Roadrunners No Match For Reign
Reign Extend Win Streak to Four Games In 4-3 Shootout Victory
ONTARIO, Calif.- The Ontario Reign, proud affiliate of the NHL Los Angeles Kings and the AHL Manchester Monarchs, took the win over the Phoenix Roadrunners, 4-3, in a come-from-behind, shootout victory, in front of 4,628 fans  at Citizens Business Bank Arena Saturday evening. Defenseman Chad Starling netted the game winner for the Reign, with goaltender John Murray blocking 29 of the 32 shots he faced in the win.
In the third match-up of the season between the Ontario Reign and the Phoenix Roadrunners, Ontario (16-9-1-1) took the early lead on the ice as center Jon Francisco netted his thirteenth goal of the season after tipping the puck past the shoulder of Phoenix goaltender Kyle Jones. Francisco’s goal pushed the Reign ahead, 1-0, at 2:27 in the first, with defenseman Chad Starling picking up his first point of the season with an assist on the play, and right wing Maxime Boisclair registering his first assist of the evening.
At 6:03 in the first, the Roadrunners tied it up as defensemen Rory Rawlyk and Brett Peterson combined to slip the puck past Ontario goaltender John Murray. Less than five minutes later, Phoenix center Daniel Sisca assisted right wing Ashton Rome to put the Roadrunners ahead, 2-1, at 10:58. Ontario fought back as center Tim Kraus and right wing Brad Mehalko assisted right wing Geoff Walker in netting his tenth goal of the year on a power play at 12:36, tying the game, 3-3. Phoenix took a one goal lead over the Reign at the 13:53 mark in the period, as defenseman T.J. Campbell found the back of the net for the Roadrunners, sending the teams into the second period with a score, 3-2.
The clubs held the score at, 3-2 until the final minutes of the match, with the Reign pulling goaltender John Murray from net with 1:21 left to play. With only 22 seconds remaining in the game, left wing Todd Jackson lit the lamp, netting the game-tying goal, sending the teams into sudden death overtime. Jackson netted his sixth goal of the season with defenseman David Walker and right wing Maxime Boisclair tallying the assists to make the score, 3-3.
After a scoreless extra session, both teams headed to a shootout with the Reign opting to shoot first. Reign left wing Todd Jackson and right wing Maxime Boisclair each netted a goal in the shootout, with Phoenix’s John McNabb and Daniel Sisca each notching a goal to tie the score at, 2-2. Chad Starling made the final attempt for the Reign, firing the puck past Jones to put the Reign up by one. John Murray made the save against the Roadrunners final shooter, with the Reign taking the win over the Roadrunners, 4-3.
To view the complete box score, click here.
Three Stars
1. ONT – T. Jackson
2. PHX – B. Peterson
3. PHX – K. Daniels
Notes
- With the win over the Roadrunners, the Reign mark their fourth straight win as they gain two points in the Pacific Division standings
- The Reign currently sit in second place, four points behind the Fresno Falcons for first, and 10 points ahead of the Las Vegas Wranglers
- John Murray extended his win streak to 7 games with the, 4-3, win over the Roadrunners (7-0-0) (11/26/08-12/20/08)
- Jon Francisco is on a 2-game point streak with his goal in the match-up (1g, 2a = 3 points) (12/19/08-12/20/08)
- Maxime Boisclair is on a 2-game point streak with his two assists in the game (1g, 3a = 4 points) (12/19/08-12/20/08)
- Geoff Walker extended his point streak to three games (2g, 1a = 3 points) (12/15/08-12/20/08)
- Tim Kraus extended his point streak to seven games (3g, 5a = 8 points) (12/5/08-12/20/08), marking his longest point streak of the season
- Todd Jackson is on a 2-game point streak with his goal in the game (1g, 1a = 2 points) (12/19/08-12/20/08)
REIGN DROPS
The Reign are back at home tomorrow, Sunday, December 21, to face-off against the Stockton Thunder at Citizens Business Bank Arena at 5:00 p.m. as they offer fans a Sunday Family Special! Enjoy four tickets to the game, four hot dogs and four sodas for only $44! Four for $44 packages are subject to availability and are only available at the Citizens Business Bank Arena box office.
Sunday, December 21, is also the Reign’s third Reigndrops Kids Club Night of the season! Reigndrops Kids Club members enjoy free tickets to Reign games and other great benefits. Kids 12 and under can join now for only $35. For more information, contact the Reign front office at (909) 941-7801.
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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