WHO: Ontario Reign at Coachella Valley Firebirds (Series Tied 1-1)
WHAT: 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs – Pacific Division Semifinals, Game 3
WHEN: Tuesday, May 5 @ 7:00 Pacific
WHERE: Acrisure Arena – Palm Desert, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey – AUDIO: Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ReignInsider & @OntarioReign
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign will look to take their first lead in the best-of-five series as the matchup with Coachella Valley shifts to Palm Desert with things knotted up at one a piece.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: After dropping Game 1 of the series last Wednesday 3-0, the Reign bounced back with a 5-1 victory at Toyota Arena on Friday. Lleyton Roed gave the Firebirds a 1-0 advantage in the first period before Logan Brown tied things up with his first career AHL playoff goal with just 75 seconds remaining. Glenn Gawdin scored his fifth goal of the season against Coachella Valley with 4:43 left in the second period giving Ontario their first lead of the series. Cole Guttman made it a 3-1 game just 15 seconds into period three with his sixth goal of the year against Coachella Valley while Francesco Pinelli scored a short-handed tally 2:19 later tripling the lead. Martin Chromiak tacked on an empty netter with just inside three and a half minutes left in regulation.
In the win on Wednesday Ontario received goals from five different skaters while 10 players recorded at least one point with Francesco Pinelli (1G, 1A) and Andre Lee (2A) had multi-point performances. Pinelli and Angus Booth finished the evening plus-three while Martin Chromiak led all Reign skaters with four shots.
Ontario posted a 5-1-2 record vs. Coachella Valley during the regular season including a 3-0-1 mark at Acrisure Arena.
3 TO WATCH FOR ONTARIO:
– Pheonix Copley started game two in net earning the victory making 34 saves on 35 shots while Erik Portillo suffered the loss in game one stopping 30 of 33 shots. Copley appeared in 33 games in the regular season posting a 21-11-1 record with a 2.59 goals against average and .901 save percentage while Erik Portillo went 18-7-3 in 30 appearances with a 2.45 GAA and .907 SV%. The two alternated starts for 26 straight games from Jan.3-Mar.8, games 31-55, before Portillo made back-to-back starts on Mar.8-11, games 56-57. After Portillo made back-to-back starts, then alternated starts for the next 11 games before Hampton Slukynsky made his debut.
– The Reign went 0-for-3 on the power-play in game one and did not receive a power-play opportunity in game two. During the regular season, Ontario had just one game where they did not get a power-play in a contest and it was against the Firebirds on Jan. 23 in a 3-2 overtime win at Acrisure Arena. Ontario went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill in game two while going three-for-four in game one. Francesco Pinelli scored a short-handed goal in game two for his first career AHL Calder Cup Playoff goal in his fifth game. In 202 regular season games he has scored just two short-handed goals, both during the 2024-25 season. The Reign scored five short-handed goals in the regular season this year.
– The Reign were outshot 33-25 in game one and 35-24 in game two. During the regular season Ontario ranked 31st in the AHL averaging 26.03 shots for per game while ranking fourth in shots against at 26.03.
3 TO WATCH FOR COACHELLA VALLEY:
– Nikke Kokko has started all five games in the playoffs for the Firebirds. In games one and two in round one he allowed 10 goals on 38 shots then made 54 saves on 56 shots in his next two starts before allowing four goals in 19 shots in game two against Ontario.
– Coachella Valley has won both games on home ice during the playoffs defeating Bakersfield 5-4 in round one, game two, while picking up a 6-2 win the series in game three. The Firebirds were 19-13-4 at Acrisure Arena during the regular season losing their last four, 0-3-1. Their last home victory was a 4-1 win over San Jose on Mar. 29.
– Oscar Fisker Mølgaard is tied for second in the playoffs with seven points and tied for first with four goals having notched a point in four straight games.
