DEC. 9-11 vs THUNDERBIRDS: HOW TO WATCH

by Tomas Kapusta

When: 

  • Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 - 7:30 PM
  • Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022 - 7:30 PM
  • Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022 - 2:15 PM

Where: Ontario Center Ice Arena

Watch:HockeyTV.com

Buy Tickets:ontariojrreign.com

Team Records:

  • Ontario Jr. Reign: 14-7-0
  • Las Vegas Thunderbirds: 14-3-1

Jr. Reign Notes:

The Jr. Reign enter this weekend on a four-game losing streak which began on Nov. 20 against the Thunderbirds and there is a lot at stake this weekend. The Jr. Reign currently stand in fourth place in the Pacific trailing the Thunderbirds by one point and this weekend is crucial that they jump higher in the standings and prevent the Thunderbirds from moving higher. It will not be an easy task but this is a hungry team who has not backed away from any challenge this season and they are ready to fight their way back into the win column.

Thunderbirds Notes:

The Thunderbirds come back to Ontario, where they played last which resulted in a hard-fought series with the Jr. Reign where they ended with a win after two losses. They currently stand in third place in the Pacific which can see them move forward to second or fall back to fourth this weekend. They have been playing great hockey and are a tough team to face however they will have to prove who wants it more this weekend.

Who To Watch:

For the Jr. Reign, Ethan McKibbin and Max Kathol remain as the scoring leaders. McKibbin remains the leader with 43 points with a near-split of 21 goals and 22 assists, he looks to continue his 6-game point streak and continue where he last left off with 2 goals. Kathol is second again with 14 goals and 24 assists on the year, he looks to increase his very impressive 5-game point streak which included a hat trick.

For the Thunderbirds, Narek Aleksanyan and Antoine Tourigny are the players to watch for. Aleksanyan is fourth in scoring in the USPHL with 30 goals and 25 assists averaging nearly 2 goals per game. Tourigny is next with 16 goals and 22 assists for nearly one goal per game. These two will be a difficult task for the Jr. Reign to contain.