Reign Defeat Salmon Kings 3-2 In Win
Jon Francisco Nets Game-Winner Late in the Third
ONTARIO, Calif. – The Ontario Reign, proud affiliate of the NHL Los Angeles Kings and the AHL Manchester Monarchs defeated the Victoria Salmon Kings, 3-2, Wednesday evening at Citizens Business Bank arena in front of 3,566 fans. P.J. Atherton, Jon Rheault and Jon Francisco each scored in the win, with goaltender Jeff Zatkoff stopping 21 of 23 shots faced.
The Ontario Reign (11-7-1-1, 24 points) faced off against the Victoria Salmon Kings (11-8-1-1, points) in the first match-up in club history bet ween the Reign and the only Canadian based team in the ECHL. The Salmon Kings took the early lead in the match when right wing Wes Goldie found the net at 3:03 in the first period, sneaking the puck past Reign goaltender Jeff Zatkoff. The Reign wouldn’t let the Salmon Kings keep their lead for long, as the Reign tied the game at one on a power play, five minutes later. Defenseman P.J. Atherton lit the lamp on a one-timer from the top of the slot, firing the puck past Victoria’s netminder Julien Ellis, for his third goal of the season. Right wing Maxime Boisclair picked up his eighth assist of the season and center Jon Francisco registered his seventh of the year on the helper, to send the teams into the second period tied, 1-1.
Merely 59 seconds into the second period, Ontario took the lead, 2-1, as right wing Jon Rheault notched his third goal of the season, on a one-timer past Ellis. Center Jon Francisco and right wing Maxime Boisclair each registered their second assists of the game on the goal. Victoria would tie the game at two apiece on a power play goal at 8:52 in the period, as Defenseman Dylan Yeo picked up his fifth goal of the year. The teams would remain tied throughout the final minutes of the second stanza, heading into the third with a score, 2-2.
Reign Captain Jon Francisco, after being activated off the injured reserve prior to the game, netted the Reign’s third goal of the evening and the eventual game-winner at 14:11 in the third period. Francisco lit the lamp for the Reign off a shot from the face-off circle, with right wing Jon Rheault and defenseman Andrew Martens picking up their first assists on the night. Victoria pulled Ellis from the goal with nearly two minutes remaining in the match for the extra attacker, but the Reign fought off the Salmon Kings taking home the victory with a final score, 3-2, in favor of the Reign.
REIGN DROPS:
The Reign are back at Citizens Business Bank Arena on Friday, December 5, as they take on the Stockton Thunder at 7 p.m. Bring a new unwrapped toy for children ages 2-12, or make a donation to help purchase gift cards for teenagers, as the Reign continue their weeklong toy drive for Steven’s Hope for Children through Friday, December 5. All fans that donate to the Reign Toy Drive will be entered into a drawing to win a Los Angeles Kings prize pack, which includes tickets to an upcoming game and a team-autographed jersey! In addition, all fans that make a donation will receive a buy-one get-one free ticket voucher to use at the Sunday, December 7 game against the Victoria Salmon Kings.
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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