Victoria 4, Reign 3.

It’s still early in the ECHL season, but the Victoria Salmon Kings seem to have the Reign’s number.

The S-Kings won for the fourth time in four meetings between the teams, 4-3 before 5,657 at The Bank on Friday night. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Reign (5-7-0-1), who continue their six-game homestand tonight against the Las Vegas Wranglers.

Chaz Johnson, Brett O’Malley and Aaron Lewdaniuk scored for the Reign, with Lewadniuk’s goal pulling the Reign within 4-3 at the 4-minute mark of the third period. Kellen Briggs (24 saves) was pulled for an extra attacker late in the third period — and the Reign had a brief 6-on-4 power play thanks to a Victoria penalty with 13 seconds left — but the Reign couldn’t convert.

After Johnson’s goal at 5:23 opened the scoring, Matt Stefanishion and Ryan MacMurchy answered with goals 39 seconds apart in the first period to give Victoria a 2-1 lead. O’Malley tied the game on a severe-angle shot with 1:12 left in the first period for his first professional goal.

The Salmon Kings took a 4-2 lead on second-period goals by Rick Cleaver and Michael Wilson.

Taylor, Pelech on Dwight King.

Karl Taylor and Michael Pelech both exchanged text messages with Dwight King on Tuesday, when King became the first Reign player ever to get an NHL call-up.

(I should point out that Jon Rheault played in five preseason games with the Calgary Flames this season after being invited to their NHL training camp. In terms of regular-season call-ups at least, King’s is the first.)

“We’re very excited for him,” Taylor said. “Hopefully he gets a chance to play, does well. He’s nervous, obviously real excited – a young man getting to chance his dream.”

Continue reading “Taylor, Pelech on Dwight King.” »

Briggs named ECHL goaltender of the week.

It came as no surprise to anyone who watched Kellen Briggs dominate the Alaska Aces last weekend that the Reign goalie was named ECHL Goaltender of the Week today.

Briggs recorded a win in three consecutive games at Sullivan Arena, finishing the week with a save percentage of .952 and a goals-against average of 1.66. Briggs turned aside 38 shots in a 2-1 victory on Friday, stopped 31 shots in a 4-3 win on Saturday, and then made 30 saves in a 2-1 victory on Sunday.

It’s the second time Briggs has been honored as Goaltender of the Week. From Nov. 19-25 he went 2-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA, and .973 save percentage for the Idaho Steelheads.

The 27-year-old is 4-5-1 in 11 games, posting a 2.79 goals-against average and a save percentage of .912.

Right wing Jeff Corey, who had a strong week for the Reign in Alaska, was passed over for the ECHL Player of the Week award. Brad Snetsinger of Utah got the nod.

Reign 2, Alaska 1.

Power-play goals by center Dusty Collins and defenseman David Walker gave the Reign a 2-1 win Sunday, completing three-game road sweep of the Alaska Aces.

Collins, playing his fifth game of the ECHL season, scored his first goal of the season 44 seconds into the middle period. Since returning from the American Hockey League, the veteran has a goal and four assists.

Walker added an insurance goal at 16:50, the first of the season for the team captain. That proved crucial when Aces winger Wes Goldie scored with 40 seconds left in the game to provide the final score.

Goaltender Kellen Briggs started all three games of the series in goal and stopped 30 of 31 shots. Defenseman Eric Doyle had two assists in his third game back from an upper-body injury, giving him six points (goal, five assists) in seven games this season. Jeff Corey and Jordan Morrison also had assists.

The Reign (5-6-0-1) went 2-for-4 on the power play and killed all three man-advantage shifts for the Aces (7-4-1-0), who entered the series with the best record in the Western Conference.

The Reign return home for a six-game homestand beginning Friday against the Victoria Salmon Kings.

Reign 4, Alaska 3.

The Reign have a modest winning streak going, and this time they didn’t need overtime.

Jeff Corey scored two more goals, giving him three in the first two
games of the three-game series, and lifting the Reign to their second
win over the Alaska Aces in as many days. Corey scored once on the power
play, once short-handed, and Lane Caffaro and Jon Francisco also scored
for the Reign (4-6-0-1).

