ONTARIO, Calif. -- It’s been two weeks since Ontario Reign’s first home game, where they welcomed back their fans with a 6-2 loss to Coachella Valley.
And in the second home game of the season, the Reign would endure a 5-2 defeat to the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday night.
Four different players scored for the Silver Knights, but their defense would be the most notable, as they didn’t allow Ontario to get into a consistent, offensive rhythm.
“There should be no excuse,” Ontario captain Joe Hicketts said. “It’s a home game early in the season … It’s a big game. It may seem early in the year, but these are big points and valuable division games and it’s just disappointing that it’s now two (losses) at home.”
Henderson goalie Carl Lindbom played the first two periods, saving 9 of 10 shots.
Cameron Whitehead guarded the net for the Silver Knights in the final period and saved 7 of 8 shots.
Ontario had eight penalties, with six of them being power play opportunities for Henderson.
Luckily for the Reign, they killed all six penalties. But having eight infractions in the first place is a discipline issue that needs fixing.
“We have to get away from the hooks and trips and slashes,” Hicketts said. “If we’re going to take a boarding penalty or roughing, sticking up for a teammate - I’m all for that. But we have to get rid of the ticky-tack stuff that is constantly sending us to the (penalty) box.”
The opening period was lackluster from the Reign, taking four shots and three penalties was not the way to start your fifth game of the season.
Jackson Hallum would be the first to find the back of the net 1:13 into period two with assists from Viliam Kmec and Matyas Sapovaliv.
And less than two minutes later, Mitch McLain’s first goal of the season would give Henderson a 2-0 lead.
Hicketts scored a shorthanded penalty shot to put the Reign down by one, but it didn’t quite give the momentum the team or fans were looking for.
In Aatu Jämsen’s 100th AHL game, he scored a power-play goal for his first of the season, but the Silver Knights would score three more times.
Alexander Holtz found the back of the net with an assist from Jonas Røndbjerg 38 seconds into the final period while both McLain and Jakub Demek scored empty-net goals to give the Reign a 0-2 home record to start the season.
“(It’s a) really frustrating night,” Ontario coach Andrew Lord said. “Obviously only five games into the year, but a really disappointing night through and through. Pretty much from start to finish.”
Ontario goalie Hampton Slukynsky saved 22 of 25 shots as he earns his second loss this season.
The Reign (3-2-0; 6 points) will host the Calgary Wranglers (5-2-0; 10 points) on Tuesday Oct. 20 at 7 p.m at Toyota Arena.