Lake Tahoe Lakers vs. Ontario Jr. Reign Premier Playoffs 2025
- Lyanna Yeow
- Mar 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 2
After finishing 3rd in the Pacific Division Standings, the Ontario Jr. Reign traveled to South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena where they faced the Lake Tahoe Lakers (2nd place), in round 1 of the 2025 Premier Playoffs. The Lakers struggled against the Jr. Reign, however, their persistence remained strong despite the hardships of being swept by the Jr. Reign in two out of the three scheduled games. Read more about what went down during this series.
Friday, March 07, 2025
Game 1 | Ontario Jr. Reign 6, Lake Tahoe Lakers 3
After a quiet first period, the 2025 Premier Playoffs kicked off with a goal scored by Lake Tahoe Lakers’ Tyler Gudjonson, assisted by Jose-Jasmir Guseff, midway through the second period (1-0). The Ontario Jr. Reign regrouped and made it a 4-1 game after they dominated the first half of the third period with four goals scored by Grant Coykendall (1 G), Luke Cannon (1 G), and Christopher Lai (2 G). The Lakers were able to answer back and momentarily make it a one-goal game with two goals scored by Brian Erte and Jose-Jasmir Guseff (4-3). The Jr. Reign were not hindered by the Lakers’ last push late in the period and secured their 6-3 win after Denver Craig scored an empty net goal and Grant Coykendall scored a short handed goal during the final minute of the game. Perry Jacobs made a commendable effort to try to keep the Lakers in the game after saving 37 out of 43 shots on goal. Josh Henson was able to help the Ontario Jr. Reign to secure their win after saving 29 out of 32 shots on goal by the end of the game. After an intense game, the Ontario Jr. Reign entered Game 2 with momentum while the Lake Tahoe Lakers entered with a hunger to secure a win and force Game 3 in this series.
Saturday, March 08, 2025
Game 2 | Ontario Jr. Reign 8, Lake Tahoe Lakers 2
The Jr. Reign continued their momentum from Game 1 and opened this game with two unanswered goals which were scored by Christopher Lai and Mason Geng. These two goals made it a 2-0 game going into the second period. The Lakers were able to get on the board late in the second period when Matt Russell scored a short handed goal after four more additional goals were scored by the following Jr. Reign players: Carter Demelo; Ethan Fraser (power play); Matteo Pero; and Christopher Lai (short handed) (6-1). This goal scored by the Lakers did not hinder the Jr. Reign as Carter Demelo scored a power play goal midway through the third period (7-1). Lakers’ Brian Erte answered back and momentarily made it a four-goal game until Jr. Reign’s Carter Demelo was able to capitalize on another power play opportunity which ended the game with a final score of 8-2. This last power play goal by Carter Demelo also recorded his first hat-trick of the 2025 Premier Playoffs. In regards to goaltending, Timon Franzen initially started out in net for the Lakers and saved a total of 9 out of 13 shots on goal before Perry Jacobs took over around the midway point of the second period. Perry Jacobs was able to save 27 out of 31 shots on goal before the end of the third period. Josh Henson, who was in net for the Jr. Reign, helped the team secure their 8-2 win after saving 25 out of 27 shots on goal by the end of the game. In the end, the Jr. Reign were able to keep their crown after their battle against the Lakers.
The Ontario Jr. Reign swept the Lake Tahoe Lakers and advanced to the next round of the playoffs in two out of the three scheduled games against one another. This tough loss does not take away from Lake Tahoe Lakers’ impressive performance during the regular season as well as their efforts during their playoff run. Although the Jr. Reign have struggled against the Fresno Monsters in their previous matchups during the regular season, this sweep against the Lake Tahoe Lakers does add some confidence for the next round as they face the Monsters once again for a second year in a row.
Below are the scheduled dates for the second round of the 2025 Premier Playoffs.
Thursday, March 13, 2025
The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Fresno Monsters on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 7:45 PM. This game will be located at Gateway Ice Center.
Friday, March 14, 2025
The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Fresno Monsters on Friday, March 14, 2025. This game will be located at Gateway Ice Center.
Saturday, March 15, 2025 (If necessary)
The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Fresno Monsters on Saturday, March 15, 2025. This game will be located at Gateway Ice Center.
Come back to read about the matchup between the Fresno Monsters and Ontario Jr. Reign went down and how the winning team advanced to the 2025 Premier Finals!
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