Ontario Continues to Draw Crowds for Reign

For 56 minutes Wednesday night, fans at Citizens Business Bank Arena waited for something to cheer about.

But, in the final 3:30 of the game, they got plenty to cheer about., as the Reign pumped four goals past Las Vegas goaltender Mitch O’Keefe for a 4-0 victory.

And while the 8,858 announced in attendance went home happy, there were a few more people happy in the Reign front office – at the attendance number in their building.

That the Reign announced a near sell-out crowd (capacity at Citizens Business Bank Arena is 9,616) on a Wednesday night, with the Anaheim Ducks playing a home game, shows that the team has its roots firmly planted in the region. And there are plenty of hockey fans to go around.

“Very, very happy,” said Reign president Justin Kemp on Wednesday night about the crowds coming to the arena. “It’s a great time (to be a hockey fan in Southern California). If we can maintain this level of success with the NHL being back, we’d have the best of all worlds. We’re thrilled with how things are going.”

In their fifth year, the team remains near the top of the league’s attendance figures. Most of their efforts of marketing remains focused in the core areas directly around the arena – cities such as Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. But Kemp said they work to get fans from across the Inland area, from as far west as West Covina north to the High Desert to as far south as Temecula.

That marketing effort can be seen in the sponsors highlighted during games. There's the DoubleTree Hotel in Claremont blimp that drops free meals to fans below. And then there's the visiting penalty box, which is sponsored by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

And it seems to have been working, despite the return of the NHL.

“What we’re finding now, especially since the lockout’s been lifted, is those people who started coming here who were maybe a little bit further out west, we’re seeing a few more of them return,” he said. “I think they’re realizing that it’s close by and it’s good quality entertainment.”

And that’s the key – good entertainment. While many may have thought that a sport such as hockey may not have been a good fit for the arid Inland Empire, it was about giving the fans a product they’d want to see, and keep them coming back.

“I think we always felt from the outset that this was a region that was starved for quality entertainment like this,” Kemp said. “We knew we had a niche, so we worked hard to grow the fan base the past five years. I think what you’re seeing now is the product of retention, and bringing a lot of the same people back and building on that.”

But while the success off the ice has been great, there’s still more Kemp would like to see from the Reign this season – a long trip into the playoffs. Despite winning the Pacific Division twice in their first four seasons, Ontario has yet to make it out of the first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs.

“Coming up short last year was very disappointing for all of us,” he said. “We’ve set very high expectations for ourselves, both on and off the ice. We really feel that we’ve put a product out there this year that has an opportunity to go very, very far. And the expectations are to take a real run at the Kelly Cup this year.”

VISOR DEBATE: Sports talk programs were abuzz Wednesday after the New York Rangers’ Marc Staal was struck in the eye with a deflected puck. Sports pundits were arguing whether or not the NHL should mandate all players wear visors to protect their eyes.

There’s no debate in the ECHL – and the next level up, AHL – because visors are mandatory for all players, including the Reign’s D.J. King, who played in the NHL without one.

The adjustment hasn’t been that hard for King, who said that most players should be wearing a visor.

“I don’t really notice it,” King said of wearing the visor. “You might notice it for a little bit, but you don’t really notice it. Everyone’s got a role out there, and I’d say the majority of players should wear them.”

But while many the implementation of visors may have the intended effect of protecting players from stray sticks and pucks, it could cause a problem in another aspect of the game – the fights.

The NHL already penalizes players who wear visors for starting fights against players without visors. And to get around that issue, especially at lower levels, players remove their helmets all together before a fight.

“Fighting’s a part of the game, and it’s tough when they have visors on,” King said. “And it’s a lot safer if they keep their helmets on, instead of like in juniors where everyone sheds buckets.”

Which is why, King said it’s probably time for the majority of players to add the visor. But the choice should remain up to the players.

“Everyone grows up wearing them their whole life and then once they get to the NHL they have that choice,” he said. “I think we’re getting to the point where 90 percent are wearing the visors. I think that people are getting used to wearing them, but you’re always going to have a few who don’t.”

MOVES: Goalie Sergey Kostenko was recalled by the AHL’s Hershey Bears, who then turned around and sent him back to the ECHL’s Reading Royals. Meanwhile, defenseman Adrian Van de Mosselaer played his first game since Oct. 19. He had an assist and was a plus-2. Cameron Burt moved up to a wing and Branden Parkhouse was a scratch.

UPCOMING: Ontario is on the road for the weekend, with games Friday and Saturday in Bakersfield, and then a stop in Stockton on Sunday. 

The Reign’s next home game is a 7 p.m. game March 15 against the Thunder.