Victoria Claims Victory Over Reign, 5-2
Reign Continue Road Series at Phoenix Wednesday
VICTORIA, B.C. – The Ontario Reign, proud affiliate of the NHL Los Angeles Kings and the AHL Manchester Monarchs fell to the Victoria Salmon Kings, 5-2, Saturday evening, in front of 6,083 fans at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Forward Itan Chavira and left wing Chris Curran each netted a goal in the loss with goaltender John Murray blocking 41 of the 45 shots he faced in the match.
The Ontario Reign (19-14-1-1) came out first in the match, dominating the first period as forward Itan Chavira lit the lamp for the only power play goal of the night, and the only goal in the first 20 minutes of play, to put the Reign ahead, 1-0. Thirteen-seconds into the Reign’s first power play of the game, Chavira lit the lamp getting the puck past Victoria goaltender Julien Ellis at 5:20 in the stanza. Defensemen P.J. Atherton and Shawn Germain registered the assists on the play, with Chavira netting his first professional goal, sending the teams into the second with Ontario leading, 1-0.
Victoria (26-9-1-1) made a second period rally, netting four back-to-back goals in the period to take a three goal lead over Ontario. Right wings Sean D. O’Conner, Wes Goldie and Olivier Labelle and defenseman Patrick Labelle each netted a goal for the Salmon Kings to put them up, 4-1, heading into the final period of regulation.
Ontario fought back early in the third period as left wing Chris Curran netted his fourth goal of the season, finding the back of the net at the 3:02 mark. Defenseman P.J. Atherton and right wing Geoff Walker each registered an assist on the play, with Atherton picking up his second of the night to help the Reign pull within two, 4-2. Play continued late into the third when the Reign pulled goaltender John Murray in the final minutes of the match in hopes of making a comeback with a one-man advantage. With nearly a minute remaining, the Salmon Kings scored their fifth goal of the night as right wing Dan Gendur scored on an empty Reign net at 18:49 to seal the win. The Reign ended the match, falling to the Salmon Kings with a final score Reign 2, Salmon Kings 5.
To view the box score click here.
Three Stars:
1. VIC – J. Ellis
2. VIC – P. Coulombe
3. VIC – T. Wedderburn
Notes:
• Itan Chavira netted his first professional goal in the match and extended his point streak to two games (1g, 1a = 2 points) (1/9/09-1/10/09)
• Chris Curran extended his point streak to two games (1g, 1a = 2 points) (1/9/09-1/10/09)
• Geoff Walker extended his point streak to two games (1g, 1a = 2 points) (1/9/09-1/10/09)
REIGN DROPS
The Reign continue on the road for their third away game in a row as they take on the Phoenix Roadrunners at U.S. Airways Center, Wednesday, January 14, at 6:05 p.m. The Reign are back at home on Friday
Join the Reign as they bring the Fire to the Ice on Saturday, January 17, at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Ontario Fire Department will take on the New York Fire Department in a charity match-up at 3 p.m. prior to the Reign vs. Grizzlies game at 7 p.m. Fans have a chance to win an autographed New York Fire jersey and a 52-inch plasma tv! Proceeds from the event will help benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation and the CCHS organization. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the Reign front office at (909) 941-7809.
Single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, at all TicketMaster locations, or by calling (213) 480-3232.
-www.ontarioreign.com-
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