Reign eyeing division title, strong play heading towards postseason | TheAHL.com

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

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Wednesday provided the Ontario Reign with a much-needed get-well night.

They had been stuck in a bit of a rut for the past three weeks, going 3-3-2-1. That dip followed a seven-game winning streak.

Trying to push aside the Colorado Eagles to maintain a grip on the Pacific Division lead, the Reign had a four-point edge on March 11 for a first-place spot that means a first-round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Second place means a best-of-three first-round series against an opponent from the always-difficult Pacific Division playoff field.

So when the dust settles and the regular season ends on Apr. 19, Wednesday’s contest – on the road, against a Coachella Valley team that had won nine of its previous 10 games – might be considered a turning point. The Reign outshot the Firebirds 13-3 in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead into intermission. They struck four more times in the second and rolled to a 7-0 victory, their highest offensive output of the season and matching the largest margin of victory in team history. Cole Guttman turned in a hat trick and an assist, Andre Lee provided four assists and Pheonix Copley continued to deliver reliable goaltending, earning his 20th win and registering his first shutout this season; Copley is 7-0-1 (1.72, .929) in his last eight starts.

For a team averaging 3.30 goals per game, it was a return to form after scoring 10 goals in their previous five outings. Lee, an AHL All-Star this winter, has been a massive success story for the Reign in his fifth season, hitting the 25-goal mark. Guttman, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, continues to be one of the AHL’s most dependable offensive producers.

Rookie head coach Andrew Lord has navigated his Reign through a series of challenges this season, and entering this weekend they own a one-point lead over Colorado – although the Eagles have a game in hand. Forwards Taylor Ward and Jared Wright have had extended stays in Los Angeles. Forwards Nikita Alexandrov and Jan Jeník and defenseman Nikita Novikov joined the Reign in mid-season deals that saw defenseman Samuel Bolduc and forward Akil Thomas depart. Veteran blueliner Kyle Burroughs, a significant addition when he joined the Reign from the Kings in November, has been out of the lineup since Dec. 21.

Now the Reign have a schedule that they can use to their advantage as well. Five of their final six games will be at Toyota Arena, where they own a league-best 22-5-2-2 home record (.774). They hit the road just once, a quick trip back to Palm Desert to complete a home-and-home with Coachella Valley on Apr. 11.

Lord thought that some time at home helped to feed Wednesday’s success. They played five games in nine days at Iowa, Henderson and Tucson before being able to recharge back home before making the quick trip down I-10 to face the Firebirds.

“I think a couple days of rest and practice really helped us,” Lord said. “We were on the road a bunch, some really tough tests, and we just were able to take a breath and reset a little bit.”

Players like Copley, Lee and other returnees from last season’s roster know how much every little edge can add up as the Calder Cup Playoffs approach. A promising Ontario team abruptly saw its postseason hopes end in a first-round sweep after finishing just four points out of first place in 2024-25.

This season’s team has some of that same potential to make a run. They have started restoring some scoring confidence, they are getting strong goaltending from Copley and Erik Portillo, and they are setting a standard that they hope to carry into May and June.

The to-do list with six games to go is clear: reinforce playoff-level habits and win a division title.

“That,” Lord said of Wednesday’s effort, “was much more like our team that we’ve seen for a lot of this season.”