ECHL Reading Royals

Reading Royals Weekly

February 24, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


UPCOMING GAMES

Tuesday, February 24 @ Cincinnati Cyclones (U.S. Bank Arena) Game Time: 7:30 pm et (Broadcast 7:00 pm et)

Wednesday, February 25 @ Cincinnati Cyclones (U.S. Bank Arena) Game Time: 7:30 pm et (Broadcast: 7:00 pm et)

Saturday, February 28 v Dayton Bombers (Sovereign Center) Game Time: 7:05 pm et (Broadcast 6:35 pm et)

Sunday, March 1 v Dayton Bombers (Sovereign Center) Game Time: 5:05 pm (Broadcast 4:35 pm)

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS (1-2-0)

Wednesday February 18, 2009 @ Trenton Devils Loss 1 - 4

Saturday February 21, 2009 v Wheeling Nailers Win 5 - 2

Sunday February 22, 2009 v South Carolina Stingrays Loss 1 - 4

Player of the Week Nominee: Brock Hooton

Hooton began this week by scoring the Royals' only goal in the 4-1 loss to the Trenton Devils on Wednesday. On Saturday, he continued his four game point streak when he iced the Royals' win over the Wheeling Nailers by scoring an unassisted breakaway goal with just 2:09 remaining in the game. That goal gave Hooton a team leading forty-four points (17g-27a). In that game, Hooton also played to a plus two, increasing his plus/minus rating to plus-4 (+4).

TOP NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals sandwiched a 5-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers in the ‘Pink in the Rink' game on Saturday night between a pair of 4-1 losses to Trenton (on Wednesday) and South Carolina (on Sunday). Reading has now registered thirty-three regulation losses this season (17-33-4), tying the 2006-07 team (32-33-7) for the third most regulation losses in the eight year history of the team. The team record for regulation losses in a single season was set in the team's inaugural year, 2001-02 (27-36-9).

2. Sunday's loss to the South Carolina Stingrays was the sixteenth home regulation loss of the year (8-16-0), tying the team record for losses sustained at home in a single season established in 2002-03 (17-16-3).

3. Reading scored one goal in both of the losses sustained this week, marking the tenth time this season that the Royals' offense has been held to one goal (or less) and the team has compiled a record 0-10-0 in those games. Reading has been held to two goals or less in twenty-two games this season and has a record of 0-20-2.

4. The Royals' 5-2 win at the Sovereign Center on Saturday ran the Royals' home record to 3-1-0 against the Nailers this season (with one more regular season game to play in Reading). The Nailers are the only team, at least at this time, against whom the Royals have compiled a winning record at the Sovereign Center this year (with the exception of the Idaho Steelheads who the Royals played and beat once)..

5. The 4-1 loss to South Carolina on Sunday completed the Royals' regular season schedule with respect to teams outside the North Division. This season, Reading compiled a record of 3-6-0 in the nine games played outside the North. Reading went 0-4-0 against teams from the South and 3-2-0 against teams from the West Division. Coming into this season, the Royals had compiled a record of 53-26-9 against teams outside their division (including teams that are no longer in existence).

6. Brock Hooton scored the Royals only goal in Trenton on Wednesday. He also scored the team's fourth goal (with 2:09 remaining in the game) in the 5-2 win on Saturday night. That goal extended Hooton's point streak to four games (3g-2a=5pts). During that four game stretch, Hooton played to a collective plus-5 (+5), and he is currently one of only two players on the Royals' active roster who is playing to a plus with the team. In his last nineteen games, Hooton (who leads the Royals with forty-four points) has racked up twenty-five points (8g-17a)

7 Kirk MacDonald scored a pair of goals, including the game winner, in Saturday's 5-2 win against Wheeling. This was his thirteenth multi-point game of the year. Mac- Donald, who was loaned to the Providence Bruins after Saturday's game, leads the Royals with twenty-one goals. His game winner on Saturday was MacDonald's team leading third GWG of the year. In his last 10 games, MacDonald has scored 11 goals and assisted on 6 others (17 points) and played to a plus thirteen (+13).

