The Ontario Reign saw their three-game win streak snapped Saturday night in a tough 2-1 loss to the Abbotsford Canucks at Rogers Arena. Despite controlling much of the play and outshooting Abbotsford in every period, Ontario couldn't hold onto a narrow lead in the third, falling victim to a late-game surge by the Canucks.
Cole Guttman continued his hot streak, extending his goal-scoring run to three straight games and giving Ontario a 1-0 lead midway through the second period. The tally came on the power play-his sixth of the season with the man advantage and his 18th overall. It was a textbook net-front goal: Martin Chromiak let a wrist shot fly from the point, Kenny Connors got a piece of it near the crease, and when Nikita Tolopilo couldn’t control the rebound, Guttman was there in the blue paint to bury it.
That goal capped off a dominant stretch for the Reign, who opened the game by outshooting Abbotsford 12-4 in the first period and followed it up with an 8-3 edge in the second. But despite the shot advantage and solid special teams play-Ontario killed off both of Abbotsford’s power plays and went 1-for-3 on their own-the Reign couldn’t close it out.
The turning point came early in the third. Just 93 seconds in, Nils Åman found the equalizer in a gritty, second-effort sequence.
He carried the puck down the left-wing boards, threw it into the slot from a sharp angle, and after a scramble in front, it bounced right back to him near the right goal line. Åman then banked the puck off Erik Portillo’s left pad and in, tying the game at 1-1.
From there, the Canucks started to gain traction. With nine minutes left in regulation, Nick Poisson delivered the dagger. Positioned in front of the net, Poisson got a stick on a point shot from Nikolai Knyzhov and deflected it past Portillo to give Abbotsford its first lead of the night-and ultimately, the game-winner.
Ontario pushed hard in the final minutes, outshooting the Canucks 12-6 in the third and finishing the night with a 32-13 advantage in shots. But Tolopilo stood tall in net for Abbotsford, turning away 31 shots in an impressive performance that earned him the win.
Portillo, meanwhile, took the loss despite a solid outing, stopping 11 of the 13 shots he faced. It was a frustrating result for a Reign team that controlled the pace, dictated possession, and got the kind of special teams execution coaches love to see-but couldn’t find that crucial insurance goal when it mattered most.
The Reign won’t have to wait long for a shot at redemption. They’ll get another crack at the Canucks on Monday afternoon in British Columbia, looking to bounce back and start a new streak in the final stretch of the season.