ECHL Ontario Reign

Reign Catch Steelheads by Surprise; Lead Series 2-1

Published on April 25, 2013 under ECHL (ECHL)
Ontario Reign News Release


BOISE, Idaho - The Ontario Reign (6-0-1), back-to-back Pacific Division Champions and proud affiliate of the NHL's 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, rallied for two goals in the third period Wednesday night for a 2-1 win over the Idaho Steelheads (5-3-1). The win gave Ontario a 2-1 lead in the second-round, best-of-seven series.

The Steelheads jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 4:37 of the first period off of a faceoff deep in the Reign zone as Chase Schaber backhanded the drop back to Patrick Cullity for the one-timer.

The Reign were unable to capitalize on three power-play opportunities in the second frame, but JF Berube came up big with several point-blank stops to keep his team in the game.

Ontario tied the game 1-1 on Adrian Van de Mosselaer's first professional playoff goal at 1:49 of the third period. The blueliner's wrist shot found its way through traffic and into the net before Idaho goaltender Josh Robinson had a chance to react. Kevin Estrada and Derek Couture each had assists on the play.

The teams played back-and-forth hockey for the next 14 minutes before rookie Mario Lamoureux registered his third goal of the playoffs to give the Reign a 2-1 lead at 15:27. Lamoureux executed a textbook give-and-go with Brady Calla which caught Robinson out of position as Lamoureux snapped the puck home.

With 4:33 left on the clock, Idaho went on the attack. However, Van de Mosselaer broke up two rushes and Berube stood strong against an extra attacker as Ontario held on for the 2-1 win and a 2-1 series lead.

Berube stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced and improved to 6-0-1 with a 1.37 goals-against average (2nd in the playoffs) and 9.44 save percentage (1st in the playoffs).

The Reign have scored 6 of their 9 goals in the thrid period this series and have outscored opponents 10-1 in the frame overall.

Three Stars:

1. ONT - Mario Lamoureux

2. ONT - JF Berube

3. IDH - Patrick Cullity

Reign Drops:

The next two games of the Reign/Steelheads series will be played in Idaho at CenturyLink Arena. If necessary, Game 6 and 7 will bring the series back to Citizens Business Bank Arena. It's not too late to bring your group out to a Reign playoff game! Call 909-941-PUCK (7825) and speak to a ticket representative to learn more about the great discounts and fundraising oportunities! Fans don't have to miss the road games because Boston's Restaurant is hosting Reign watch parties for all remaining away games during the playoffs. Located at Milliken and Fourth, stop by on Wednesday, Apr. 24, Friday, Apr. 26, and Saturday, Apr. 27 to watch each game live! All games start at 6:10 p.m. (PT).

Check out the Ontario Reign Statistics

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ECHL Stories from April 25, 2013


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