Reign Recap: Ontario Drops First Game of the Weekend to San Jose

Powered by a three-goal second period, San Jose lifted themselves to a 4-2 victory over the Ontario Reign on Friday night.

Tyler Madden and Lias Andersson both had good nights on the offensive side of things, as Madden collected a pair of goals and Andersson notched two helpers. Yet, it wasn’t enough for the visiting team.

Things opened rather slowly, as neither side was able to put one past their opposing netminder in the first period. Shots were 8-7 in favor of the Barracuda after 20 minutes of play and both teams had rung one off the iron.

Scoreless entering the second period, both offenses began to find their step in the middle frame. San Jose broke the deadlock with not one, but two goals before the midpoint, one of which was a shorthanded marker. Moments later, Madden put the Reign within striking distance by redirecting a centering pass from T.J. Tynan into the back of the net. However, the Barracuda quickly regained their two-goal advantage after they scored on a rebound opportunity – giving them a 3-1 lead.

Early in the final frame, San Jose potted their second shorthanded goal of the evening to take a commanding three goal lead over Ontario. Not too long after, the Reign began to pick up their play with multiple scoring chances. Their plan came to fruition when Madden deflected a shot by Martin Chromiak into the back of the net, cutting the deficit to a pair and giving Ontario some hope. Even though the Reign outshot the Barracuda 13-6 in the third, their comeback efforts came up just a bit short.

In net, Matthew Villalta made 18 saves in Friday’s loss.