Kellen Briggs, who had 37 saves in an overtime win Friday, stopped 31 of 34 shots in net. Center Dusty Collins
had three assists and defenseman David Walker had two helpers for the
Reign, who can finish off the three-game sweep today at Sullivan Arena.

Alaska (7-3-1-0) pulled ahead 2-1 at 12:35 of the middle period on Wes Goldie’s second goal of the game, but Caffaro’s power-play goal at 17:08 tied the game at 2.

Corey, who has quite a history of success at Sullivan, leads the team with six goals and 10 points in 11 games. Defenseman Eric Doyle picked up an assist in his first action after missing five games with an upper-body injury. He was activated from IR, and center C.J. Stretch took his place, prior to the game.

Reign 2, Alaska 1, OT.

Karl Taylor said Monday that he hoped the Reign’s seven-game losing streak amounted to “our slump for the season.” That thinking seems less wishful, and a bit closer to reality, after a 2-1 overtime win in Alaska on Friday.

The Reign won despite being outshot 39-14. Kellen Briggs made 37 saves, and Jeff Corey’s end-to-end goal ended the game 39 seconds into overtime. Michael Pelech scored with 9:19 left in the third period to tie the game at 1, his first goal coming in his second game back from the American Hockey League.

The two teams play again Saturday night at Sullivan Arena.

Sizing up Sullivan.

This weekend’s three-game series between the Reign and Alaska Aces is a homecoming of sorts for defenseman Luke Beaverson, who called Sullivan Arena home during his four-year career at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

Sullivan is notable for being the only rink in the ECHL’s Western Conference (it’s also believed to be the only pro rink in North America) with Olympic dimensions. Unlike the 85-by-200-foot playing surface used by most North American teams (including the Reign), an Olympic rink is 98 feet wide.

“Every time you think you’re running out of room, you’ve got an extra five feet, Beaverson said. “Defensively and offensively, that can be an advantage if you’re driving wide on a guy, and a D-man like me who’s been used to playing on an NHL-sized rink, got an extra five feet wide.

“The guy can beat you wide. There’s a lot of extra room out there. The corners are deeper. It’s just a little different.”
Continue reading “Sizing up Sullivan.” »

Alaska 5, Reign 2.

The Reign started weakly, pushed back to forge a tie in the second period, then allowed two breakaway goals and an empty-netter in the final period to see their losing streak reach seven games.

The Aces broke a 2-2 tie with goals by Alex Dzielski and Ethan Cox, on a pair of odd-man rushes 56 seconds apart in the third period. All that did was ruin a Reign comeback from an early 2-0 deficit on second-period goals by Luke Beaverson and Matt Delahey.

Kellen Briggs made 27 saves for the Reign (2-6-1), who travel to Anchorage this week to get some revenge on the Aces (7-2-0-0).

More in tomorrow’s editions of the Sun and Daily Bulletin.

Alaska 1, Reign 0.

Scott Howes’ second-period goal, immediately following a defensive-zone giveaway by Chad Starling, was the only goal in the Reign’s sixth straight loss.

Kellen Briggs (24 saves) was great at times, but Alaska’s Gerald Coleman (27 saves) was one better.

Not much else to say about this one – but there will be plenty more in tomorrow’s editions of the Sun and Daily Bulletin. Forward Michael Pelech and defenseman Jordan Hill were at the game but not in uniform for the Reign and haven’t been added to the roster yet.

Dusty Collins’ new number, new mask for Briggs, injury update.

Three notes from today’s morning skate:

1. Dusty Collins will wear number 14 tonight, the same number he wore the last time he donned a Reign uniform. Nobody had the number this season, so it was a good fit all around.

2. Kellen Briggs was wearing a new mask today and has another on the way.

Technically, his mask was an old one, a royal-blue-and-white design with lions that he wore last year as a member of the Dresden Eislöwen (Ice Lions). His old, plain white mask has been sent to a designer to have some color added – Reign colors, to be specific. That’s all Briggs was willing to give away about the design. “It’s a surprise,” he said.

If memory serves, Briggs would become the first goalie in the Reign’s brief history with team-specific colors on his mask.

3. Eric Doyle was back on the ice in a red (non-contact jersey). That’s a good sign of progress for the defenseman, who had a goal and two assists in four games.