The Ontario Reign got a victory in front of the home crowd Wednesday night for the first time in a couple of weeks, as they took down the Henderson Silver Knights.
Henderson got the scoring started on just the second shot of the game. Adam Cracknell forced a turnover in the offensive zone, feeding the puck to Jakub Brabenec from point blank range giving the Silver Knights an early lead.
Later in the first, while on a man advantage, Charles Hudon scored a one-time snipe past Silver Knights goalie Jordan Papirny. This would even up the game at one.
In the second, Reign goaltender David Rittich made a sequence of great saves. Rittich saved the puck six times, with the highlight being his wraparound save, barely getting his pad out and stopping Sheldon Rempal from scoring.
Almost immediately after, Alex Turcotte would find Akil Thomas from his knees, and Thomas would bury it to put the Reign up by one.
Samuel Fagemo would then score a power-play goal off a one-timer. Brandt Clarke got the assist again, leading AHL defensemen with seventeen assists.
This would be the final tally of the game, as Ontario would play clean hockey throughout the third, holding Henderson off for a 3-1 victory.
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
David Rittich With a Strong Performance:
After the disappointing start he had against Tucson a few games ago, Rittich has been solid. Wednesday night, he turned away 21 of 22 shots, with the Silver Knights lone goal coming at 3:53 of the first period.
You cannot say enough about what the Reign goalies have meant to them this season. Erik Portillo is currently the fourth rated goalie in the AHL this season, while David Rittich is the eleventh.
Not to mention, Rittich leads the AHL in shutouts this season with three. If it was not for a Turcotte turnover early in the first, it could have very well been his fourth.
As aforementioned, the sequence by Rittich early in the second was a big turning point in this game. Instead of Henderson going up one, Rittich turned away six shots, leading to a Reign goal not too long after.
A very well deserved first star of the game, and a key contributor to this win.
Brandt Clarke Continues To Be An X Factor:
I don't think Brandt Clarke has not been getting the flowers he deserves lately. Brandt Clarke leads all AHL defenseman with 22 points, and leads all rookies with 16 assists on the season.
Coming into this season, it was somewhat shocking to see Clarke start with the Reign instead of the Kings. While he has been with Ontario though, he has made it worthwhile.
The last time Ontario faced off against Henderson, Clarke had three points, including a highlight reel goal, deking into a toe drag release. Wednesday night, he had two points, leading to another win against the Silver Knights.
Special Teams Was Very Good:
What more can you say about the Reign’s penalty kill unit. Ontario leads the Pacific division in PK%, and is currently 6th in the entire AHL.
The Silver Knights had four power play opportunities this game, all for none. The Reign has done a great job keeping opposing teams to the outside.
Not only was their penalty kill good this game, but their power play unit came up big. Charles Hudon with a big game tying goal, followed up by Samuel Fagemo doing his best impression from the right side.
The Reign played some of their best hockey Wednesday night. They look to continue this play against Bakersfield Friday night again in front of the home faithful.