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ECHL Reading Royals

All Dressed Up and Somewhere To Go....

April 1, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Although perhaps not quite as dapper in his hockey gear as the top hat and tails he donned at the Fans' Choice Awards Banquet, defenseman Steven Later and his teammates are more properly attired for what should be an even more important date in the not too distant future.....

TOP NINE NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals went 1-3-1 in the last week to finish the month of March with a record of 6-8-2, which is the only month this season that the Royals finished below .500. In fact, over the course of the seven year history of the Royals, March is the only month in which the team has a record below .500 (37-54-10), which translates into a .416 win percentage. (The best month for Reading historically is February where the Royals have gone 45-26-15, which is a .610 win percentage.)

2. Reading completed the road portion of the regular season with the games at Dayton last Tuesday and Cincinnati last Wednesday. In the last nine road games of the year, the Royals compiled a 1-6-2 record (02/27 - 03/26/08). Over the course of the season, Reading went 16-17-3 away from the Sovereign Center, marking the fifth time in team history that the Royals' road record has been below .500.. Historically, the Royals have a 107-121-24 record on the road: a .472 win percentage.

3. Reading extended the team's home win streak to five games with the 4-2 victory over the Trenton Devils last Friday. That win streak was snapped with the 7-6 overtime loss to Wheeling on Saturday; and the team's six game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) was ended with the 3-2 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. The Royals are currently 22-8-4 at the Sovereign Center with two games to go. The team record for home wins in a single season is 25: 2003-04 (25-7-4) and 2004-05 (25-8-3).

4. Dany Roussin registered at least one point in all five games played by Reading last week (1g-5a=6pts). Roussin is currently riding a seven game point streak (2g- 7a=9pts). Roussin picked up a pair of assists in Saturday's 7-6 overtime loss to Wheeling, which proved to be his twelfth multi-point game of the year. In his last 52 games, Roussin has registered 53 points (21g-32a=53pts).. Roussin is currently tied (with Shawn Germain) for the team lead in plus/minus, playing to a (+15).

5. Vladimir Dravecky is currently riding a four game assist (and point) streak (0g-6a). Dravecky racked up a pair of multi-assist games this week-Friday against Trenton and Sunday against Cincinnati. Dravecky has picked up five multi-point games this season (in 24 played). In the sixteen games played by the Royals in the month of March, Dravecky picked up fifteen points (3g-12a=15pts).

6. Chris Blight was returned to the Royals from the Albany River Rats this past Friday, and he registered a point in all three games he played for the Royals since that time (1g-2a=3pts). When Blight was loaned to the River Rats on February 14, he was riding a five game point streak (5g-3a=8pts); therefore, he has an eight game point streak (6g-5a=11pts) with the Royals currently in tact .

7. P.J. Atherton was re-assigned to Reading from the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday. In the game that night against Wheeling Nailers, Atherton scored the game tying goal (6-6) (to complete a three goal third period comeback) with just 4:53 remaining in regulation time. On Sunday, Atherton scored the game's first goal (his third 'first goal' of the year) while the Royals were on the power play-which proved to be his seventh power play goal of the year. Atherton is currently tied for the league lead in goals scored by defensemen (15); and he's eighth amongst ECHL defensemen in points with forty (15g-25a=40pts).

8. Both of the Royals goals in Sunday's 3-2 loss to Cincinnati were scored while the team was on the power play. Reading has had 22 multi-PP goal games this year, and 13 of those have come in the last 25 games. During that time span the Royals have gone 39 for 159 on the power play (24.5% scoring ratio). Over the course of the season the Royals are 79 for 412 on the power play (19.2%) (8th in the league).

9. All three of Cincinnati's goals on Sunday were scored on the power play, marking the sixth time this year that Reading has allowed 3 or more PPGA. The Royals have given up multi-PPGs in 20 games this year. Reading has killed 322 of 399 PPs faced this year, which is an 80.7% kill ratio (18th in the league).

CLOSING NOTES

1. Matt Herneisen returned to the Royals' lineup on Friday against the Trenton Devils after missing twenty-three consecutive games dating back to February 1. Herneisen scored what proved to be the game winning goal that night-his first GWG of the season. Herneisen became the twentieth different player to score a game winner for Reading this season. Herneisen also picked up his ninth fighting major of the season, which is tied (with Mike Salekin and Rob LaLonde) for the team lead in that category.

2. Malcolm MacMillan registered back to back multi-point games on Friday and Saturday this past week (2g-2a). MacMillan has had six multi-point games with the Royals this year (in 32 played).

3. Steven Later registered fighting majors on Saturday and Sunday. In his last four games, Later has been assessed with 42 penalty minutes, and he currently has 133 PIMs in 29 games with the Royals this year. Later was involved in 3 fights and picked up 65 games in 21 games with the Bakersfield Condors prior to being traded to the Royals.

4.Brock Hooton, who leads the Royals with 25 goals and 58 points this year, scored a goal on Wednesday in Cincinnati and on Saturday against Wheeling. Hooton has scored ten goals in his last nineteen games.

5.The Royals overtime loss to the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday, marked the fifth OTL for Reading this year. Overall, in games that have ended in ties, the Royals have compiled a record of 9-7: (5-5 in OT and 4-2 in the shootout).

6. Saturday's game marked the sixth time this season that the Royals have entered the third period trailing the opposition and were able to come back and pick up at least a point (3-21-3).

7. Three of Reading's games last week were resolved with a one-goal differential. The Royals are 13-7-7 in one goal games this year.

8. Goaltender John Murray faced and stopped the fourth penalty shot against the Royals this season on Friday against Trenton (Eric Castonguay).

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