ECHL Reading Royals

GAME NOTES: Reading Royals V Manchester Monarchs (Saturday, 0)

Published on March 4, 2017 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


READING ROYALS GAME NIGHT v Manchester Monarchs

Saturday, March 4, 2017 Regular Season Game No. 57 Home Game No. 29

ROYALS SEEK TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST THE MONARCHS... ECHL Standings Eastern Conference North Division (GP) W L OT SO Pts Manchester(57)31 -16 - 6 - 4 = 72 Brampton (56)32 -17 - 3 - 4 = 71 Adirondack(55)29 -16 - 6 - 4 = 68 READING (56)32 -21 - 1 - 2 = 67 Wheeling (55)28 -21 - 6 - 0 = 62 Elmira (57)11 -37 - 7 - 1 = 30

Ryan Cruthers Wall of Honor Plaque When remembering Ryan Cruthers' time with the Royals, it would be easy to be- come mesmerized by the numbers-and one number in particular: 273, as in the number of points that Ryan amassed dur- ing his 278 games with the team. After all, at the time of his retirement at the con- clusion of the 2014-15 season, Ryan was far and away the most prolific scorer in Royals' hockey history. But as anyone who was fortunate enough to be around dur- ing his five seasons in Reading can attest, it's not really a number that you associate with Ryan Cruthers, it's more probably a letter-"C". Because after all, Cruthers was the team's prototypical captain dur- ing his time in with the Royals: fiercely competitive and unequivocally loyal, a leader by example who was willing to battle through the pain, and, yes, from time-to-time get just a bit boisterous when the situation called for it. And, as with many great captains in hockey histo- ry, Cruthers was at his best when it mat- tered most. He thrived in the pressure.

You don't earn a nickname like "Captain Clutch" without living for the big mo- ments. His double-overtime series clinch- ing goal in the 2011 playoffs in Cincinnati avenging the bitter disappointment of a gut-wrenching loss in the Conference Finals one year earlier in that same city would be a case in point. But during his tenure with the team, those close to the Royals also had a chance to observe something just as important with Ryan: his growth, evolution, and maturation into something much more than just a hockey player: a husband, a dad, a friend, and an integral leader within the Reading and Berks County communities. And even though he made his name as a profession- al athlete in this community, with Ryan you always have the feeling that there could be something much bigger on the horizon...maybe even the logical progres- sion from captain of the club to mayor of the city... UPCOMING GAMES Sunday, March 5 @ 5:00 pm v Norfolk Admirals Battle of the Badges XII Reading v Allentown Fire-Police (@ 1:30 pm) James Reimer Mini-Locker Room Give-Away Courtesy Bethany Children's Home

Tues., March 14 @ 7:00 pm v Norfolk Admirals

Wed., March 22 @ 7:00 pm v Manchester Monarchs Magnetic White Board First 1000 Adults (18+) Courtesy of Rentokil Ehrlich

Friday, March 24 @ 7:00 pm v Adirondack Thunder Flyers Friday with Philly Alumni Brad Marsh

HEIDELBERG COUNTRY CLUB SHOT OF GAME The Power of Yellow... Tonight, the boys are go- ing to be decked out in bright yellow special jer- seys in celebration of our annual Autism Awareness game. Those jerseys are each up for auction at this very moment at the web- site: bidpal.net/goyellow.

