Recap of Fresno Monsters vs. Ontario Jr. Reign 2026 USPHL Premier Playoffs (Round Two)

The Ontario Jr. Reign traveled to the Gateway Ice Center where they faced the Fresno Monsters for the third time in a row during the second round of the 2026 Premier Playoffs. This series started on Friday, March 13, 2026 and ended after their game on Sunday, March 15, 2026. Read about the hard-fought battles between these teams and the stats from this series. 

The Monsters started Game 1 of this series with a 2-0 lead which was sustained by the end of the first period. The two goals scored during the first period which gave the Monsters their early two-goal lead were both scored by #25 Filipp Papshev who opened and closed the period. #13 Jonathan Andersen continued the Monsters’ scoring streak with a goal scored fifty-two seconds into the second period of regulation (3-0). Despite making a great effort to cut their deficits, the Jr. Reign’s struggled to generate any scoring opportunities as they battled against the Monsters’ strong defense and stellar goaltending. While the Jr. Reign fought hard to get a point on the board, the Monsters thrived as they were able to maintain puck possession and ultimately sealed their 4-0 win when #4 Hugo Bystedt scored the final goal of this game. In regards to goaltending, #31 Noah Hammarstrom secured his first shutout of the 2026 Premier Playoffs after he saved all 32 shots on goal that he faced by the end of regulation. This Jr. Reign loss does not take away from #29 Nicholas Perry’s commendable goaltending performance as he saved a total of 35 out of 39 shots on goal. When looking at special teams, both the Monsters and Jr. Reign ended with a 100% penalty kill success rate. Although both teams' penalty kill units remained undefeated, this also meant that both teams desperately struggled on their power play opportunities (0/5 FRM and 0/6 OJR). With an impressive 4-0 shutout recorded early in this series, the Fresno Monsters found themselves with a one-game winning streak and a chance to close out the series in two games. On the other hand, the Ontario Jr. Reign started their one-game losing streak and were faced with the possibility of missing their chance at Nationals for a second year in a row.

The first period of Game 2 in this series ended with a scoreless standstill as both teams struggled to get any pucks past the stellar goaltending of Jr. Reign’s #33 Domenik Mclnenly and Monsters’ #31 Noah Hammarstrom (0-0). It wasn’t until the second period when this standstill was broken by #19 Aiden Yi who recorded the Jr. Reign’s first point of this series against the Monsters. Down by one, Monsters’ #25 Papshev answered back a few minutes later and tied the game, 1-1, during the beginning half of the period. Fueled by sheer determination, the Jr. Reign were able to regain their one-goal lead going into the last period of regulation with a goal scored by #3 Tyler Yeo during the five minutes of the second period (2-1). With time winding down, the Monsters were able to force their first overtime against the Jr. Reign in this second round series with a goal scored by #25 Papshev (2-2). Despite both teams having great chances to close out this game, the Jr. Reign came out on top and secured their 3-2 overtime win with a goal scored by #12 Alec Boucher during the last ten seconds of overtime. In regards to goaltending, Jr. Reign’s #33 Domenik Mclnenly secured his first overtime win in the 2026 Premier playoffs after he saved 37 out of 39 shots on goal by the end of this game. This loss by the Monsters does not take away from #31 Noah Hammarstrom’s strong in net performance as he saved a total of 28 out of 31 shots on goal. In a similar manner as their previous game against one another, both the Monsters and Jr. Reign ended with a 100% penalty kill success rate which also meant that both teams continued to struggle on their four power play opportunities. The Ontario Jr. Reign ended up forcing Game 3 in this series after their successes in Game 2 which gave them a one-game winning streak going into the last matchup of this second round series against the Fresno Monsters.

