Dominate the coveted division title, a solid game heading into the postseason | TheAHL.com
Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Wednesday gave the Ontario Reign a much-needed recovery night.
They have been a little stuck in the past three weeks, going 3-3-2-1. That slump follows a seven-game winning streak.
Trying to push aside the Colorado Eagles for a share of the Pacific Division lead, the Reign had a four-point margin on March 11 for first place, meaning a first-round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Second place means a best-of-three first-round series against an opponent from the always tough Pacific Division field.
So when the dust settles and the regular season ends on April 19, Wednesday’s contest — on the road, against a Coachella Valley team that had won nine of its last 10 games — could be considered a turning point. Reign outscored the Firebirds 13-3 in the first half, and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. They scored four times in the second and went on to a 7-0 victory, their worst shutout of the season and the largest margin of victory in team history. Cole Guttman scored a hat trick with an assist, Andre Lee provided with four assistants as well Pheonix Copley continued to deliver reliable goaltending, earned his 20th win and registered his first shutout of the season; Copley is 7-0-1 (1.72, .929) in his eight starts.
For a team averaging 3.30 goals per game, it was a return to form after scoring 10 goals in their last five games. Lee, an AHL All-Star this winter, has been a huge success story for the Reign in his fifth season, scoring 25 points. Guttman, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, continues to be one of the AHL’s most reliable producers.
Rookie coach Andrew Nkosi has navigated his Dominion through a series of challenges this season, and entering this weekend they hold a one-point lead over Colorado – although the Eagles have a game in hand. Forward Taylor Ward again Jared Wright they have lived for a long time in Los Angeles. Forward Nikita Alexandrov again Jan Jeník and the protector Nikita Novikov joined Reign in mid-season deals that saw the defender Samuel Bolduc and forward Akhil Thomas leave. A veteran blueliner Kyle Burroughsan important addition when he joined Busa from the Kings in November, he had been out of the list since Dec. 21.
Now the Government has a system that they can use to benefit themselves. Five of their last six games will be at Toyota Arena, where they own a league-best 22-5-2-2 home record (.774). They hit the road just once, a quick trip back to Palm Desert to complete a home-and-home with Coachella Valley on April 11.
King thought that some time at home helped fuel Wednesday’s success. They played five games in nine days in Iowa, Henderson and Tucson before being able to return home before taking a quick trip down I-10 to face the Firebirds.
“I think a few days of rest and practice really helped us,” said Nkosi. “We were on the road as a team, some really tough tests, and we were just able to catch our breath and regroup a little bit.”
Players like Copley, Lee and others returning from last season’s roster know how much every little edge can add up as the Calder Cup Playoffs approach. The promising Ontario team saw its hopes last season end in the first round after finishing just four points out of first place in 2024-25.
This season’s team has the same athleticism. They have started to regain their scoring confidence, getting strong goals from Copley once Erik Portilloand set a standard they hope to continue in May and June.
The to-do list with six games left is clear: strengthen the practice of the level of play and win the division title.
“That,” Lord said of Wednesday’s effort, “is very similar to our team that we’ve seen in a long time this season.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
