Henderson Silver Knights Rally in Third Period, Top Ontario Reign 3-1

Three goals in a single period flipped a scoreless deadlock into a decisive Henderson Silver Knights win. The Silver Knights rallied past the Ontario Reign 3-1 on Wednesday at Lee's Family Forum, with all four goals of the game coming in the third period.

Ontario drew first blood when Francesco Pinelli put the Reign on the board within the opening minutes of the third. It looked like a potential game-winner in the making, but Henderson answered with the kind of sequence that makes highlight reels and history books simultaneously.

With two Reign players in the penalty box, Lukas Cormier tied the game, and the assist from Raphaël Lavoie on the play accounted for his 200th AHL point. Lavoie had entered the game sitting at 199 career AHL points, already having scored his 100th career AHL goal back on March 1 against the Colorado Eagles. The milestone assist came courtesy of a man-advantage situation the Silver Knights turned into their opening wedge. Trevor Connelly also picked up a helper on Cormier's goal, which was his eighth of the season.

Then, almost immediately, Henderson flipped the script entirely. Two minutes after Cormier's equalizer, Jakub Brabenec converted a shorthanded goal to give the Silver Knights a 2-1 lead. The timing was stunning: Henderson scored while numerically disadvantaged, turning Ontario's power play into a deficit. Dylan Coghlan and Jaycob Megna assisted on the goal, and Megna's assist was his 100th AHL assist. Megna, the Henderson franchise's captain and a defenseman under contract to the Vegas Golden Knights, has been a cornerstone of the Silver Knights' blue line since being named the team's fifth captain in franchise history on October 21.

Two milestones on the same penalty kill shift, from two of the most experienced players on the roster. That is the kind of coincidence that makes a box score worth reading twice.

Tanner Laczynski closed it out with an empty-net goal in the final minute, completing a three-goal third-period outburst and delivering the 3-1 final.

Lavoie has been on a remarkable run, climbing up the Pacific Division standings with Henderson all season, and the second-year Silver Knight has collected 22 goals and 41 points in just 34 games this season entering Wednesday's game. His 200th AHL point is a benchmark that puts him in notable company for a 25-year-old still very much in his NHL prime window.

Henderson heads to Milwaukee next for a pair of road games against the Admirals, with both contests available to stream live on FloHockey.