Greg Hogeboom scored in the second period, and Bakersfield tied it on a power-play goal in the third that was deflected in by Mathieu Aubin.
In the shootout, Bakersfield’s Timo Pielmeier was perfect against four Reign shooters, while Sasha Pokulok and Aubin scored on Curtis Darling.
Right wing Sean O’Connor signed earlier in the day and made his debut for the Reign. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound power forward took a team-high five shots but was held scoreless. In 60 games last season for the Victoria Salmon Kings, O’Connor had 19 goals and 27 points.
More details in tomorrow’s editions of the Sun and Daily Bulletin.