Gawdin, Reign Too Much for Tucson
November 14, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Ontario Reign News Release
A three-point night for center Glenn Gawdin powered the Ontario Reign (5-6-0-0) past the Tucson Roadrunners (5-6-0-0) at Toyota Arena on Wednesday night by a final score of 4-1.
Erik Portillo made the start for Ontario and earned the win with 23 saves in the contest, while Francesco Pinelli and Reilly Walsh also found the back of the net in the victory for the Reign.
Pinelli put Ontario in front with his second goal of the season at 5:29 of the first, using his backhand to put the puck just underneath the crossbar after a hard-working play behind the net by Tyler Madden to get him the puck. A second assist on the play was credited to Jakub Dvorak.
The Roadrunners tied things up at 1-1 less than three minutes after Pinelli's tally when Hunter Drew converted on a breakaway opportunity at 7:55 of the first.
After the teams finished the opening frame even with eight shots on goal apiece, the Reign had almost double the looks on Tucson in the second with a 13-7 advantage.
Gawdin had the lone goal of the middle period with a low shot that snuck underneath goaltender Jaxson Stauber at 4:09 to put Ontario back in front, 2-1. The Richmond, B.C. native's third strike of the year came with helpers from Jeff Malott and Angus Booth.
Walsh added on to the lead 28 seconds into the third with a power play goal on a shot from the right point that deflected in off a Tucson skater. The tally had assists credited to Gawdin and Charles Hudon.
Ontario held their two-goal lead into the final minutes of the third. After a late penalty to Angus Booth for holding, the Roadrunners pulled Stauber in exchange for an extra attacker to give themselves a 6-on-4 advantage. During the penalty kill, Gawdin flung a shot from his own zone down the ice and into the gaping goal for his second tally of the game.
Gawdin's final marker gave the Reign both a power play and a shorthanded goal in the victory, with Ontario finishing 1-for-4 on the man-advantage while holding Tucson off the board (0-for-3). Stauber stopped 25 shots for the Roadrunners in a losing effort.
Below, read postgame reaction from Pinelli and head coach Marco Sturm -
Francesco Pinelli
On everyone on the team being bought in
I thought we played really well. It was a little bit of a back and forth game, so we just need to clean that up a little bit. But I thought everyone played well. Obviously we got the win. So that was the most important for us tonight
On the importance of scoring first
Yeah, for sure, just to get the boys going a little bit. Obviously it helps get that momentum shift and then just continue with the game and we got the result we wanted.
On his goal and Tyler Madden's assist
I saw him going down low, and I just had a feeling he was going to throw it out front. He knows how to make those plays so I just stood there and just finished it.
On his line coming together
I got to play with Jammer a little bit here and there, so I kind of got a feel for how he plays. Last year, I played with Mads here and there, so I got a feel for both of them. I kind of know how they play, and I just kind of read off of them and try to connect with them. That's the main goal.
Marco Sturm
On playing against Tucson
Yeah, if you look at their lineup, look at our lineup, that's always a big boys battle. I feel like even in the past, but guys came ready to play. We wanted to bounce back after a tough few games against Coachella and the guys did a pretty good job.
On his team taking control in the second period
We definitely took over after 20 minutes. There were a lot of turnovers from our behalf. That's something we just have to be better at. But overall, we took the puck to the net. We created a lot of o-zone time because of it and we brought it home. I think that's a compliment to my guys. Even the third period, guys stayed calm and did their job.
On the play of Erik Portillo
We need him and so far I think every game he's getting more and more comfortable. He did a good job and he was there when we needed him.
On his team's play in the defensive zone
We worked on it. That was something we touched on last practice because of the Coachella series. We were not sharp enough. We didn't trust each other. Today, we were quicker, we were harder, and that was the difference.
The Reign head out on the road this weekend for a two-game set in Colorado against the Eagles at Blue Arena beginning on Friday night at 6:05 p.m. PT.
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