Aatu Jamsen again Logan Brown scored 80 seconds apart early in the third period, erasing a 1-0 deficit and sending the Ontario Reign to a 2-1 victory over Coachella Valley in Game 3 of the teams’ Pacific Division semifinal series on Tuesday night.
The Reign leads the best-of-five series, two games to one, with Game 4 on Thursday.
Jani Nyman put the Firebirds ahead with 3:10 left in the opening period, he picked off a pass Jagger Firkus he quickly got out and fired again and passed Erik Portillo.
Ontario pulled even there Nikita Novikov made a great play to keep the puck in the blue line again Kenta Isogai forced conversion. Jack Hughes he quickly put it in the net and Jamsen was alone in front to knock in the rebound with 14:04 left in regulation.
Brown then gave Reign the lead with 12:44 to play. Joe Hicketts sent the puck the length of the ice to get Ontario a line change, but Glenn Gawdin I got a piece of it in center ice to avoid possible icing and Brown beat everyone with a solid jump into the end boards and put a shot inside the far post. It was the second goal of the series for Brown, who scored once in 31 regular season games for the Reign.
Portillo (1-1) made 27 saves for Ontario; Nikke Kokko (3-3) stopped 22 shots at Coachella Valley.
(Ontario leads series, 2-1)
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 29 – Coachella Valley 3, ONTARIO 0
Game 2 – Friday, May 1 – ONTARIO 5, Coachella Valley 1
Game 3 – Tue., May 5 – Ontario 2, COACHELLA VALLEY 1
Game 4 – Thursday, May 7 – Ontario at Coachella Valley, 10:00
*Game 5 – Sat., May 9 – Coachella Valley at Ontario, 9:00
*if necessary… All times in Mpumalanga
