OJR fall in Pacific Division Final

For the second year in a row, the Ontario Jr. Reign traveled to face-off against the Fresno Monsters in the Pacific Division Championship series. In a fiercely contested battle, the roles were reversed and the Monsters earned the title of Pacific division champions. 

Since last season, these two arch rival franchises have been locked in a heavyweight battle, showcasing intense, fast-paced and physical play both on the ice and on the scoresheet. 

Josh Henson got his third consecutive playoff start in between the post for game one after having a stellar performance in the series with Lake Tahoe. 

Captain Jesiah Bennett wasted no time making an impact, scoring on the power play less than three minutes into the game. He capitalized on a loose puck in the crease, netting his first goal of the postseason.

Christopher Lai continued his special playoff run by netting his fifth of the postseason just two minutes later to give Ontario an early 2-0 lead. 

Fresno responded quickly with three goals across eight minutes of play to end the first period 3-2. 

The match had end-to-end action along with being very physical as each side made sure all their checks were finished.   

Despite having great looks within the second period the Jr. Reign couldn’t convert while the Monsters added one more goal to make the score 4-2. Fresno netted one final empty net goal to make the final score 5-2. 

With the season on the line, Ontario came flying out of the gates with Henson between the pipes. 

Despite the early offensive pressure, the Monsters got on the board first within three minutes of the opening period. 

Denver Craig quickly responded when he picked up the puck in the neutral zone and fired a shot past the goaltender’s stick side from the right circle. 

The Monsters regained the lead with a power-play goal just past the midway point and carried it into the first intermission. 

That lead was short-lived as Lai added his name to the scoresheet with a short-handed goal exactly one minute into the second period. Ontario placed within the top three throughout the USPHL and it showed when it was needed the most. 

Fresno did retake the lead just two minutes later, while Luke Cannon found the equalizer, cleaning up a rebound from a shot by Craig. 

Ontario maintained the offensive pressure, outshooting the Monsters 39-15 through two periods, despite the game being locked at 3-3. 

The floodgates opened for Fresno in the final period, scoring four goals across 12 minutes, including two on the power play to put them 7-3. 

Matteo Pero netted the final goal of the game with just over two minutes remaining,  by redirecting a shot from the blue line by Alec Boucher to bring the final score to 7-4. 

Ontario finished this season with a 37-13-2 record. Over the course of the past three years the OJR have compiled an impressive record of 104 wins, 27 losses and 4 OT and or shootout losses.   

With the loss in Fresno an end to the Jr. Reign’s incredible season has arrived.  

Head Coach and Jeremy Blumes commented on the loss “It’s a bitter pill to swallow, we played very well in the series. It’s a tall order to win a pair of series on the road and I believe our players emptied their tanks. I am proud of this group of young men. Give credit to the Monsters they were able to convert on their opportunities. Our program's objective is player development both on and off the ice and when I look at how far all of our players have come, and by that metric I do consider this season to be a success. As a coach, and manager I have learned a number of valuable lessons that I intend on applying to the operation of this team moving forward.”

#ReignTrain #OJR #OntarioCalifornia

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