You are encouraged to bid on these jerseys up to 9 pm, when the auction will close and the winners will be notified. After tonight's game, the boys will sign the jerseys and take a photo with the winning bidder. And the good thing: the net proceeds from the auction will go directly to autism support efforts in Reading and Berks County. - Tonight, the Royals take on the Manchester Monarchs in the back-end of a two-game set, which kicked off last night with a 3-2 victory for the Monarchs over the Royals. That was the eighth matchup of the year between Reading and Manches- ter, who leapt back into first place in the North Division with their win last night. With two games to go in the season se- ries between the two teams, Reading is looking to improve on the team's 1-6-1-0 record against the LA Kings' affiliate. - Last night, the Royals scored first, held two leads (at 1-0 and 2-1) and pounded the pressure on the Monarchs and their goaltender, Jack Flinn. But Manchester, who had entered that game riding a nine game road winless streak (0-5-2-2), was able to bag a couple of late second period goals- including what proved to be the tie-breaking game winner by defenseman David Kolomatis with just 7.1 seconds re- maining in the middle frame. Despite a third period push, Reading was never able to bag the equalizer and fell to 2-6-0 -0 in the last eight games the team has played on home ice. - Ryan Penny became the first Royal to reach the twenty goal plateau last night when he scored the game's first goal 15:44 into the first period. For Penny, who has six goals in his last eight games, that was his third 'first goal' of the season. - Mike Pereira gave Reading a 2-1 lead 13:59 into the second when he broke through on the Royals' second power play of the game. For Pereira, who is riding a three game goal scor- ing streak, that was his fourteenth goal fo the season, four of which have come while the team was on the power play. Pe- reira also picked up an assist on Penny's goal last night to record his sixth multi-point game of the season. - Defenseman Jesper Petterson assisted on both goals scored by Reading last night. That was his fourth multi-point game of the season. - Matt Willows, who assisted on Pereira's power play goal last night, is riding a four game assist streak (0g-5a). - Last night's game marked the fifteenth time this season that Reading has held an in-game lead but were unable to pick up the two points. Four of those 'blown-lead losses' have come against the Monarchs. - Tonight, Olivier Labelle is expected to play in his 279th game as a Royal, which will push him past Ryan Cruthers-who we are inducting into the Royals' Wall of Honor tonight-as the all-time team leader in career games played. - Goaltender Martin Ouellette, who made 31 saves in last night's game, is riding a four game losing streak.

Today

Preview of Games for March 4, 2017

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Atlanta Gladiators (21-26-8) at Florida Everblades (37-12-5)

7 p.m. ET ï‚- Justin Buzzeo leads Atlanta against the Everblades with 11 points (4g-7a).

ï‚- Florida's Anthony Peters is tied for second with 26 wins. ï‚- Gladiators are tied for fourth on the power play on the road at 21.6 percent (19-for-88). ï‚- Everblades are 16-4-5 in one-goal games.

Greenville Swamp Rabbits (32-20-5) at Orlando Solar Bears (28-20-9) 7 p.m. ET ï‚- Greenville's Joe Houk is tied for sixth among defensemen with 39 points (12g-27a). ï‚- Eric Faille leads Orlando against the Swamp Rabbits with 11 points (4g-7a). ï‚- Swamp Rabbits lead the league with 11 wins when trailing after one period (11-11-3).

ï‚- Solar Bears are third with 12 shorthanded goals.

Manchester Monarchs (31-16-10) at Reading Royals (32-20-3)

7 p.m. ET ï‚- Joe Diamond leads Manchester with 19 goals. ï‚- Reading's Florian Iberer is eighth among defensemen with 36 points (8g-28a). ï‚- Monarchs are 7-1-0 against Reading this season. ï‚- Royals are 23-0-0 when leading after two periods.

Elmira Jackals (11-38-8) at Norfolk Admirals (21-30-4)

7:15 p.m. ET ï‚- Kyle Rankin leads Elmira against the Admirals with six points (1g-5a).

ï‚- Norfolk's Paul Rodrigues has four goals in his last four games. ï‚- Jackals are 6-0-3 when leading after two periods. ï‚- Admirals are tied for the league lead with four shorthanded goals against.

Kalamazoo Wings (29-24-4) at Toledo Walleye (39-13-3)

7:15 p.m. ET ï‚- Justin Taylor leads Kalamazoo against the Walleye with eight points (4g-4a). ï‚- Toledo's Tyson Spink leads rookies, and is fourth overall, with 66 points (31g-35a). ï‚- K-Wings are 17-3-3 when scoring first.

ï‚- Walleye are 29-9-1 when outshooting their opponent.

Wheeling Nailers (28-21-6) at Fort Wayne Komets (33-15-7)

7:30 p.m. ET ï‚- Wheeling's Kevin Schulze is fourth among rookies 15 power-play points (0g-15a). ï‚- Fort Wayne's Garrett Bartus is fourth with a 2.46 goals-against average. ï‚- Nailers are fifth with five shorthanded goals against. ï‚- Komets have outscored their opponents 77-48 in the third period.

