Storyline: The Ontario Reign (33-13-4-3) got two goals from forward Vladimir Tkachev in the first period but it wasn’t enough as they fell to the Abbotsford Canucks (29-19-4-1) by a final score of 4-2 on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena. Tkachev was assisted by linemate Samuel Fagemo on both of his tallies, while veteran defender Thomas Hickey earned an assist in his debut with the Reign.
Goaltender Matt Villalta got the start for Ontario and turned aside 28 Abbotsford shots in a losing effort, while Canucks’ netminder Spencer Martin stopped 23 attempts that included a late-game surge from the Reign in the closing minutes. Ontario remains in second place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a points percentage of 0.689 and still needs two points to clinch a spot in the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.
