Thunder Steals Win From Reign, 3-2
Jon Francisco Nets Two Power Play Goals in Loss
ONTARIO, Calif. – In the second game of the season between the Ontario Reign and the Stockton Thunder, the Reign were unable to come away with the win as the Thunder took the victory 3-2 in overtime. 6,271 fans at Citizens Business Bank Arena Saturday evening were on hand as the Reign presented Military Appreciation Night.
The Reign (7-4-1-1, 16 points) notched the first goal of the match-up as center Jon Francisco fired the puck past Thunder goaltender Andrew Perugini on a power play. Jon Rheault registered the assist on the goal as the Reign took a one-goal lead 3:26 in the first. The Thunder (5-5-0-2, 12 points) tied the game at one, eleven minutes into the first, as defenseman Ryan Constant slipped the puck past Reign goaltender Jeff Zatkoff. The teams remained tied the remainder of the period heading into the second, 1-1.
Merely two-seconds into the second period, Reign defenseman David Walker and Thunder left wing Garet Hunt heated up the match as they dropped the gloves at center ice, sending both of the players to the box for five. The clubs remained at one apiece until midway through period when Thunder defenseman Ryan Constant netted his second goal on the night at 12:07, ending the period with the Thunder leading 2-1.
Center Jon Francisco led the Reign into a third period comeback, as he scored his second power play goal of the evening, at the 12:38 mark in the third. Right wing Maxime Boisclair and defenseman Darren McMillan registered the assists putting the Reign even with the Thunder, 2-2. Although the teams combined for 22 shots in the third, neither team was able to find the back of the net in the final minutes of play. The game was forced into sudden-death overtime with Stockton scoring the game-winning goal just shy of two minutes into the stint, ending the match with a final score 3-2 in favor of the Thunder.
Goaltender Jeff Zatkoff 36 of the 39 shots he faced in the loss.
Notes:
- Jon Rheault currently holds a 4-game point streak with his assist in Friday’s match (2g, 5a = 7 points) (11/5-11/15)
- Maxime Boisclair holds a 4-game point streak with his assist in Friday’s match (1g, 3a = 4 points) (11/8-11/15)
- Jon Francisco currently holds a 2-game points streak with his two goals in Friday’s match (2g, 1a, = 3 points) (11/14-11/15)
REIGN DROPS:
Bring out a group of 20 or more to a Reign home game and find out how your group can REIGN over the arena for a night! Special pricing and Reign fan experiences are available for all Reign home games during the Reign's inaugural season presented by the Mission Inn. Contact a Reign representative at (909) 941-PUCK (7825) or visit www.ontarioreign.com for more information.
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.
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