The San Diego Gulls head into tonight’s meeting with the Ontario Reign knowing exactly what kind of night it should be. It’s a rivalry game, and both sides have already shown enough early-season form to make this first clash feel like more than just another date on the schedule.
Pechanga Arena San Diego will host the opener of the season series at 7 p.m. PDT, with San Diego and Ontario set to begin what has long been one of the AHL’s more familiar Southern California battles. The two clubs are separated by just over 100 miles, and the matchup carries the same edge that comes with the NHL affiliation pairing of the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.
“It’s a huge rivalry anytime we play the Reign,” Nico Myatovic said. “We’re getting up for it in the room and we’re looking forward to it.”
The rivalry will only grow more often, too. San Diego and Ontario met four times during the 2025-26 season, but that total will jump to eight in 2026-27.
The Gulls finished last season’s series 2-1-1-0 against Ontario, and both of those wins came on home ice. Overall, San Diego owns a 55-42-7-3 mark against the Reign and will try to keep building on that edge tonight.
Head coach Dave Manson knows the challenge goes beyond history.
“There’s always change,” Manson said. “That’s the thing about the AHL, rosters change on a daily basis.
Ontario is a team that has it together, they play quick and they look to transition quick. We have to be ready for that, and we have to be able to do that ourselves.
It’s the first time we’ll see them with their real lineup, and we look forward to a good test.”
Ontario arrives with three games already in the books and a 2-1-0-0 record. The Reign sit one point behind San Diego in the Pacific Division with four points. Their power play has matched the Gulls’ so far, with both teams converting on 2 of 15 chances for 13.3%.
Ontario’s most recent result came Sunday, Oct. 11, when it edged the Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-2 in overtime.
San Diego has played four games and enters at 2-1-1-0 with five points, trailing the three teams tied atop the division by one point. The Gulls have scored 14 goals and allowed 12, and while the power play has yet to really take off, the penalty kill has held up at 10-for-13, good for 76.9%.
Myatovic said the group feels equipped to handle whatever the night demands.
“I think we can play with a lot of speed and we’ve got skilled guys,” Myatovic said. “Some of the younger guys coming in that are rookies this year are really skilled. So, we can play that skilled game but then we also have a lot of grit, and we’ve got a good back end, so I think we’re just solid all throughout.”
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