Adventures with SK and Mini: Make it (Ontario) Reign!

Just a little something to pass a non Ducks game day...

This past weekend, my bestie and I went to an Ontario Reign game. The tickets were a birthday gift she had given to me back in November and something we had both been looking forward to attending since then. The both of us, having grown up within 10 miles of the arena, were excited to check out the facility. Citizens Business Bank Arena is surprisingly small with approximately 9,700 seats for hockey and very cozy inside. We had great seats at center ice which provided for a nice view of the entire arena...and offered up some fabulous gems.

So, here's a bit of the fun from the game on Saturday evening...

-Upon first arriving I was worried we were going to be the only 2 people at the game. I didn't see any cars in front of or behind me as we approached the arena. Thankfully, I was wrong. The arena was quite full considering...way to draw in the big crowds ECHL!

-Parking is awesome. It's only $5 in the main lot and it was easy in and easy out.

-It was bobble head night! I know you're jealous, don't pretend you aren't. Who was it you ask? David Walker, duh. Yea, I have no idea who that is either. I have a feeling a lot of other people didn't know or care, as we spotted many bobble heads in the trashcan. Yikes! If you're a hard core bobble head enthusiast, they have a few more giveaways coming up.

-Their alcoholic sponsor is Sailor Jerry Rum. WIN!

-Speaking of alcohol, their main bar is called "The Cross Bar". Genius.

-For the foodies they had a wide selection, but the lines at the concession stands were endless! Endless...just like the bottomless popcorn! They've even got Reign colored sprinkles for your ice cream!

-They had a lot of giveaways. Our section was one of the first to receive coupons for a nearby food place that I've never even heard of! When they passed the coupons down the row, my friend and I were at the end and the last to receive the stack. Seated to my left was an older couple. Gramps was quite greedy to say the least. When the stack of coupons reached us, he counted off three, handed them to me and warned me to share with my friend. He then pocketed the other 15 in his jacket. Nice move, bud!

-The highlight might have been the young kid sitting behind us who was approximately 8 years old. He asked his dad just before the end of the first period if "they speak another language in Utah?" to which dad confirmed that they speak English. This caused his son to exclaim, "Oh, Utah is in the United States? I didn't know that." Sure says a lot about our education system, doesn't it?

-This same young man was also very concerned with the amount of time left on the clock, cheered for the teams based on their colors (Son: "Go white team!" Dad: "you mean green team." Son: "Go green team!"), and urged the players to double team repeatedly. Not to mention, he also warned the players to get into "Goalie protective formation!" I'm not too sure what that entails, but maybe the Ducks should look into it.

-It wasn't until about ½ way through the game that I realized the reason the Reign were wearing green jerseys was because it was University of LaVerne night.

-The team's warmed up in their respective defensive zones prior to the game, but started the game in the opposite zone. Essentially, they had the more difficult "line change" during both the 1st and 3rd periods. Is that typical for non-NHL leagues?

-Even if I didn't know better, I would have been able to tell you this was a Kings affiliated team. The crowd's cheers were consistent with being at a Kings game, "Grizzlies, you suck!" and the clock had an obvious malfunction when the time remaining on simultaneous penalties were not consistent with one another. Awesome!

-Also, bail bonds wants you to remember to check the DUI check point app! Wait, what? This is so confusing to me. Their message is to not drink and drive, but apparently if you do, use your check point app to miss the stops! And, the bail bonds company clearly doesn't realize they're defeating the purpose of their company by advertising to miss those check points. Don't they know that more people who run into these obstacles and get pulled over for drinking and driving is better for business?! Idiots.

All in all, the game was great and the Reign were victorious in beating the Utah Grizzlies 4-0. I'm really disappointed they don't use the opportunity to use the phrase "make it Reign", but whatever. [Ed. Note: Mothership club Kings kinda use this as their marketing tagline "Let the Reign Begin".] It was a great chance to see some live hockey during this two week stretch!

More importantly...

GO DUCKS!!!