Fresno Monsters vs. Ontario Jr. Reign Premier Playoffs 2025 Game Recap (Round 2)
- Lyanna Yeow
- Mar 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 2
The Ontario Jr. Reign traveled to Gateway Ice Center where they faced the Fresno Monsters in round 2 of the 2025 Premier Playoffs. Both teams went into this series after sweeping round 1 in two-games and were eager to come up on top in this second round rematch. During the 2024 Premier Playoffs, the Ontario Jr. Reign and Fresno Monsters battled against one another in order to advance to the 2024 Nationals. During that game, the Ontario Jr. Reign were able to come up on top. With the unfortunate second round loss during the 2024 playoffs, the Fresno Monsters went into this series with vengeance and determination to take the crown away from the Ontario Jr. Reign. After battling it out in two-games, the Fresno Monsters were crowned the 2024-2025 Pacific Division Champions and secured their Nationals spot after victoriously taking the crown from the Ontario Jr. Reign.
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Game 1 | Fresno Monsters 5, Ontario Jr. Reign 2
Jr. Reign’s Jesiah Bennett opened up round 2 of the 2025 Premier Playoffs with a power play goal which was assisted by Morry Sheynin and Christopher Lai (1-0). Their lead was then extended by one-goal after Christopher Lai scored a goal about two minutes after Bennett’s (2-0). This two-goal lead was short-lived as the Monsters closed out the first period with three unanswered goals to gain the lead (3-2). The three goals which closed out the first period were scored by Connor Perdue, Nils Tunbratt, and Filipp Papshev. The Monsters continued their momentum throughout the remainder of the game as Jonathan Heidenberg Andersen extended their lead to 4-2 by the end of the second period and Nils Tunbratt closed out the third period with an unassisted empty net goal (5-2). Monsters’ goaltender, Brooks Barofsky, secured their 5-2 win after saving 31 out of 33 shots on goal. In regards to the Jr. Reign’s goaltending, Josh Henson made a commendable effort of saving 46 out of 51 shots on goal by the end of the game. After this game, the Monsters entered game 2 of the series with momentum from their three-game playoff winning streak while the Jr. Reign entered with vengeance.
Friday, March 14, 2025
Game 2 | Fresno Monsters 7, Ontario Jr. Reign 4
Monsters’ Tuukka Salmi opened up Game 2 of the series with a goal scored two minutes and 59 seconds into the first period (1-0). This one-goal lead was short lived as Jr. Reign’s Denver Craig answered back with a goal to make it a 1-1 game. After Craig received a two minute hooking penalty in the latter half of the period, Monsters’ Sebastian Westerlund was able to capitalize on their power play opportunity which helped them to regain their one-goal lead (2-1). The Jr. Reign did not back down as Christopher Lai scored a short handed goal one minute into the second period to momentarily make it a tied game (2-2). Shortly after Lai’s goal, Simon Eriksson helped the Monsters to have their one-goal lead after scoring a goal which was assisted by Westerlund (3-2). Craig forced the teams to go into the third period with a tied game after scoring before the latter half of the second period (3-3). With what seemed like a back and forth game, the Monsters regrouped during the last regulation intermission and dominated the third period with four goals. The four Monsters goals consisted of a goal scored by Connor Perdue (1G), one regular and a power play goal scored by Filipp Papshev (2G), and a power play goal scored by Emil Hagg (1G). Jr. Reign’s Matteo Pero scored the last goal of the game with a little bit less than two minutes left in the period, however, their last push was not enough to overtake the Monsters. This loss by the Jr. Reign does not take away from Josh Henson’s commendable 17 saves out of 24 shots on goal that he faced by the end of the game. This impressive 7-4 win for the Monsters could not have been done by the team’s outstanding persistence, determination, and Brooks Barofsky’s resilience in net as he saved 42 out of 46 shots on goal.
The Fresno Monsters closed out the 2025 Premier Playoffs with a two-game sweep against the Ontario Jr. Reign and enter the Premier Finals with a four-game winning streak! The last time they made it to Nationals was in 2022 and their comeback is one that is fueled with vengeance and determination to make it far.
Standout Players after Round 2 of the Premier Playoffs 2025
Fresno Monsters
Forward, #23 Filipp Papshev, recorded 9 points (5G and 4A)
Defensemen, #18 Emil Hagg, recorded 5 points (2G and 3A)
Goaltender, #38 Brooks Barofsky, recorded a 0.930 SV% after saving a total of 119 out of 128 shots on goal during the 2025 Premier Playoffs
Honorable mention would be forward, #37 Connor Perdue, who led the Monsters with the most assists recorded in round 2 of the Premier Playoffs (7 PTS, 2G, 5A).
Ontario Jr. Reign
Forward, #95 Christopher Lai, recorded 9 points (6G and 3A)
Defensemen, #25 Amir Shakirov, recorded 8 points (8A)
Goaltender, #34 Josh Henson, recorded a 0.880 SV% after saving a total of 177 out of 133 shots on goal during the 2025 Premier Playoffs
Honorable mention would be forward, #85 Denver Craig, who ended this round with 7 points (3G, 4A).
Below are the scheduled dates for the second round of the 2025 Round Robin (Nationals)
Thursday, March 20, 2025
The Fresno Monsters will face the P.A.L. Junior Islanders on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM PDT. This game will be located at Ice Vault Rink 1.
Friday, March 21, 2025
The Fresno Monsters will face the Springfield Pics on Friday, March 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM PDT. This game will be located at Ice Vault Rink 3.
Saturday, March 22, 2025
The Fresno Monsters will face the Tampa Bay Juniors on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 4:45 PDT. This game will be located at Ice Vault Rink 2.
The Fresno Monsters will travel to Ice Vault Arena located in Wayne, New Jersey to play in the 2025 Nationals Championships this week. Come back to read about their matchups!
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