Ontario Reign Weekend Preview: SD Gulls @ Ontario / Ontario @ Stockton Heat

The Reign and the Gulls last saw each other in the preseason, when the Reign fell twice in the shootout after close overtime periods. It was a chippy affair previously and it wouldn't be a shocker if bad feelings were still hanging around, especially with Ontario suffering their first regulation loss at the hands of the Barracuda on Sunday.

Ontario Reign Projected Lines

• Kempe at center was a short lived experiment that didn't really work so Crescenzi moves from the fourth line to the top line - welcome Top Line Andrew Crescenzi (just doesn't have the same ring at Top Line Trevor Lewis...)
• Derek Arnold had some chances up in San Jose and is a natural center, so that improves his chances of staying in the lineup. However, coming off three consecutive losses, Stothers might be in a bit of a tinkering mood.
• Paul Bissonnette confirmed that he will be in the lineup tonight while Joel Lowry will probably make his pro debut, per Lindsay Czarnecki.
• The Kempe to center experiment continues. Following the Gulls game, Head Coach Mike Stothers said it's a work in progress, but thinks with Kempe's skating, he's capable of "eventually" becoming a very good center./

Stockton Heat Projected Lines

25 Riley - 9 Hathaway - 11 Hamilton

15 Agostino - 23 Shore - 26 Granlund

20 Carroll - 46 Arnold - 21 Poirier

48 Van Brabant - 34 Smith - 13 Elson

33 Nakladal - 6 Stevenson

5 Wotherspoon - 2 Kulak

4 Kylington - 10 Sieloff

30 Simpson

36 Gillies

• Prized Flames prospect Jon Gillies left yesterday's game early with an undisclosed lower-body injury. If he can't go, expect Kent Simpson to make his first start of the campaign.
• The Heat are a talented squad that is struggling. Emile Poirier, who notched 19 goals in 55 games last year, hasn't scored yet this season./

San Diego Gulls Projected Lines

• Boy Wonder American Jesus goalie John Gibson is 4-0-0-0 this season with 2.04 GAA and a .931 sv%, which is pretty good.
• Nick Ritchie has eight goals in eight games. No word on any lineup changes from the Gulls, who are coming off a 3-2 OT win over San Antonio on Tuesday./

2015-2016 Records

Ontario: 6-1-2-0, 14 points (2nd Pacific Division, 3rd Western Conference)

San Diego: 7-2-0-0, 14 points (3rd Pacific Division, 4th Western Conference)

Stockton: 2-4-0-1, 5 points (7th Pacific Division, 13th Western Conference)

Ontario vs. San Diego, Head-to-Head in 2015-16

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Ontario vs. Stockton, Head-to-Head in 2015-16

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