ECHL Reading Royals

Reading Royals Weekly

Published on November 9, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


TOP NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals 3-1 loss to the South Carolina Stingrays at the Sovereign Center on Saturday night snapped a season long three game winning streak for Reading. That loss also extended a four game losing streak to South Carolina that dated back toMarch of 2007. (The last time Reading actually defeated South Carolina was on November 19, 2005, when Shay Stephenson scored four goals in a 6-1 win in Reading.) The Royals ended that streak with the 5-4 shootout win over the Stingrays on Sunday. Over the nine year history of the Royals, Reading has compiled a 5-5-1 record against the Stingrays (5-2-0 at the Sovereign Center; and 0-3-1 in South Carolina). The Royals and Stingrays face one another three more times this season-all three in North Charleston, South Carolina.

2. Saturday's game marked the third time this season that the Royals have been held to just one goal (twice by Kalamazoo and once by South Carolina). The Royals are 0-3 -0-0 in those games. Overall, the Royals have scored 33 goals through ten games, a 3.30 goals for per game average, which is eighth in the league.

3. Ben McLeod scored the lone goal for Reading in the 3-1 loss to South Carolina on Saturday. McLeod who also picked up an assist on Sunday (on the Royals' third goal by Jared Ross), has registered at least one point in eight of the ten games he has played this season. Since being acquired by the Royals in late March of last year, McLeod has registered twenty-three points (10g-13a) in twenty-two total games.

4. In Saturday's 3-1 loss to South Carolina, the Royals were outshot by the Stingrays 37-28, marking the sixth time this season that Reading has been outshot by the oppo- nent. The Royals turned this trend around in Sunday's shootout win over the Stingrays, as Reading had a 40-27 shot advantage that day. Overall, the Royals have compiled a record of 2-3-1-0 when outshot by the opposition; and 3-0-0-1 when outshooting the opponent. Overall, the Royals average giving up 34.70 shots against per game, which is eighteenth out of the twenty teams in the league in that category. When viewed by period, the Royals have been most significantly outshot in the third period: First Period: (+4) (100-96); Second Period (+2) (116-114); and Third Period (-32) (92-124).

5. Scott Langdon scored the first goal of the game in Sunday's 5-4 shootout win over South Carolina. That marked the fifth time that Reading has scored the game's first goal, and the team has compiled a record of 3-0-1-1 in those games.

6. With his goal on Sunday, Scott Langdon took over the lead amongst Royals' defensemen in goals scored-and his five points (2g-3a=5pts) ties him with Eric Werner as the leading scoring defenseman. Langdon also engaged in two fights in Sunday's win. He leads the Royals in that category, as well, with four total fights this season. Landon's 34 penalty minutes also leads the team. Langdon has played to a plus in four consecutive games and, overall, leads the Royals in the plus/minus category (+7), as he has played to even or better in eight of the nine games he's played this season.

7. Ryan Cruthers scored his first goal as a member of the Royals in his fourth game with the team on Sunday, while Reading was playing on the power play at the 7:10 mark of the second period. Cruthers also picked up a pair of assists in Sunday's game to register his first multi-point performance as a member of the Royals. Last season, Cruthers, who represented the Mississippi Sea Wolves at the 2009 ECHL All-Star game in Reading, scored twenty-nine goals and had 17 multi-point performances in 65 games with the Sea Wolves.

8. Jared Ross scored his first pro goal at the 7:40 mark of the second period in Sunday's shootout win. Ross followed that up by scoring his second pro goal while Reading was on the power play at the 10:35 mark of the third period to give Reading 4-3 lead. In his four years at St. Lawrence University, Ross scored a twenty-two goals in a total of 134 college games.

9. Daniel Steiner, who was activated from the injured reserve prior to Sunday's game, registered a pair of assists in the win that day. That marked the second two-assist performance of the year for Steiner, who also racked up a pair of assists in the 6-5 shootout loss to Elmira on October 17-his last home game played for the team. Steiner is currently riding a three game point streak (1g-4a). Steiner also scored the clinching goal in the shootout on Sunday.

10. The Royals' power play was held off the board in four chances with the man advantage in Saturday's 3-1 loss to South Carolina. On Sunday, Reading's PP went 2-7. This marked the third time this season that the Royals have scored two power play goals in a single game, and the team has compiled a record of 2-0-0-1 in those games. Over- all this season, Reading is 10 for 59 on the power play, which is a 16.9% scoring ratio (11th in the league). 11.South Carolina got what proved to be the game winning goal while playing with the man advantage in Saturday's 3-1 win, while the Royals' PK kept the Stingrays' power play unit off the board on Sunday (0-2). Overall, the Royals' PK is 34-42 (8 PPGA) for a 81.0% kill ratio (twelfth in the league).

CLOSING NOTES

1. Goaltender Andrew Engelage registered his first win as a pro goaltender in Sun- day's 5-4 shootout victory over South Carolina. Engelage stopped 23 of the 27 shots he faced in 65 minutes of hockey that day. He also saved three of the five shootout shots he faced. Engelage became the third goaltender to win a game for the Royals this season.

2. Goaltender Beau Erickson sustained his first loss of the season Saturday against the Stingrays. That day, Erickson stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced.

3. Reading won the team's second consecutive shootout on Sunday. The Royals have compiled a record of 2-1 in the shootout this season-and all three shoot- outs have occurred at the Sovereign Center. After getting blanked in their first effort in the shootout (0-5) (v Elmira on October 17), Reading's shooters have scored on seven of their last ten attempts in the shootout (4-5 v Toledo on Octo- ber 29; and 3-5 v South Carolina on November 8). Seven Royals have attempted a shot in the shootout this season: (i) Danick Bouchard (2-3); (ii) Ben Gordon (2-3); (iii) Stefano Giliati (1-2); (iv) Olivier Labelle (1-2); (v) Daniel Steiner (1-2); (vi) Ben McLeod (0-2); and (vii) EricWerner (0-2).

4. The Royals entered the third period on Sunday with the game tied at three. That marked the fourth time this season that the Royals have entered the third period in a tie with the opposition. Reading has racked up a record of 2-0-1-1 in those games.

5. This week the Royals face the Johnstown Chiefs for the third time (and the first time in Johnstown) of what will be eleven match-ups this season. The Royals also have a home-and-home series against the Trenton Devils, which will kick off what will be fourteen games between these two teams this season.

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