The Ontario Reign closed out a 4-3 overtime win over the San Diego Gulls on Friday night at Toyota Arena, getting the deciding goal from Aatu Jämsen just 1:27 into the extra frame in front of 4,721 fans. Ontario now turns to its final preseason game Sunday against Coachella Valley, with puck drop set for 5 p.n. PST.
Ontario came out fast and built a 2-0 cushion in the first period, then had to answer every time San Diego punched back. Kaleb Lawrence and Jack Hughes scored in the opening 20 minutes, Nate Corbet restored the lead early in the third, and Jämsen finished it off in overtime.
The Reign opened the scoring at 7:01 when Jack Hughes buried a wrist shot after a sequence started by Vojtech Čihař and Michael Mastrdomencio. Back near his own blue line, Mastrdomencio sent Čihař up the right-wing swall. Čihař then drove through the right circle and swept the puck off the paddle of Suchanek before Hughes collected it below the right face-off circle and snapped it home.
Ontario added to the lead on the power play at 12:47 after San Diego’s Lukas Jirousek was called for high sticking at 11:49 and later dropped the gloves with Nate Corbett. From the top of the right circle, Jämsen fed Henry Brzustewicz at the blue line, Brzustewicz fired a one-timer, and Kaleb Lawrence was there at the right side of the crease to finish the rebound.
San Diego flipped the momentum in the second period, scoring twice in the opening 2:14 to tie the game 2-2. Matthew Phillips got the Gulls on the board 40 seconds into the period, and Herman Träff evened things 74 seconds later. The Gulls outshot Ontario 15-4 in the frame.
Ontario responded early in the third. At 1:55, Corbet pushed the Reign back ahead 3-2 after Ryan O’Hara and Brendan Gorman worked the puck across the zone. Gorman fed O’Hara on the right side, O’Hara sent a shot off the back boards from just inside the left point, and Corbet met it at the goal line to chip it past Clara.
That lead didn’t last. Sash Mutala tied it at 3-3 at 8:45, and the teams finished regulation locked in a dead heat.
Jämsen ended it in overtime, taking a feed from Michael Mastrodemnico and Kaleb Lawrence, cutting through the left circle and lifting a backhander over the glove of Clara from the crease.
Ontario outshot San Diego 13-6 in the first period and 11-5 in the third. In goal, Hampton Slukynsky started for Ontario and made 14 saves on 16 shots in 30:43, while Carter George stopped 10 of 11 shots in 30:44. Tomas Suchanek started for San Diego and made 13 saves on 15 shits in 30:43, and Damian Clara turned aside 13 of 15 shots in 30:44.
The Reign finished 1-for-2 on the power play, while San Diego did not have a power-play opportunity.
In Other News...
Kings Face One Last Roster Squeeze With Tough Waiver Risk
The Kings have kept trimming the camp roster as the NHL deadline approaches, sending prospects Kenny Connors and Jared Wright to AHL Ontario while continuing to sort through a crowded forward group. Mats Zuccarello appears ready to play, which only tightens the picture up front and leaves the staff with fewer easy answers as the final roster takes shape.
One more squeeze still looms, and it is the kind that can shape an opening-night group beyond just the names on the final list. Los Angeles is weighing whether to carry three goalies, a choice that would create a difficult waiver decision somewhere else on the roster and leave the club balancing immediate depth against the risk of losing a player for nothing. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Final Preseason Test Comes With Two Crucial Roster Battles
The preseason schedule has reached a stage where every shift feels a little more revealing, and the next Freeway Faceoff meeting between the Kings and Ducks fits that mold. Los Angeles is still sorting through its camp decisions, with a handful of players trying to make the strongest possible case before roster moves start getting serious, while Anaheim is also trimming and testing as it looks for the right combinations.
For the Kings, the spotlight is on the fringe roster competition as Andre Lee, Taylor Ward and Erik Gustafsson continue to be evaluated in what could amount to their final auditions. In goal, Anton Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper are still competing for the No. 1 job, giving this exhibition another layer of meaning beyond the usual preseason tune-up as the team gets closer to locking in its opening-night picture. [Read more 🡒]
Kings TV Lineup Leans On Familiar Faces With One Intriguing Twist
ABTV and the Los Angeles Kings have settled their television broadcast team for the 2026-27 season, and the setup looks built around continuity. John Kelly is back in the lead play-by-play chair, Jim Fox returns as the top analyst, and the rest of the rotation includes several familiar Kings voices in Jarret Stoll, Daryl Evans and Tony Granato, giving the broadcast booth a steady, recognizable feel for fans who have followed the club for years.
The one addition worth watching is Alec Martinez, who will join the mix on select telecasts as part of a broader group that should keep the network flexible throughout the season. Kings broadcasts will again be widely accessible through cable, satellite and streaming providers, along with DAZN and select over-the-air airings, so the next step is seeing how the new-look presentation settles in once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]