Reading Royals Playoff Report
Published on April 26, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release
TOP NOTES OF THE WEEK
1. The Royals have compiled a record of 7-0-2 through the first two rounds of the playoffs. (Dating back to the last ten games of the regular season, the Royals have com- piled a record of 13-2-4 in the team's last 19 games.) In the nine year history of the team, the Royals have played forty-nine post season games, and the team has com- piled a record of 28-17-4 in ECHL playoffs. Reading has played a total of eleven playoff series in the team's nine years and has won seven of those series and lost four.
2. This marks the second time in team history that the Royals have advanced to the Conference Finals. In 2004, the Royals earned the right to play in a one game "Wild Card"Â series against the Johnstown Chiefs, when Reading won the final game of the regular season. The team then went on to win the "Wild Card-Â game (2-1); then beat the Wheeling Nailers (3 games to 2) in the Northern Division Semi-Finals; then beat the Peoria Rivermen (3 games to 1) in the Northern Division Finals; before losing to the Florida Everblades (3 games to 2) in the National Conference Finals.
3. In Reading's first round series against the Kalamazoo Wings this year, three of the five games played were resolved in overtime. That marked the second playoff series in team history that had three OT games. In 2008, the Royals won all three games decided in overtime in the first round series (North Division Semi-Finals) against the Elmira Jackals. This year, the Wings won the first two OT games of the series, before Reading won the deciding game five on a goal by Andrew Sarauer with 2:52 remain- ing in the first overtime period. That marked the first time in team history that a playoff series for the Royals was decided in overtime. Historically, the Royals are 5-4 in playoff games decided in OT.
4. The Royals won four consecutive games in the team's best-of-seven American Conference Semi-Final series against the Florida Everblades, marking the first time in team history that Reading has 'swept' a playoff series. The Royals are currently riding a five game post-season winning streak, which is the longest winning streak in the team's post-season history. (It is also the longest win streak of th2e 2009-10 season-regular season or playoffs-for the Royals.) In 2005, Reading put together a four game playoff win streak, when the team won the final three games of the team's first round series against the Toledo Storm (to win that series 3 games to 1) and then won the first game of the second round series against the Trenton (then-) Titans, before losing three straight to the Titans to be ousted from the playoffs.
5. Reading has scored first in eight of the team's nine post-season games this year. (Over the course of the regular season, Reading scored first in 38 of the 72 games played, compiling a record of 26-8-1-3 in those games.). Yannick Riendeau scored the game's first goal in three of the first four games of the first round series against the K-Wings before sustaining an injury in Game Five of that series-the only game of the playoffs in which the opposition has scored first. Five other Royals have also regis- tered a first goal in the post-season: Olivier Labelle, Aaron Brocklehurst, Ben Gordon, Marc Cavosie, and Ryan Cruthers.
6. The Royals have won seven post-season games this year and have game winning goals from seven different players: Marc Cavosie, Stefano Giliati, Andrew Sarauer, Jared Ross, Daniel Steiner, Ryan Cruthers, and Ben Gordon. During the regular season, the Royals had fifteen different players score game winners, led by Ryan Cruthers, Andrew Sarauer, and Olivier Labelle, each of whom had four GWGs.
7. All four games in the Royals' second round series against the Florida Everblades were decided by one goal, and actually the last six consecutive games for Reading (and seven of the team's nine post-season games) have been one-goal decisions. The Royals are 5-0-2 in those seven games. Over the course of the regular season, Reading played in thirty-one one-goal games and compiled a record of 20-5-1-5 in those games.
8. Ryan Cruthers has registered at least one point in all nine playoff games for the Royals (6g-10a=16pts). His sixteen points currently ties him for the league lead in playoff scoring. (He is tied for third with six goals scored; and also third in assists with ten-five of which have come on the power play, which leads the league.) Cruthers is cur- rently playing to a plus-9, which is tied for the league lead in that category. Cruthers scored a goal in the each of the final two games against Florida, as he registered the game winner-with just 2:53 remaining in regulation in the Royals' 2-1 win over Florida in Game Three; as well as the game's first goal 1:32 into the third period in the Royals' 2-1 win in Game Four.
9. Olivier Labelle currently leads the Royals-and is tied for the league lead-with seven playoff goals, all of which came in the first six games of the post-season. Labelle registered at least one point in seven of the first nine playoff games for Reading, and he had four multi-point games in that span. Labelle was also awarded the first playoff penalty shot in Royals' history-as well as the first overtime penalty shot in team history-5:45 into overtime in Game Five of the first round series against the K-Wings. That penalty shot was stopped by Kalamazoo's goaltender, Riley Gill.
10. Ben Gordon, who scored what proved to be the series' clinching game winner at the 11:01 mark of the third period in Game Four of the second round series against Florida, has registered at least one point in seven of the Royals' 9 playoff games this year. Gordon also scored the first goal in the Royals 5-4 win over Florida in Game 2.
11. Marc Cavosie has scored a goal in five of the nine playoff games for Reading this season. Cavosie, who scored what proved to be the game winner in the Royals' first win of the playoff season-Game Two against the Kalamazoo Wings on April 7-factored in both goals in the Royals' 2-1 victory over the Everblades in Game Three of the second round, scoring the game's first goal and assisting on the game winner by Ryan Cruthers. Cavosie's nine points (5g-4a) establishes a new post-season career high for him, as he registered eight points (3g-5a) in 19 games with the Houston Aeros when they won the AHL's Calder Cup in 2003.
12. Goaltender Matt Dalton, who set a team record with 2735 regular season minutes played, has played all 562 minutes of the Royals' post-season action, which is the second most playoff minutes played by a goaltender in the ECHL so far this season. He has seen more shots than any other goaltender in the ECHL playoffs (319) and his .922 save percentage is third in the league. Dalton's seven playoff wins is tied for the top spot in the ECHL and also ties him with the total number of playoff wins by Danny Taylor in 2008, which is the second most ever by a Reading goaltender in the post-season. Cody Rudkowsky holds that record with 8 wins in 2004.
CLOSING NOTES
1. The Royals' power play has scored six PPG in thirty-one chances with the man advantage during the playoffs, which is a 19.4% scoring ratio. (Reading went 4-18 in the five games played against the K-Wings in the first round; and 2-13 in the four games in the second round against the Florida Everblades.) During the regular season, the Royals scored power play goals at a 16.5% scoring ratio.
2. Despite giving up six power play goals against to the Florida Everblades in their first seven chances in Games 1&2 of the second round of the playoffs, the Royals PK held the 'Blades' PP off the board in Games 3&4 (0-4). Overall, the Royals PK is killing penalties at a 72.0% ratio (7 PPGA in 25 chances) in the playoffs.
3. Every player on the Royals' playoff roster except two (defensemen Joey Ryan and Scott Fletcher) has registered at least one point in the post-season, including goaltender Matt Dalton, who has picked up a pair of assists during the playoffs (including one on the game-tying goat-at 6 all-in the Royals' 7-6 victory over the Florida Everblades in Game One of the American Conference Semi-Finals).
3. The Royals are outscoring the opposition 14-4 in the first period during the play- offs (+10) and are yet to be scored upon out on the road in the first 20 minutes of play (4-0).
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