J-F Berube will get his first start since Dec. 26 tomorrow when the Reign host the Bakersfield Condors.

Berube’s last outing was a forgettable one – down to 13 skaters, he was the unlucky goalie as the Reign lost 5-0 to the Las Vegas Wranglers. Still short-handed, the Reign reached back the next four games and went 2-0-1, averaging 36 shots a game with goalie Chris Carrozzi in net.

That impressive feat will be the focus of tomorrow’s notebook in the Sun and Daily Bulletin.

Berube has not faced the Condors since opening night, a 5-4 Reign loss.

A few more notes from practice:

• Jason Fredricks (knee) took part in his first practice with the team since the regular season began. The defenseman was one of the last players off the ice. More on him in tomorrow’s notebook.

• I caught up with Sean Murray, who made his ECHL debut last Saturday in the Reign’s 4-3 shootout loss at Stockton. The rookie defenseman isn’t a physically imposing player — he’s listed at 6-1 and 195 — but he said that “playing on the edge” is integral to his game. “The more physical I play,” he said, “the more opportunities I get on the offensive end.”

• Geoff Irwin will return from his four-game suspension tomorrow. More from him in tomorrow’s notebook.

• The defense pairs were fluid in the drills I saw, but here were the forward combos:

Geoff Irwin-C.J. Stretch-Derek Couture
Kevin Estrada-Francois Brisebois-Kyle Kraemer
Brady Calla-Bill Bagron-Tristan King