ONTARIO, Calif. -- In desperate times such as the playoffs, comes the desperate need to win.
And in a five-game-series, every game counts.
With a possibility of going down 2-0 and losing both home games, the Ontario Reign understood the importance of tonight’s win - and they acted like it.
The Reign dominated in a 5-1 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds Friday night, tying the series 1-1.
Pheonix Copley saved 34 shots and Ontario went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
“That (win) was huge for us,” Francesco Pinelli said in postgame interviews. “Obviously coming into this game, we wanted to really show our dominance and get back to our game. I thought we did a good job and executed our game plan so we’re going to continue to build off that.”
For the second consecutive game, the Firebirds scored first, which didn’t help Ontario’s already lackluster momentum from the previous loss.
Lleyton Roed found the back of the net 7:52 into the matchup with an assist from Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and Coachella Valley had an early 1-0 lead once again.
After getting shutout 3-0 Wednesday night in Game 1 and the first period nearing its end, the Reign desperately needed a goal.
And the fans needed one too - something to cheer for.
The Firebirds were having their way, and in a more favorable position with a win under their belt on Ontario’s home ice.
“Home ice advantage is huge,” Copley said. “Giving away the first one obviously isn’t ideal so this one was that much more important. And now we have to go there and get the job done in Coachella.”
Logan Brown would come to the rescue as he scored the Reign’s first goal in 78 minutes of playing time, including the 60 scoreless minutes from Game 1 as Pinelli and Jack Millar were credited with assists.
With the momentum on Ontario’s side for the first time, Angus Booth and Andre Lee assisted Glenn Gawdin in handing the Reign the 2-1 lead - their first lead of the series.
After 15 seconds passed in the final period, a goal from Cole Guttman and a shorthanded goal from Pinelli two minutes later gave the Reign a comfortable three-point lead.
As Coachella Valley got desperate themselves, they took Nikke Kokko off the net to add an extra attacker.
And that resulted in an empty-net goal from Martin Chromiak, giving the Reign a 5-1, series tying victory.
“We were just rusty in the last (game),” Ontario coach Andrew Lord said. “We were just slow and when you’re slow you’re not going to hit. When you don’t take care of the puck and put it in good spots, you’re not going to be able to finish checks. And tonight our puck management was way better, our execution was way better.”
The Reign will travel to Coachella Valley in hopes to go up 2-1 for Game 3 Tuesday at 7 p.m.