Ontario Reign: Three Takeaways From 2-1 SO Victory Over San Diego

The Ontario Reign played in their first shootout game of the season and came away victorious in a 2-1 shootout win.

You stay classy San Diego #ReignTrain I #ONTvsSD pic.twitter.com/XbDzNqinxM Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) December 8, 2024 Goal Breakdown First period: SD: Yegor Sidorov (5), ASST: Roman Kinal (1) Second period: None Third period: ONT: Andre Lee (1), ASST: Jack Studnicka (8), Angus Booth (5) Overtime: None Shootout: Round one: SD: Nikita Nesterenko NO GOAL ONT: Aatu Jamsen NO GOAL Round two: SD: Nathan Gaucher NO GOAL ONT: Taylor Ward GOAL Round three: SD: Sasha Pastujov NO GOAL ONT: N/A Stats Goals: ONT: 2 SD: 1 Shots: ONT: 37 SD: 22 Power plays: ONT: 0/3 SD: 0/3 Here are the three takeaways from Saturdays 2-1 shootout victory: Excellent goalie play This game was all about excellent goaltending.

Oscar Dansk is why the Gulls got a point and didnt lose by four or more goals.

Dansk stopped every Reign chance and it looked like the Reign would get goalied.

The Reign recorded 30 shots on goal through 40 minutes compared to the Gulls eight, and Dansk turned every one of them aside.

The Reign were ultimately able to break the damn in the third period with Andre Lees goal and prevail in the shootout after a dominant 60-minute effort.

Erik Portillo didnt have a busy night like Dansk but held his own when needed.

Portillo stopped all 14 shots on goal in the third (10) and overtime periods (4) and denied all three shootout attempts from San Diego.

Portillo looked poised and squared to each shooter in the shootout and was aggressive at the right time in Nikita Nesterenkos attempt with a poke check.

Taylor Ward nets the shootout winner Taylor Ward has become a secret weapon for Marco Sturm in the skills competition (shootout).

Ward went 2-for-5 in the shootout last year with both goals coming in Reign wins.

Sturm tabbed him as the second-round shooter after Aatu Jamsen went first.

Ward went with his signature glove-side shot on Dansk to give the Reign a 1-0 lead in the shootout.

Portillo shut the door with a glove save on Pastujov, the next shooter for San Diego to secure the win.

Wardo for the winnnn #ReignTrain I #ONTvsSD pic.twitter.com/sVnYAzcoIV Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) December 8, 2024 Angus Booths stellar play The Reign roster consists of four rookies and one has made an impression on a nightly basis.

Insert 20-year-old defenseman, Angus Booth.

Booth isnt the flashiest player but one who gets the job done by playing a simple, responsible game.

Booth, from game one, has drawn praise from Sturm.

While the 2022 fourth-round draft pick has been playing on the third pairing, he has gotten plenty of penalty kill time and matching up against the opposing teams top players.

Last night he was stellar once again in the defensive end and made the smart pass to get the puck out.

His mobility allows him to escape pressure calmly and make those passes to exit the zone.

He even recorded a secondary assist on Lees goal in the third period by making a tape-to-tape outlet pass from the defensive blue line to Jack Studnicka near the Gulls offensive blue line to get the play started.

His gap control has been his biggest strength and is a prospect Kings fans should start taking notice of.

NOTES: *Lee scored his first goal of the season to tie the game in the third period.

Studnicka Lee #ReignTrain I #ONTvsSD pic.twitter.com/4u38rty8SF Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) December 8, 2024 *Booths assist gives him a point in back-to-back games.

*The penalty kill continues to be excellent for the Reign.

Theyve successfully killed 30 of their last 31 penalties and boast the leagues best penalty on the road (93.9%) UP NEXT: The Ontario Reign will face the Bakersfield Condors today at Toyota Arena this afternoon at 3 PM PST.

The game can be seen on KCAL+ (channel 9.6) or FloSports.

If you cant watch, you can listen to the game on the ESPN LA app.

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