Reign Edge Condors in Wild Finish, Extend Win Total to 30
The Ontario Reign found themselves in a back-and-forth battle Friday night, but when the dust settled, they walked away with a 4-3 win over the Bakersfield Condors in front of 5,138 fans at Dignity Health Arena. It wasn’t always clean, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but the Reign did just enough to notch their 30th win of the season - and they’ll get another crack at the Condors on home ice Saturday night.
This one got going in a hurry. Just 92 seconds after puck drop, Bakersfield defenseman Luke Prokop fired a wrist shot from the right point that found daylight in the top-left corner. That early strike gave the Condors a 1-0 lead and put Ontario on its heels.
But the Reign didn’t flinch.
They controlled the pace in the second period and eventually turned the game on its head. Aatu Jämsen got Ontario on the board at 10:09, redirecting a Joe Hicketts shot from the left-wing wall right at the top of the crease. It was Jämsen’s 11th of the year - a gritty, net-front goal that came at just the right time.
Then, with 3:09 left in the period, Cole Guttman added another. This time it was Angus Booth firing from the point, and Guttman - parked near the net - got just enough of it to change the trajectory and beat Bakersfield netminder Matt Tomkins. That gave Ontario its first lead of the night, 2-1, heading into the third.
The Reign were buzzing in that middle frame, outshooting the Condors 18-8 and generating all kinds of pressure. They even had a lengthy 5-on-3 power play but couldn’t convert, thanks in part to a huge shorthanded breakaway save by Erik Portillo that kept the game level at the time.
In the third, Ontario looked like it might pull away when Glenn Gawdin added some insurance midway through the period, stretching the lead to 3-1. But Bakersfield wasn’t going away quietly.
With just under three and a half minutes left, the Condors pulled Tomkins for the extra attacker - and it paid off. James Hamblin banged home a rebound from the edge of the crease to make it 3-2 with 2:59 to play.
Ontario responded quickly. Jared Wright buried an empty-netter with 1:50 left, giving the Reign a two-goal cushion again. Portillo picked up the assist - a nice touch for the goaltender who had been solid all night.
But again, Bakersfield clawed back. With Tomkins back on the bench, Viljami Marjala ripped a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Portillo clean, cutting the lead to 4-3 with just 44 seconds left.
That set up a tense final minute, but Ontario held firm. Despite being outshot 7-3 in the third, they did enough to close it out.
Portillo finished with 18 saves on 21 shots to earn the win, while Tomkins stopped 25 of 28 in the loss. Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play in a game that saw plenty of 5-on-5 action and very few whistles.
Ontario will look to make it two in a row against Bakersfield on Saturday night. If Friday’s game was any indication, we’re in for another tightly contested battle between two playoff-caliber squads.