If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
And that’s exactly what the Ontario Reign will have to do on Saturday night following an 8-1 drubbing on home ice just 24 hours ago vs. the same opponent.
For the lone highlight of Friday night, Sammy Fagemo scored a power play goal late in the third period:
Fagemo scores his 24th goal of the season #Reign
Assisted by: Tynan(71), Grans(14) pic.twitter.com/7YL1MeGJpW
— Eric (@kingsgifs2) April 2, 2022
Postgame, we were able to gather several comments following the pro debut of LA Kings prosect Andre Lee and Reign coach Chris Hajt:
https://twitter.com/mayorNHL/status/1510089677667065860
Now
In
Goal pic.twitter.com/XRUrXTPbhD— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
Andre Lee tells me he's about 6-5 these days. Clearly dude needs a tape measure. He's 6-9, minimum.
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
Andre Lee on his first pro game — It was fun. I felt like I skated well out there. As you said, it was a tough score; a tough game to jump into. But we have another game tomorrow, so can't complain.
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
Lee on the last wk, as his college season ended and a pro contract was offered — It was a lot of stress, but a lot of fun at the same time. I talked with the organization and with my advisor. Luckily, we came to a decision. Those 3 yrs were really fun, now it's time to be a pro.
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
Kings prospect Andre Lee on what he's worked on this season — Being strong on the puck down low. Mostly that and playing easy down along the walls. Definitely being strong, protecting the puck, and trying to get it to the net as many times as I can.
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
So there are other things that he's been doing well. Now, as he's starting to feel it a little bit more with the puck, you get to see a little bit of glimpses of what he had last year. Again, a true professional. He's a great kid. He stuck with it and just stayed positive. (END)
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
Hajt on Helenius – He's fit right in. On systems and different things within our game, he's been able to adjust to it and do a good job. Big, long body, skates well, not afraid, throws checks around & uses his size. See a lot of really good things there, looking forward to more.
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
Hajt on Andre Lee – I thought he got better as the game went on. He started making some plays and protected the puck. He was around the net and had some opportunities.
You can see he has good hands. He made some better wall plays later. He'll adjusti to the speed and the size.— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 2, 2022
No changes are expected to the Reign lineup this evening. Goalie Matty Villalta will go back in net for his seventh straight start, after being pulled at 5-0 last night. Ontario management noted to us that the 22-year-old goalie rebounded quite nicely after his last less-than-impressive performance, so they’ll look for a similar performance vs. the Eagles on Saturday.
ONTARIO REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. COLORADO EAGLES
Ward – Tynan – Frk
Tkachev – Thomas – Fagemo
Lee – Sutter – Dudas
Pavlychev – Helenius – Doty
Other options include: Ierullo
Injured: Madden
Unavailable: Turcotte (explained here)
Gaunce – Grans
Hickey – Allard
Wolanin – Nogier
Other options include: Kasastul
Villalta (starter)
Parik
Puck drop is scheduled for 6pm tonight and the game can be viewed on AHL TV.
RELATED CONTENT:
NHL RADIO REPLAY: Mayor’s Minutes – Hoven on Kings Goaltending, Durzi’s Future, and LA Playoff Hopes
Lead photo of Andre Lee via Mike Zitek for MayorsManor
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