It was déjà vu on Groundhog Day for the Ontario Reign. For the third game in a row, the Reign found themselves in an early three-goal deficit; however, they were challenged once again in keeping up with the speed, pressure, and compete of a surging Eagles team that has now won six in a row.
In a contest that featured the AHL return of Alex Turcotte, Sammy Fagemo, and Brandt Clarke from the Kings, coach Marco Sturm was hoping that his best players would come into the game and make the impact needed to pull his club out of their current slump.
Following the 5-2 loss, Sturm noted he was displeased with his top two lines, feeling that passes were missed, and they were trying to be “too cute,” while chasing the game from the start. The second-year head coach would make changes to his lines later in the game — moving Akil Thomas up to right wing on the top line, and dropping Fagemo down with Turcotte — that sparked the team’s play for a brief time, but they ultimately continued to struggle.
The Reign are in their worst run of the season now, with just one win in their past seven games.
We caught up with Turcotte after the game to talk about his AHL return, first NHL goal, and Kings coaching changes.
Turcotte Talks AHL return, First NHL goal, and Kings Coaching Changes
Flashy Freshman: After missing 12 AHL games following his call-up to the Kings, Clarke scored in his first game back. It’s not often that a defender tips in a puck shot by his own defensive partner, though. The rookie now boasts over a point-per-game (8G, 25A) in 31 games for the Reign and will be attending the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic on Monday, Feb. 5, serving as Ontario’s lone representative.
What to Watch For: Following a trend of late, the Reign were outshot in the first period by another large margin, this time 10-4. Over the past four games, they’ve now surrendered 53 shots against their 20 shots recorded. For a team that is now 1-8-3 when trailing after the first period, they will need to focus on better starts.
Stick Infractions, Again: After recording seven stick infractions in their previous start, the Reign took another four stick-related penalties in Friday’s rematch with the Eagles, a typical indication of a team falling behind their opponent in speed and pace.
Goalie Watch: Veteran Aaron Dell made his second start of the season hoping to improve off his debut performance; however, he wouldn’t be so lucky. Dell surrendered four goals off of 20 shots, leading to an .800 save percentage. Although, it was the play of his teammates that ailed those numbers more than his game. Expect rookie Erik Portillo to make his previously scheduled start Saturday evening at Toyota Arena against the visiting Calgary Wranglers.
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Lead photo via Daniel Stopani
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