Cleveland, OH – Forward Joel Lowry scored the game-tying goal in the third period, but the Ontario Reign (7-6) fell to the Lake Erie Monsters (11-2) 2-1 in double overtime in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals Thursday evening at Quicken Loans Arena. The Reign lose the best-of-seven series, 4-0, completing the 2015-16 season.
The Reign generated numerous scoring chances in the opening period, including a power-play look off the stick of Nic Dowd, but the Monsters snuck in the first goal of the contest as forward Lukas Sedlak lifted a pass from Kerby Rychel over the blocker of Reign netminder Peter Budaj (L, 29 saves on 31 shots) at 6:26.
In the second period, the Reign tested Monsters goaltender Anton Forsberg (W, 41 saves on 42 shots) with the help of two power-play opportunities, but the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect denied all six Reign chances in the frame and 15 shots through two periods. Budaj provided the save of the frame, denying Michael Chaput on a shorthanded breakaway with a full-split left-pad save.
Early in the third period, Reign forward Joel Lowry stole the puck from Forsberg and slipped a shot between the legs to make it 1-1 at 2:44. The Reign fired 14 shots in the period, but the two sides would head to overtime. The Reign continued to challenge the Monsters defense, adding 12 shots in the first overtime and forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas broke free for a scoring chance, but home squad held on to force a second overtime where Monsters forward Josh Anderson shook off a Kurtis MacDermid check to release a shot into the padding of Budaj and Sedlak found the rebound for the game-winning tally at 6:25.
Both teams closed the contest 0-for-5 on the power play.
With Ontario game report
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