually were able to get their teeth into the game.
Through a combination of tireless work, structured play, and excellent coaching, the Reign stifled a generally potent offense while sending in a heavy workload of their own on Hackett.
2
Two was the number of goals the Reign forward group had OUTSIDE of their top 6. Nick Ritchie, Chris Mueller, and Kale Kossila were major offensive fixtures, with only Matt Bailey and Corey Tropp scoring from a depth position. Ondrej Kase, Stefan Noesen, Joseph Cramarossa, and Chris Wagner combined for a total of one goal this series. In the end the depth just was not there for San Diego.
Key Players
Justin Auger
Auger scored two backbreaking goals in the series. However, he also worked tirelessly on the Reign penalty kill, and was a constant threat in the offensive zone for the majority of the series. It did not seem to matter who the 6'7" forward was out there with, he seemed to plant himself in the front of the net and make things happen. He has also displayed some exceptional hands at times this year, and continues to be a dominant role player for Ontario in this postseason. In his post game interview, Auger pointed to conditioning as being a major factor
(Auger quotes provided by Lindsay Czarnacki)
We’re a good conditioned team. We weren’t sure how long the series was going to go and we were prepared for anything and like I said before we took advantage of our opportunities and we came to play every night. This is what we’ve been working towards all season. We work hard on Mondays and Tuesdays every week we bag skate and this is what it prepares us for is these long series.
Michael Amadio
While his faceoff numbers were altogether poor throughout the series, that was probably the only negative you could pull from Michael Amadio's first full professional playoff series. Amadio registered four points and one goal in the five game series, with the one goal being a crucial overtime winner in Game 4. Aside from his statistical value, Amadio gave the Reign center group a massive shot in the arm. With injuries to regular centers like Ryan Horvat and Brett Sutter, the former North Bay centerman stepped in capably. His play away from the puck continues to be a strong element of his game, as does his cool and collected demeanor. Mike Stothers touched on that after his Game 4 performance:
Quiet kid. … He’s got a little Schultzy in him. His pulse never rises, his demeanor never changes. He’s got more upside offensively than Schultzy, but you know what I mean. The kid’s calm, he’s calm under pressure.
Adrian Kempe
The young Swede had a heck of a series all things considered. He showed tremendous versatility, playing all three forward positions over the course of the series, along with potting two goals and three points. The flash plays that Reign fans have become more accustomed to have been more frequent, as have the defensive responsibilities. Kempe has been elevating his game in terms of backchecks, physical play, and altogether awareness.
Matt Hackett
Matt Hackett will probably look back on Game 5 with disgust, seeing that the first goal was strictly on his blunder and the second was arguably stoppable. However, given the circumstances of his insertion, and the nature of these games, I do not think Dallas Eakins could have asked for a better performance from his netminder.
Mike Stothers
Not every key player is on the ice. This was an exceptionally coached series from the Reign bench boss. It was obvious from the onset of the series that the team had a gameplan that they felt would stifle the Gulls, and it worked. All aspects of the game in which a team could prepare for before a series and in between games was clearly worked on to fine detail. The only game in which the Reign did not look themselves was on the second night of the Game 2/Game 3 back to back. Every other game was a master class of shutdown, grind it out, out work your opponent hockey.
Moving Forward
The Reign now await their next round opponent. It will be either Grand Rapids or Lake Erie. The series is currently heading to a Game 6 with Lake Erie holding a 3-2 series advantage. When talking to Jordan Samuels-Thomas, he said that the coaches had probably already started looking at video of those teams. The series will likely follow a 2-3-2 format, with Games 1 and 2 slated for the 22nd and 23rd of May in Ontario.
The Reign have faced neither team this season.
If they continue to play hockey like they did against San Diego however, it will be tough for any team to beat them four out of seven games.
Game 5 and the San Diego Gulls are both in the books as we move on to the Western Conference Finals. Keep it here for continued updates as the Reign playoff run continues.
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