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Reading Royals

The Royal Road Ahead: Reading at Florida Everblades

April 1, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


ROYALS PRE-GAME NOTES

- This evening, the Royals continue a late-season five-game road trip when the team will face the Florida Everblades in the first of what will be three straight in the state of Florida.

- Tonight's game marks the fifth matchup of the year between the Royals and Everblades. Reading swept Florida a three-game-in-three-day set at Santander Arena in Reading in early February, defeating the Florida 5-4 on February 6; 5-3 on February 7; and 3-2 in a ten round shootout on Sunday, February 8.

Last week, however, the 'Blades bounced back with a vengeance running over the Royals in the team's 1000th game in team history, 5-1, at Santander Arena.

- The Royals are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Wheeling Nailers at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia, which left the Royals empty-handed at WesBanco this season, as the team ended up 0-5-1-0 this season in the six games played in Wheeling this year.

- Reading's record currently stands at twenty-four games over .500 (42-18-4-2=90), which translates into a .682 win percentage, which places the Royals in third place in the East Division, nine points behind the first place Florida Everblades and one point behind the second place South Carolina Stingrays, who jumped over Reading with their win against the Evansville Icemen on Sunday.

- The Royals have compiled a record 5-4-2-0 in the team's last eleven games; 9-5-3-1 in the last eighteen; 21-5-3-1 in the last thirty; and 33-10-3-1 in the last forty-seven.

- Although Reading's six game road unbeaten streak (4-0-2-0) was snapped Sunday in Wheeling, the team has racked up twenty-two wins on the road this season (22-7-4-0), which ties the team record.

- After scoring eight goals in the finale of a three-game Canadian swing against the Brampton Beast on Sunday, March 8, the Royals have only scored a total of six goals in the last three games, which would include being held to just one goal by the Everblades last Wednesday (March 25). That marked the fourth time this season that the Royals have been held to one goal or less (0-4-0-0).

- In those same three games last week, the Royals gave up a total of twelve goals, which included getting touched up for five goals in both losses (to Florida and Wheeling). The Royals have compiled a record of 1-9-0-1 when allowing five or more goals this season.

- In the lone win this past week (last Friday against the Indy Fuel), the Royals held Indy to just two goals (one of which was a pulled-goaltender sixth attacker power play goal with just 19 seconds remaining).

Reading has compiled 27-0-0-0 record when allowing two goals or fewer.

- Reading's power play was held off the board in all three games played last week (0 for 9) and has been blanked in seven of the last eleven games, going 4 for 33, which is a 12.1% scoring ratio, during that time span.

- Reading's penalty killers were touched up for a power play goal against in each of the last two games played (against Indy and Wheeling), but both of those PPGs were scored under extraordinary circumstances late in the game: (i) the Fuel score a PPG with the goaltender pulled and with just nineteen seconds left in the game to cut the score to 3-2, Reading; and (ii) the Nailers scored an empty-net power play goal with just 41 seconds left to make the score 5-2, Wheeling. In the last ten games, Reading has allowed 5 PPGA in 34 chances with the man advantage, which is an 85.3% kill ratio in that span.

- In the last two games played, the Royals have set team season highs for total penalty minutes accumulated in a single game twice: racking up 52 penalty minutes (which included four fighting majors) in Friday's 3-2 win in Indy and topping that with 53 PIMs (which also included four fighting majors) in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Wheeling. In Sunday's game, Wheeling and Reading combined for 147 PIMs (which also set a team season-high) many of which were accumulated in a messy end to the game. Despite all of that, Reading is still the third least penalized team in the league, averaging 13.41 PIMs per game.

- Olivier Labelle leads the Royals with twenty-six goals and sixty-three points (26g-37a), which places him seventeenth in the ECHL scoring race. Labelle has recorded at least one point in thirteen of his last seventeen games, during which he has racked up twenty-one points (9g-12a). Labelle, who leads the Royals with 177 shots and 80 penalty minutes, is the all-time career team leader with ninety-seven goals in 222 games with the team.

- David Marshall's twenty-second goal of the year, which came on Sunday when the Wheeling Nailers misplayed a puck into their own (empty) net on a delayed penalty, was Marshall's 41st career goal as a Royal and his 101st point with the team (in 112 games), which ties him with Greg Hogeboom for tenth on the all-time team scoring list.

- Mike Marcou leads all defensemen on the team with thirty-five points (6g-35a), which places him tied for eighteenth in defenseman scoring in the league.

- Jordan Heywood all defensemen on the team with nine goals, and his 22 points (9g-13a) leads all first year players on the Royals. Heywood's nine goals have come on just 68 total shots, which is a 13.2% shooting percentage (fourth best amongst defensemen in the league).

- Defenseman Bryant Molle engaged in his team leading eighth and ninth fights in Saturday's game against Wheeling (both against the Nailers' Shane Bakker). Molle, who leads all defensemen on the team in penalty minutes (with 75), has engaged in twenty-six career tilts in 186 games with the team, which is fourth most all-time for the Royals-one behind Dave Stewart and Rob LaLonde and nine behind Malcolm MacMillan. His 268 career PIMs with the Royals is fourth most in team history. Molle, who has played to a plus-19 (+19) in 65 games this season, is the team's all-time leader in plus-minus with a collective career rating of plus-55 (+55).

- Defenseman Brett Flemming is riding a three game goal scoring streak (3g) and a five game point streak (4g-2a=6pts). Flemming has scored five goals in his last seven games and has had a least one point in eleven of his last fourteen games (5g-9a=14pts).

- Goaltender Connor Knapp's eight game unbeaten streak (5-0-2-1) was snapped in Wednesday's loss to Florida. Knapp also sustained the loss on Saturday in Wheeling. Knapp's 2.63 goals against average is currently tied thirteenth in the league.

- Last Friday in Indy, goaltender Martin Ouellette won his second consecutive game-and recorded his sixteenth victory of the season-by making 40 saves on 42 shots. That marked the fifth time this season that one of Reading's goaltenders has made forty or more saves in a single game-and the third time for Ouellette, who has won each of those games.

Royals Recent Transactions

03/20/15 Add D Maxim Lamarche Assigned from Lehigh Valley (AHL)

Delete F Cam Reid Loaned to Adirondack (AHL)

03/24/15 Add D Ryan Misiak Signed to Amateur Tryout Agreement

03/28/15 Delete D Maxim Lamarche Recalled to Lehigh Valley (AHL)

Add F Zac Frischmon Signed to ECHL Contract

03/30/15 Add D Maxim Lamarche Assigned from Lehigh Valley (AHL)

Delete F Zac Frischmon Released from ECHL Contract

03/31/15 Add F Justin Crandall Signed to Amateur Tryout Agreement

Delete F Andrew Johnston Recalled to Lehigh Valley (AHL)

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

Reading Royals @ Florida Everblades

@ Germain Arena - Estero, FL

Friday, April 3, 2015 (7:30 pm Eastern Time)

NEXT UP: The Royals continue the team's three game swing through Florida on Friday, April 3 (@ 7:30 pm) at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida, where Reading will once again face the Florida Everblades. As with all Royals' road games this season, Friday's game will be televised live locally in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel and Apple Vacations. The game night broadcast for Friday's matchup can be heard live on CBS SportsRadio 1240 am and 98.5 in Reading, Pennsylvania, starting with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 7:00 pm Eastern Time. Streaming audio is available free of charge on the Royals' website (follow the 'headset' icon); and streaming video is available on a pay-per-view basis through ECHL.TV.

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