Reign Fall, 2-0, Earn Calder Bye
AHL Ontario Reign

Reign Fall, 2-0, Earn Calder Bye

Published on April 18, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Ontario Reign News Release


The Ontario Reign (47-19-3-2) fell to the Abbotsford Canucks (26-37-4-3) Saturday night by a final score of 2-0 in front of 9,918 fans at Toyota Arena to finish the regular season. The Reign will have a first round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Ontario trailed 2-0 after the first period outshooting Abbotsford 7-6. Ben Berard would give the Canucks a 1-0 lead just 2:42 into the night beating Portillo with far-side with a wrist shot from the left circle. Then with 6:31 to play in the frame Bennett Schimek doubled the lead with a power-play score with a deflection near the crease off a point shot.

The Reign outshot the Canucks 25-19 but Jiří Patera would pick up his first shutout of the season while Erik Portillo suffered the loss making 17 saves. Ontario finished 0-for-5 on the power-play while Abbotsford went 1-for-4.

Postgame thoughts from Andrew Lord.

On tonight's loss

First five or six were solid. Unfortunately, the first shot of the game goes in the net. Gives them some life, gives them some momentum. I thought we took two poor penalties in the first, had to kill those off. Which you know it does make you tired, more tired later in the game. It doesn't allow you to use your whole depth of your roster. Second was okay. I thought we had a bit of a push in the third for sure. Ultimately, we had some good looks. Their goaltender was excellent and they were very committed. They blocked a ton of shots tonight. They had second, third efforts at their goal mill and found a way to keep it out of their net. They got their two and they shot us down. So credit to them.

On the team earning the first round bye

I think it's a great opportunity. The guys have worked extremely hard for this. I'm really proud of the regular season. To a man, I thought the guys were excellent day in and day out. So committed. It was a great regular season. And now, I think it gives us an opportunity to prepare, get back to basics, there's going to need to be a blend of work and rest, and we're going to have to stay sharp. It can be an advantage if we go about it the right way, or it can be a detriment if we don't. I'm confident we'll go about it the right way and be ready for round two.

On the leadership group

I've been fortunate. I've had so many good leaders in my tenure as a coach over the years. These guys though, just a real good balance. I think there's a real mix. It's a real collective effort. Obviously Hicketts, heart and soul.

1st 2nd 3rd FINAL

ONT 0 0 0 0

ABB 2 0 0 2

Shots PP

ONT 25 0/5

ABB 19 1/4

PHOTOS | FULL RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

Three Stars -

1. Jiří Patera (ABB)

2. Ben Berard (ABB)

3. Bennett Schimek (ABB)

W: Patera

L: Portillo

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American Hockey League Stories from April 18, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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