Recap of Ontario Jr. Reign vs. Henderson Force 2026 USPHL Premier Playoffs (Round One)

The Ontario Jr. Reign traveled to the America First Center NHL where they faced Henderson Force in round one of the 2026 Premier Playoffs. This series started on Thursday, March 5, 2026 and ended after their game on Saturday, March 7, 2025. Read about the hard-fought battles between these teams and the stats from this series .

After a relatively quiet start, Force’s #11 Frank Barncord opened up the first period and gave his team their first lead in Game 1 of this playoff series (1-0). The Jr. Reign quickly answered back and tied the game, 1-1, with a goal scored by #22 Samuel Delaquis fifteen seconds into the second period. This game-tying goal did not faze the Force as #26 Reese Hicks regained their one-goal lead, 2-1, and extended it to a two-goal lead with a goal scored by #17 Aleksander Leonelli eight seconds after #26 Hick’s goal (3-1). Down by two going into the last period of regulation, the Jr. Reign regrouped and were able to tie the game with back-to-back goals scored by #97 Brennan Monroe (3-2) and #9 Christian Yi (3-3). With time winding down, the Force were able to end this game, 4-3, with a goal scored by #26 Hicks during the final five minutes of regulation. This hard-fought Force win would not have been possible without the gutsy goaltending performance by #35 Ralfs Kalnins who saved 42 out of 45 shots on goal by the end of this game. This loss for the Jr. Reign does not take away from the commendable in net efforts of #33 Domenik Mclnenly who saved 47 out of 51 shots on goal. In regards to special teams, both the Force (0/5 PP) and Jr. Reign (0/4 PP) struggled with their power plays as both of their penalty kill units ended the game with a 100% success rate. Henderson Force found themselves with a one-game winning streak after their early successes in this series. On the other hand, the Ontario Jr. Reign started their one-game losing streak and were faced with the possibility of an early exit in the 2026 Premier Playoffs. 

The Force’s momentum continued into the start of Game 2 which helped them end the first period, 1-0, with a power play goal scored by #17 Leonelli midway through the period. The upsets in this series fueled the Jr. Reign with vengeance during the second period and helped #11 Mason Welsh to tie the game with their first 2026 Premier Playoff power play goal secured (1-1). Shortly after the game-tying goal was scored, #15 Walker Chitwood extended the Jr. Reign’s lead, 2-1, with another power play goal scored. The Force refused to quit during the second period which led to #24 Nikodem Wroblewski making it a tied game going into the last period of regulation (2-2). After some great scoring chances by both teams during the third period, Jr. Reign’s #19 Aiden Yi broke the tied standstill and ultimately kept the Jr. Reign’s playoff run alive by ending this game with a final score of 3-2. In regards to goaltending, #29 Nicholas Perry secured the Jr. Reign’s win after he saved 31 out of 33 shots on goal while Force’s #33 Stephan Vedernikov saved 32 out of 35 shots on goal by the end of regulation. Both teams found success with their special teams during Game 2 of this series as the Jr. Reign ended with a 50% power play and penalty kill success rate (2/4 PP, 2/4 PK) while the Force ended with a 25% power play and 50% penalty kill success rate (1/4 PP, 2/4 PK). 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 round one series against Henderson Force. 

