It was too little, too late for Ontario Wednesday evening, as they fell to Bakersfield 3-2.
The Reign had a strong first half of the opening frame, however they were not able to find the back of the net, the best chance coming on a breakaway from Samuel Helenius. Momentum quickly shifted when the Condors capitalized on a turnover from the Reign and beat Matt Villalta to take a 1-0 lead.
Bakersfield carried their momentum from the end of the first period into the second and scored a pair of early goals. Ontario began to build momentum later in the frame on a pair of power plays, yet they could not take advantage of them.
In the third and final period, Ontario went full throttle, putting every puck on net, and quickly found the back of the net. Just a few minutes into the period, Wagner deflected a shot by Jacob Moverare to put Ontario on the board. With under a minute left in regulation, Taylor Ward banged home a rebound to get the Reign back within one goal. Unfortunately Ontario could not find the tying goal and overcome the 3-goal deficit
Despite the loss to Bakersfield, Ontario did a lot of good things, such as putting together their best 30 minutes of the season. The Reign controlled play, and outshot the Condors 38-19 in the last two periods.
Austin Wagner was the best player on the ice for the Reign, killing penalties, creating scoring chances every time he was on the ice, and even scored a goal. Marco Sturm rewarded him with top line minutes in the third period.
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