ONTARIO REIGN (1-8-2-0) v BAKERSFIELD CONDORS (3-5-0-0)
WHERE: DIGNITY HEALTH HOME ICE AT MECHANICS BANK ARENA
WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 6
TIME: 3 p.m.
BROADCAST: LIVE on 23 ABC, FOX SPORTS 970 AM, iHEARTRADIO APP, AHLTV
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Game Time digital download features a story on Cooper Marody and 10 questions with Ryan McLeod.
SATURDAY
The Bakersfield Condors and Ontario meet for the first of eight times this season. It is the front end of a home-and-home series which concludes Sunday in El Segundo at 3 p.m.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Bakersfield returned from an 11-day layoff and picked up where they left off on Wednesday with a 6-0 win over San Jose. D Janis Jaks scored his first AHL goal in the first frame and that would prove to be all the Condors would need as G Stuart Skinner stopped all 22 for his second consecutive shutout.
Ontario fired 41 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday. Trailing 4-2 early in the third period, the Reign battled back to tie it at 4-4 on goals from Tyler Madden and Akil Thomas. G Troy Grosenick made his first start of the season for Ontario.
ESPOSITO POTS A PAIR
RW Luke Esposito scored twice on Wednesday to jump into the team lead in goals with four on the season. The fourth-year pro also leads the team in shots with 22.
GAMBARDELLA OUT TO A QUICK START
RW Joe Gambardella carries a four-game point streak into action tonight with fsix points (1g-5a) over that span.
SOLID AT BOTH ENDS
The Condors have outscored the opposition 14-1 over their current three-game winning streak. G Stuart Skinner carries 149:18 of individual shutout time into action Saturday. That mark is second in the Condors AHL era to G Laurent Brossoit who went 152:02 in 2015-16.
CONDORS NOTES
Cooper Marody plays his 100th game with the Condors. He has 90 points (28g-62a) in his AHL career… The Condors power play is 3/8 over its last three games. The team’s penalty kill has killed off 11 straight power plays dating back to Feb. 13 against Henderson… G Stuart Skinner is 6th in goals-against average at 1.61… The Condors have opened the scoring in six of their eight games this season and are outscoring opponents 11-6 in the first period… Bakersfield is t-3rd in goals against per game at 2.38.
REIGN NOTES
Rookie Samuel Fagemo is t-7th among first-year players in scoring with seven points (4g-3a)… RW Arthur Kaliyev leads all rookies in shots with 32… The Reign have outscored opponents 8-7 in the first period this season, but have been outscored 35-18 in the second and third periods combined… Ontario is led by first-year head coach John Wroblewski who spent the past four seasons with the United States National Development Program. He is a former captain of the Fresno Falcons (ECHL).
