ECHL Ontario Reign

Reign Season Comes to a Close with 5-3 Semifinal Loss

Published on May 1, 2013 under ECHL (ECHL)
Ontario Reign News Release


ONTARIO, Calif. - The Ontario Reign (6-2-2), back-to-back Pacific Division Champions and proud affiliate of the NHL's 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, saw their 2012-13 season come to an end at the hands of the Idaho Steelheads (8-3-1) who beat them 5-3 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday night at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Steelheads took the series four games to two.

The Reign were the first on the board with an early goal 3:36 into play. The forward line of Brady Calla, Kevin Estrada, and Kyle Kraemer flew into the Steelheads zone. Calla sent the puck to Estrada who attempted to wrap it around the net but was denied. The loose puck went to Kraemer who shot it over the pads of Josh Robinson.

At 12:18, the Steelheads answered when JF Berube lost sight of the puck and David de Kastrozza's shot found the back of the net over the goaltender's right shoulder.

Keeping the momentum alive, Everett Sheen scored the go-ahead for the Reign moments later at 14:33. A quick wrist shot from the left circle put Ontario ahead for the second time of the night. Cameron Burt assisted and Matt Clune earned his first point of the playoffs with the secondary assist.

Before the clock ran out on the first frame, the Steelheads evened the score again. This time, Brett Robinson would be the man to end the Reign's perfect, at-home penalty kill with a power-play goal at 15:29. Brett Robinson's unassisted one-timer from the high slot went five hole on Berube.

The Steelheads made the most of their limited shots on net scoring twice in the second period with only six shots in the frame.

Idaho took their first lead of the game at 6:06 when Justin Taylor fired a shot top-shelf past the glove of Berube from the bottom of the left circle.

Before the end of the second stanza, Idaho extended their lead to two goals with their fourth marker coming at 14:38, a goal from Austin Fyten. With a number of bodies in front of the net, Berube made a stop and was caught down on the ice when Fyten sent his shot over the pads of Berube to take a 4-2 lead heading into the final period.

The Reign were given a glimmer of hope when Jake Hauswirth scored a beautiful goal at 13:55. Burt scooped up the loose puck from the draw and sent a quick pass to Hauswirth at the top of the slot; he ripped a slapshot past Josh Robinson to bring the Reign within just one goal.

Still down by a goal, in a last ditch effort, Jason Christie pulled Berube with about 40 seconds left on the clock. The Steelheads managed to get the puck out of their zone and Brett Robinson scored on the empty net to end the game and send Idaho to the Western Conference Finals.

Josh Robinson earned the win with 31 saves on 34 shots; Berube took the loss with 14 saves on 18 shots.

Three Stars:

1. IDH - Josh Robinson

2. IDH - Brett Robinson

3. IDH - David de Kastrozza

Reign Drops:

The Ontario Reign wish to thank all of their fans and partners for a tremendous 2012-13 season! Not only did we break records on the ice, but off the ice as well with unbelievable attendance throughout the season for a club-high average of 7,575 fans per game! The team could not have made it to the Western Conference Semifinals without the support of the Best Fans In the League! Get ahead of the curve and get your tickets for next season TODAY! Click HERE to learn more about joining the team and becoming a Reign Season Ticket Holder.

Check out the Ontario Reign Statistics

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