The first period of Game 3 ended with a tied standstill, 1-1, when Jr. Reign’s #9 Yi answered back to Force’s opening goal which was scored by #75 Nicholas Correnti. This standstill was broken when #95 Jasen Jespersen gained the first Jr. Reign lead in Game 3 of this series with a goal scored late in the second period (2-1). The Force quickly put up two points with back-to-back goals scored by #73 Sixten Wramhed which gave his team a one-goal lead which was maintained until the last two minutes of regulation (3-2). During the final minutes of regulation, Jr. Reign’s #71 Zack Zhang tied the game, 3-3, and forced the team into their first overtime matchup against one another during the 2026 Premier Playoffs. Both teams fought hard, however, the Jr. Reign remained victorious after #48 Marc Belanger scored the game-winning goal during the last minute of overtime. In regards to goaltending, #29 Nicholas Perry secured the Jr. Reign’s 4-3 win after he saved 39 out of 42 shots on goal. This loss for the Force does not take away from the commendable goaltending performance by #35 Ralfs Kalnins who saved 46 out of 50 shots on goal by the end of this game. When looking at the stats from Game 3 of this series, the Jr. Reign found more success with their special teams as they ended with a 25.0% power play success rate (1/4 PP) and a 100% penalty kill success rate (2/2 PK). On the other hand, Henderson Force’s special teams ended with a 0% power play success rate (0/2 PP) and a 75% penalty kill success rate (3/4 PK). After ending this series with a two-game winning streak, the Ontario Jr. Reign found themselves advancing to the second round of the playoffs while Henderson Force ended the post season with a two-game losing streak. 

Points Leaders and Goaltending Stats

Ontario Jr. Reign 

• Points leaders: #19 Aiden Yi (2G, 1A) and #71 Zack Zhang (1G, 2A) both ended this series with 3 points recorded

• Goals leader: #19 Aiden Yi led the team with 2 goals recorded during this series

• Assists leaders: #12 Alec Boucher and #71 Zack Zhang led the team with 2 assists recorded during this series 

• Goaltending: The Jr. Reign’s goaltending tandem saved a total of 121/130 shots on goal (SOG) which was comprised of #33 Domenik Mclnenly’s 47/51 SOG and #29 Nicholas Perry’s saved 70/75 SOG

Henderson Force 

• Points leaders: #17 Aleksander Leonelli (2G, 2A) and #26 Reese Hicks (2G, 2A) ended their playoff run with 4 points recorded

• Goals leaders: #17 Aleksander Leonelli and #73 Sixten Wramhed led the team with 2 goals recorded by the end of their playoff run 

• Assists leaders: #7 Landen Hindman, #17 Aleksander Leonelli, #26 Reese Hicks, and #75 Nicholas Correnti all ended with 2 assists recorded by the end of their playoff run 

• Goaltending: Henderson Force’s goaltending tandem saved a total of 116/126 shots on goal (SOG) which was comprised of #33 Stephan Vedernikov’s 32/35 SOG and #33 Stephan Vedernikov’s 58 out of 85 shots on goal 

Overall Stats

• The Jr. Reign outscored the Force by one goal (10G vs. 9G)

• The Jr. Reign outshot the Force (130 SOG vs. 126 SOG)

• The Jr. Reign had a higher power play success rate (25.0% vs. 9.09%) 

• The Jr. Reign had a higher penalty kill success rate (90.9% vs. 75.0%)

• The Jr. Reign spent more time in the penalty box (34 PMI vs. 26 PMI) 

SUMMARY: The Jr. Reign’s overall ability to maintain puck possession and successes found with their special teams ultimately helped give them an edge to win this hard-fought series. 

After a very close battle, the Ontario Jr. Reign remained on top and will be facing the Fresno Monsters in round two of the 2026 Premier Playoffs for the third year in a row. This upcoming battle does not take away from Henderson Force’s impressive performance during the regular season and playoffs. Despite their previous struggles against the Fresno Monsters during the regular season, we can expect the Ontario Jr. Reign to enter this last matchup with vengeance after their tough loss during the second round of the 2025 Premier Playoffs. 

Below are the next scheduled USPHL match-ups and where to watch them:

Friday, March 13, 2026

• The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Fresno Monsters on Friday, March 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM PST. This game will take place at the Gateway Ice Center

  • Watch on Black Bear TV

Saturday, March 14, 2026

• The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Fresno Monsters on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM PST. This game will take place at the Gateway Ice Center

  • Watch on Black Bear TV

Sunday, March 15, 2026

• The Ontario Jr. Reign will face the Fresno Monsters on Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM PST. This game will take place at the Gateway Ice Center

  • Watch on Black Bear TV

Stay tuned for the next weekly recap of the USPHL 2026 Premier Playoffs!