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Adirondack Thunder (29-16-10) at Cincinnati Cyclones (30-25-4)

7:35 p.m. ET ï‚- Adirondack's Stepan Falkovsky leads the league with 14 power-play goals. ï‚- Shane Walsh leads Cincinnati with 15 goals and 39 points. ï‚- Thunder are fourth on the power play at 22.7 percent (52-for-229). ï‚- Cyclones are fifth with 2.92 goals-against per game.

Allen Americans (36-17-5) at Missouri Mavericks (26-22-7)

7:05 p.m. CT ï‚- Gary Steffes leads Allen against the Mavericks with five goals. ï‚- Missouri's Dane Fox leads the league with 278 shots on goal.

ï‚- Americans are 22-6-5 when outshot by their opponent. ï‚- Mavericks are 13-3-1 when leading after one period.

Indy Fuel (15-36-5) at Quad City Mallards (31-22-3)

7:05 p.m. CT ï‚- Alex Wideman leads Indy against the Mallards with nine points (3g-6a). ï‚- Quad City's Michael Parks is fifth among rookies with a 21.7 percent shooting percentage (21-for-97). ï‚- Fuel are league's seventh-least penalized team with 12.45 penalty minutes per game. ï‚- Mallards are 9-0-3 in games decided in overtime or a shootout.

Tulsa Oilers (26-28-5) at Wichita Thunder (16-34-4)

7:05 p.m. CT ï‚- Phil Brewer leads Tulsa with 31 points (11g-20a). ï‚- Wichita's Gerrad Grant is tied for second among rookies with two shorthanded assists. ï‚- Oilers are 14-5-1 against Central Division opponents. ï‚- Thunder are tied for the league low with six games decided in overtime or a shootout.

Alaska Aces (28-19-8) at Utah Grizzlies (26-24-7)

7 p.m. MT ï‚- Daniel Moynihan leads Alaska against the Grizzlies with 10 points (4g-6a). ï‚- Utah's Colin Martin is fourth with a 24.2 percent shooting percentage (15-for-62).

ï‚- Aces are fourth with 33.85 shots per game. ï‚- Grizzlies are third on the penalty kill at home at 88.0 percent (110-for-125).

Idaho Steelheads (32-18-7) at Rapid City Rush (21-28-8)

7:05 p.m. MT ï‚- Rob Linsmayer leads Idaho against the Rush with eight points (3g-5a). ï‚- Rapid City's Ryan Walters is fourth with 198 shots on goal. ï‚- Steelheads are second on the penalty kill on the road at 86.0 percent (92-for-107). ï‚- Rush are 14-5-5 when scoring first.

South Carolina Stingrays (30-25-3) at Colorado Eagles (40-14-4)

7:05 p.m. MT ï‚- South Carolina's Steven McParland is fourth among rookies with 155 shots on goal.

ï‚- Luke Salazar leads Colorado against the Stingrays with six goals. ï‚- Stingrays are second with 27.47 shots-against per game. ï‚- Eagles are third with 3.93 goals per game.

Kelly Cup Playoffs Update

Toledo can clinch a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs on Saturday if:

Toledo wins in regulation/overtime OR Tulsa loses in regulation OR Toledo wins in shootout AND Tulsa loses OR Toledo loses in overtime/shootout AND Tulsa loses

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LONGEST WINNING STREAK, ONE SEASON 23 - South Carolina Stingrays (Feb. 7-March 27, 2015) 17 - Colorado Eagles (Jan. 25-Present) - Cincinnati Cyclones (Jan. 13-Feb. 29, 2008) 15 - Victoria Salmon Kings (Dec. 6, 2008-Jan. 10, 2009) 14 - Missouri Mavericks (Nov. 4-Dec. 5, 2015) - Louisiana IceGators (Nov. 23-Dec. 22, 2001) - Knoxville Cherokees (Dec. 28, 1993-Jan. 29, 1994) - South Carolina Stingrays (Nov. 24-Dec. 19, 2009) - Las Vegas Wranglers (March 10-April 7, 2007)

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