Calgary Wranglers Drop Both Games in Ontario, Finish Road Trip With OT Heartbreaker
Ontario, California — The Calgary Wranglers ended their longest road stretch of the season with a pair of losses to the Ontario Reign, falling 6–1 on Saturday before dropping a 2–1 overtime decision on Sunday. The results captured a turbulent 48 hours for Calgary, who battled a surging Reign team in the final leg of their 10-game trip.
Saturday’s matchup started with genuine optimism. Calgary opened the scoring when defenseman Daniil Miromanov jumped into the rush and buried his third goal of the season, giving the Wranglers an early spark. But Ontario quickly seized momentum, scoring twice before the first intermission and piling on three more goals in the second. Owen Say made 17 saves before Connor Murphy relieved him in the third, but the Reign added one more in a decisive 6–1 win.
Sunday told a different story. The Wranglers tightened their defensive structure, clogged passing lanes, and played far more composed hockey against an Ontario team riding confidence from the night before. The first period was scoreless, and Calgary broke through early in the second when Aydar Suniev buried his fifth goal of the year off a feed from Miromanov and Sam Morton. The Reign answered later in the frame, and the teams skated through a defensive third period still tied 1–1.
Overtime looked promising for Calgary early, but at the three-minute mark, Joe Hicketts found space off the rush and snapped home the winner for the Reign. Calgary finished the game with 16 shots to Ontario’s 27, but the structure and discipline were a marked improvement from Saturday’s result.
The Wranglers now head home for an important three-game stretch at the Scotiabank Saddledome, beginning Tuesday night against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. After ten straight games on the road, Calgary returns to familiar ice with an opportunity to reclaim momentum in the Pacific Division race.