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Reading Royals

Royals Drop Season Opener in Wheeling, 6-3

October 18, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Wheeling, WV - The Reading Royals (loss, 0-1-0-00) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, were defeated by the Wheeling Nailers (win, 1-0-0-02), 6-3, in the season opener for both clubs..

The Royals scored first-a short-handed goal on their first penalty kill of the season-and held a 2-1 lead after one on the strength of late period power play goal by Zach Davies. But the Nailers re-grouped and bagged three straight in the second, including a PPG and SHG of their own to take the lead for good. Despite a strong push in the third and pulling back within one late in the third (and outshooting the Nailers 40 - 27 overall), the Royals were unable to pull off the comeback and sustained the season opening loss.

First Period (2-1, Reading) 11:23 (1-0) Reading Goal (Short-Handed) Mullane (1), Wiles (Breakaway drop pass, five-hole stuff) Hot on the heels of a brilliant pipe-to-pipe stop by goaltender Connor Knapp, the Royals penalty killers capitalized on the first penalty kill of the season. Sean Wiles forced a turnover, carried deep into Wheeling's end, took it to the top of the crease, and as goaltender Franky Palazzese backed down, Wiles dropped it to the top of the crease, where the trailing Patrick Mullane slid it five-hole for the first goal of the season.

13:51 (1-1) Wheeling Goal Gilbert (1), Gill and McKay (snap shot from low slot high glove) The Nailers tied the game after Sahir Gill won a puck battle in the left corner and sent the puck to the low slot where a wide-open and all alone David Gilbert settled and drilled high glove for his first of the year.

19:04 (2-1) Reading Goal (Power Play) Davies (1), Labelle, Comrie (trickler across the goal line from tight inside) Zach Davies powered his way down the right wing side, got below the goal line and then forced his way to the right side of the crease, where he jammed the puck towards the net. Davies got just enough of the puck to force it over the goal line for his first as a Royal.

Second Period (2-4, Wheeling) 4:06 (2-2, Tie) Wheeling Goal (Power Play) Rowney (1), Yuen (snap shot from high slot) While Wheeling was playing with the man advantage, Rowney picked up at defensive blue line carried uncontested through the neutral zone into the offensive end and ripped a high snapper blocker side on Knapp for his first of the season.

12:24 (2-3, Wheeling) Wheeling Goal Brace (1), Rowney and Cianfrini (five-hole back-hand from the top of the crease) Reading coughed one up at the defensive blue line, resulting in a quick counter-punch by the Nailers. Rowney fired a perfect diagonal-down pass to the low left circle, where Riley Brace took control, cut to the top of the crease and slipped the puck through the legs of Knapp to give the Nailers a lead they would never relinquish.

19:24 (2-4, Wheeling) Wheeling Goal (Short-Handed) Brace (2), Shutron and Rowney (one time snap shot from left side of crease) Wheeling would get the game winner while playing short-handed. Reading had offensive zone possession on a late period power play, but lost the puck when Ryan Cruthers playing the left half-wall lost an edge and fell. The Nailers stole and broke on an odd-man rush. Defenseman Ben Shutron slipped a diagonal down pass to the low left side of the crease where a charging Brace got off a quick snap shot that beat Knapp on the short side.

Third Period (3-6, Wheeling) 15:34 (3-4, Wheeling) Reading Goal Flemming (1), Cruthers and Davies (snap shot from mid-slot) Reading drew within one in the latter stages of the third, when defenseman Brett Flemming, who was cutting down the middle, took a pass from Ryan Cruthers, spun 360 degrees and fired a high snap shot that beat Palazzese high to the blocker sidee. . 15:55 (3-5, Wheeling) Wheeling Goal Shutron (1), Brace and Rowney (partially deflected snap shot out of the left circle) Wheeling put a dagger in the Royals' comeback effort twenty-one seconds later. Shutron carrying through the left circle took a snap shot that was partially deflected and dipped under the catching glove of Knapp to immediately rebuild the two-goal lead.

18:52 (3-6, Wheeling) Wheeling Goal (Empty Net) Brace (3), Yeun (snap shot from far left side blue line) The Nailers took the wind out of the Royals' collective sails with an empty netter with just over a minute left. Prior to that dagger, the Royals had created several scoring chances, but were unable to solve the young goaltender, Palazzese, who held strong in the late-game pressure.

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