The Ontario Reign (46-19-3-2) defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds (39-24-6-0) Saturday night by a final score of 3-2 in front of 8,279 fans at Acrisure Arena. The Reign will host the Abbotsford Canucks Friday, Apr. 17 at 7 p.m. PST.
Glenn Gawdin scored 17 seconds into overtime as the Reign became regular season Pacific Division champions for the second time in franchise history, the first since 2015-16. Koehn Ziemmer started the scoring in the first period with his 11th of the year then moments later Martin Chromiak doubled the advantage with his team leading 11th power-play score as well as team leading 27th overall tally. The Firebirds scored a short-handed goal with 6:02 remaining in the second period and then tied the contest with a power-play strike with 3:15 left in regulation. Cole Guttman stretched his point streak to five-games with an assist while tallying a career high 10 shots.
Ontario led 2-0 after the first period outshooting Coachella Valley 9-7. Koehn Ziemmer (11th) started the scoring from Jack Hughes at 6:23. At the left-wing boards in the defensive Hughes cleared the puck up the wall where Ziemmer worked it around the defender and went in on a breakaway sending a wrist shot through the legs of Terness. Then 3:04 later the Reign went on their first power-play of the game and Martin Chromiak (27th) doubled the advantage from Glenn Gawdin and Nikita Alexandrov. From the right corner Alexandrov twisted the puck up to the line for Gawdin who spun it across to the left circle where Chromiak blew a one-timer by Terness short-side.
The Firebirds made it a one-score game with 6:02 remaining in the second period when Mitchell Stephens scored on a short-handed breakaway. Ontario outshot Coachella Valley 20-10 in the period.
With just 3:15 left in regulation Tyson Jugnauth tied the game at 2-2 scoring four seconds into a Firebirds power-play sending a wrist shot from the center point into the top right corner eventually forcing overtime.
Glenn Gawdin (16th) handed the Reign the overtime victory scoring 17 seconds into the extra session from Cole Guttman and Angus Booth. Back in the Ontario zone Booth fed Guttman at the left side of the red line where he went spun the back to Gawdin at the center circle. Gawdin lugged the puck into the offensive zone and from the right face-off dot sent a wrister into the top right corner.
Erik Portillo picked up the win making 27 saves on 29 shots while Logan Terness suffered the loss making 36 saves on 39 shots. Ontario went 1-for-4 on the power-play while Coachella Valley was 1-for-2.
Postgame thoughts from Andrew Lord and Glenn Gawdin.
Lord
Gawdin