8. Chris Stevens, who returned to the Royals' lineup on Saturday after missing three games due to injury, scored the Royals' second goal (with 1:10 remaining in the first period to give Reading a 2-1 lead) on Saturday night. Stevens also assisted on two goals (including the game winner) and played to a single-game team-high plus four (+4) in that game. That was also Stevens' ninth multi-point game for Reading (in 30 games played with the team).

9. The Royals' power play was blanked in all three games played this past week (0-17) and has been held off the board in 22 of the 54 games played this season. The Royals power play, which has not scored in the last 20 consecutive PP chances, is 44-293 on the power play, which translates into a 16.4% scoring ratio (twelfth in the ECHL).

10. Reading's penalty killers blanked the Trenton Devils PP on Wednesday, marking the eleventh time this season that the Royals PK has held the opposition off the board. Wheeling went 1-6 on the PP on Saturday, while South Carolina went 2-7. The Royals PK has allowed 67 PPGA in 311 chances (78.5% kill ratio) (22).

TRANSACTIONS

02/16.09 Add Rob Lemelin G Signed as Emergency Back-up Goaltender

02/16/09 Delete James Reimer G Reassigned to Toronto Marlies (AHL)

02/17/09 Add Rob LaLonde D Returned from Syracuse Crunch (AHL)

02/17/09 Delete Rob LaLonde D Loaned to Toronto Marlies (AHL)

02/18/09 Add Bobby Davey F Activated from 3-Day Injured Reserve

02/19/09 Delete Rob Lemelin G Released as EBG

02/19/09 Add Len DiCostanzo G Signed as Emergency Back-Up Goaltender

02/20/09 Delete Len DiCostanzo G Released as EBG

02/21/09 Add Len DiCostanzo G Signed as Emergency Back-up Goaltender

02/22/09 Delete Len DiCostanzo G Released as EBG

02/22/09 Delete Kirk MacDonald F Loaned to Providence Bruins (AHL)

02/22/09 Delete Peder Skinner F Placed on 3-Day Injured Reserve

02/22/09 Add James Reimer G Reassigned from Toronto Marlies (AHL)

02/22/09 Add Scott Estey F Signed To ECHL Contract

02/22/09 Add John Geverd F Signed To ECHL Contract

CLOSING NOTES

1. Mac Faulkner scored his team leading fourth ‘first goal' 2:29 into the game against the Wheeling Nailers on Saturday night. Faulkner, who had three shots in Saturday's game, leads the Royals (and is fifth in the league) with 192 total shots on goal this year. Faulkner's goal on Saturday marked the twenty-first time this season that the Royals have scored the game's first goal. The team has compiled a record of 9-9-3 in those games.

2. Tyler Doig, who leads the Royals with 29 assists, had a three game assist streak snapped in Sunday's game. Doig has seven assists in his last nine games.

3. Defenseman Tim Branham had a four game assist streak snapped in Sunday's game. That marked the fourth four-game assist streak of the year for Branham, who has put up career offensive numbers this season and currently leads Royals defensemen with twenty-three points (2g-23a).

4. Scott Estey, playing in his first game for the Royals, scored the team's only goal on Sunday. Estey's goal came with just 4.4 seconds remaining in the second period, making it the latest goal into a period for the Royals this season.

5. Bobby Davey had two-thirds of a Gordie Howe hattrick on Sunday, picking up an assist on the lone goal scored by the Royals and engaging in a tilt seconds after that goal was scored by Scott Estey in the waning moments of the second period. The assist marked the first point of the season for Davey and his fight with Spencer Carberrry of South Carolina was his eighth as a member of the Royals (in his twelfth game with the team).

6. Saturday's win over the Nailers marked the tenth time this season that the Royals have held a lead (3-2) going into the third period. The Royals have compiled a record of 9-0-1 in those games.

7. The Royals continued their perfect performance on pink ice this week. Last year, Reading played twice on pink ice and won both of those games including the Pink In The Rink game against the Johnstown Chiefs on February 1, 2008-which is the last time Reading has beaten Johnstown (0-10-2 since then). This season the Royals kept that record in tact with Saturday's win over Wheeling

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ECHL Stories from February 24, 2009


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