As the Ontario Reign near the 40-game mark of their 2025-26 campaign, one thing is becoming increasingly clear - this young squad is turning a corner. With a lineup stacked with first- and second-year pros, the Reign are starting to find their identity, and it’s showing up in the win column. Wednesday night’s shootout victory in Colorado wasn’t just another two points - it was a statement.
Let’s set the stage: Ontario had already picked up a win over the Eagles on Tuesday, giving them a slim one-point edge over Colorado in the Pacific Division. But heading into the second leg of the back-to-back, history wasn’t exactly on their side.
The Reign had never swept a two-game road set in Colorado. And when they fell behind 3-0 early in the third period, it looked like that trend was going to hold.
But that’s when head coach Andrew Lord - a rookie behind the bench but already showing a veteran's poise - started pressing the right buttons.
With the team down but not out, Lord leaned into his youth movement. Kings prospects Martin Chromiak and Kenny Connors helped spark the comeback, setting up Nikita Alexandrov for a power-play goal just over four minutes into the third. That same trio struck again later in the period, this time with Connors finding the back of the net to make it 3-2.
Then, with time winding down and the Reign on another man advantage, Alexandrov delivered again - tying the game in the final seconds of regulation and sending it to overtime.
From there, Lord continued to trust his young guns. During a 6-on-5 push late in the third, he gave ice time to Koehn Ziemmer.
In overtime, Jared Wright, Kirill Kirsanov, Aatu Jamsen, and Angus Booth all saw shifts. That’s not just about development - that’s about confidence.
And it’s paying off.
Neither team could break through in the extra frame, so the game went to a shootout. That’s where veteran goaltender Pheonix Copley came up huge. He turned aside 35 of 38 shots during regulation and overtime - including a pair of clutch saves in OT - then stopped all four Colorado attempts in the shootout to lock down the win.
And let’s not overlook Martin Chromiak’s night. The 21-year-old winger picked up three primary assists, continuing what’s been a strong bounce-back season. He now sits at 15 goals and 13 assists, a notable jump from where he was at this point last year.
This win wasn’t just about two points in the standings. It was about resilience, growth, and a group of young players learning how to win tough games in tough buildings. Ontario’s now riding an 8-2-0 stretch, and it’s no fluke - this is a team figuring out how to close, how to respond, and how to lean on each other when the odds are stacked against them.
If this is what the Reign can do with a roster full of rookies and sophomores, the rest of the Pacific Division should take notice. Ontario’s not just developing talent - they’re building something.