The Jr. Reign’s momentum continued into Game 3 of this series and helped them to gain a 2-0 lead with back-to-back goals scored by #19 Yi (1G) and #17 Evan Tsadilas (1PPG). Down by two, the Monsters regrouped and were able to cut their deficit after #25 Papshev mustered a goal during the last five minutes of the first period (2-1). The Monsters continued to fight back and tied the game, 2-2, with a goal scored by #15 Adrian Gomez early in the second period. This game-tying goal by the Monsters did not hinder the Jr. Reign as #19 Yi regained his teams’ one-goal lead which was maintained throughout the remainder of the second period (3-2). Although both teams had great scoring chances at the start of the third period, the score remained at a standstill until #3 Yeo scored another goal for the Jr. Reign which gave them a 4-2 lead midway through the period. Finding themselves down by two again during the last five minutes of regulation, the Monsters were able to make it a one-goal game with a power play goal scored by #96 William Lindgren (4-3). Despite their commendable last push, the Monsters were unable to cut their deficits as the Jr. Reign closed out the third period, 5-3, with a power play goal scored by #17 Evan Tsadilas. In regards to goaltending, #29 Nicholas Perry secured the Jr. Reign’s spot in the 2026 USPHL National Championship after he saved a total of 38 out of 41 shots on goal by the end of this game. This loss by the Monsters does not take away from #31 Noah Hammarstrom’s commendable performance in between the pipes as he saved a total of 22 out of 27 shots on goal. When it came to special teams during this game, the Jr. Reign found themselves with an advantage as their power play unit ended Game 3 with a 20.0% (3/5 PP) which was significantly higher than the Monsters’ 6.67% (1/6 PP) power play success rate. The Jr. Reign also found more success with their penalty kill unit as they ended with an 83.3% (5/6 PK) success rate which was higher than the Monsters’ 80.0% (2/5 PK) penalty kill success rate. After forcing and winning another Game 3 during their 2026 Premier Playoffs run, the Ontario Jr. Reign redeemed themselves and were officially named the 2025-26 Pacific Division Champions!

Points Leaders and Goaltending Stats

Fresno Monsters

• Points leader: #25 Filipp Papshev (5G, 2A) ended with 7 points recorded during this series

• Goals leader: #25 Filipp Papshev led the team with 5 goals recorded during this series

• Assists leader: #21 Brian Erte  led the team with 3 assists recorded during this series

• Goaltending: #31 Noah Hammarstrom saved a total of 82/90 shots on goal during this series

  • An accomplishment to highlight was #31 Noah Hammarstrom securing his first shutout win in the 2026 Premier Playoffs on March 13, 2026

Ontario Jr. Reign 

• Points leaders: #71 Zack Zhang (4A) led the team with 4 points recorded during this series

• Goals leader: #19 Aiden Yi led the team with 3 goals recorded during this series

• Assists leaders: #71 Zack Zhang led the team with 4 assists recorded during this series

• Goaltending: The Jr. Reign’s goaltending tandem saved a total of 110/119 shots on goal (SOG) during this series. This total was comprised of #33 Domenik Mclnenly’s 37/39 SOG and #29 Nicholas Perry’s 73/80 SOG

  • An accomplishment to highlight was #33 Domenik Mclnenly securing his first overtime win in the 2026 Premier Playoffs on March 14, 2026

Overall Stats

• The Monsters outscored the Jr. Reign (9G vs. 8G)

• The Monsters outshot the Jr. Reign (104 SOG vs. 105 SOG)

• The Jr. Reign had a higher power play success rate (20.0% vs. 6.67%) 

• The Jr. Reign had a higher penalty kill success rate (100% vs. 80.0%)

• The Monsters spent more time in the penalty box (49 PMI vs. 38 PMI)

SUMMARY: Although the Monsters outscored and outshot the Jr. Reign, their struggles to close out this series hindered their chances of being back-to-back Pacific Division Champions as the Jr. Reign’s special teams helped their team to make a huge comeback when it mattered most. 

After a gutsy battle, the Ontario Jr. Reign maintained their composure and were crowned the 2025-26 Pacific Division Champions. This upcoming Nationals battle does not take away from the Fresno Monsters’ impressive performance during the regular season and playoffs. Due to their hard work, the Fresno Monsters will also be advancing to Nationals as they secures the USPHL Premier Wild Card spot. The job is not done yet for the Ontario Jr. Reign and Fresno Monsters as they advance to the 2026 USPHL National Championships which will be held on March 25-29, 2026. 

Stay tuned for the upcoming Ontario Jr. Reign and Fresno Monsters 2026 USPHL National Championships game preview and recap article!