ECHL Reading Royals

Reading Royals Weekly

Published on November 23, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


TOP NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals registered the team's first regular season win ever against the Florida Everblades on Wednesday (5-3). That victory was also the first time in team history that Reading has won at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida-whether in the regular season or playoffs. (The Royals played three games at Germain Arena in the 2004 Na- tional Conference Finals-and lost all three.)

2. The Royals 5-2 win over the Everblades on Friday stretched the team's winning streak to a season long four consecutive games which was snapped in the 4-0 loss to Florida on Saturday. The last time the Royals won four games in a row was from February 20 through February 24, 2008. That win also jumped the Royals into first place within their division for the first time in over two years-albeit for just one day. (Reading last took over sole possession of first place of what was then the North Division of the American Conference on November 10, 2007 when the Royals beat the Johnstown Chiefs 6-2 behind the strength of a four goal game for Chris Blight.)

3. In both wins for the Royals this past week, Reading trailed the Everblades during at least one stage of the game. In seven of the nine wins registered by Reading so far this season, the team has had to come from behind at some point in the game to pull out the two points.

4. Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Everblades marked the first time this season that Reading's offense has been held off the board. That marked the twenty-eighth regular sea- son shutout against in the nine year history of the Royals. In three separate seasons (2001-02; 2003-04; and 2004-05), the Royals were blanked five times by the opposi- tion (which is the team high). Last year, the Royals were held off the board four times-the last time being a 5-0 shutout by Cincinnati's Ryan Nie on February 25, 2009.

5. In each of the Royals wins this past week, Ben Gordon scored a goal and picked up an assist, as he registered his team leading fifth and sixth multi-point performances in fourteen games played for the team. Those games extended Gordon's personal point streak to six games (6g-4a=10pts) and his goal scoring streak to three games (4g) -both of which were snapped in Saturday's 4-0 loss to Florida.

6. Ryan Cruthers registerd a pair of assists in Wednesday's win and a goal and an assist in Friday's victory to pick up his third and fourth multi-point games of the year in ten played. Cruthers six game point streak (3g-8a=11pts) and three game assist streak (4a) were snapped in Saturday's shutout loss.

7. Daniel Steiner factored in four of the Royals' five goals in the 5-3 win over Florida on Wednesday. In that game, Steiner scored a goal and picked up three assists to become the second Royal this season to register a four point game. (The other was Stefano Giliati who scored a goal and had three assists in Reading's 7-3 win over the Toledo Walleye on October 23). Steiner also scored a goal and picked up a pair of assists in Friday's 5-2 win. Steiner has now registered five multi-point games in ten played for the Royals this year. Steiner's four game point (2g-8a) and four game assist (8a) streaks were snapped in Sunday's loss.

8. Olivier Labelle scored what proved to be the game winning goal in Reading's 5-3 win on Wednesday. That was Labelle's third goal of the year, and two of them have been game winners (his other GWG broke a 2-2 tie in the third period against the Johnstown Chiefs on November 1). Labelle's other goal for the Royals this year tied the game at three in the third period against the Trenton Devils on November 14. In that game, Labelle also scored the game clinching shootout goal-which was the second time this season that his shot clinched the win in the shootout for the Royals (the other being on October 29 against the Toledo Walleye).

9. Andrew Sarauer scored the game winning goal for the Royals in Friday's 5-2 win. That marked Sarauer's second game winner as a pro. He also scored the GWG as a member of the Johnstown Chiefs on November 26, 2008, when he scored the first two goals in a 3-1 win for Johnstown over the Wheeling Nailers. Sarauer also engaged in his first fight as a pro (against Florida's Steve McJannet) on Wednesday night.

10. Goaltender Andrew Engelage picked up his third consecutive win for the Royals by stopping 38 of the 41 shots he faced from the Everblades last Wednesday night. Last season, only one goaltender, James Reimer, won three consecutive games for Reading and that was from 12/07 - 12/12/08.

11. Goaltender Matt Dalton registered his first win in regulation as a pro in Friday's 5-2 win for Reading over Florida. Dalton stopped 42 of the 44 shots he faced that night. The Royals defense has held the opposition to less than three goals three times this season, and Dalton is the third different goaltender to be in net for those games (Kevin Regan: 3-2 win versus Johnstown on November 1, 2009; and Andrew Engelage: 3-2 win over Trenton on November 13, 2009).

12. Overall this week, the Royals' power play went 3 for 26 (11.5% scoring ratio) in the three games played against the Everblades. On Wednesday, Reading went 2-10 on the power play, marking the fourth time this season that the Royals have scored more than one power play goal in a single game. On Saturday, the Royals' PP was held off the board in eight chances with the man advantage. Reading's PP has been blanked in six of the sixteen games played so far. Overall, the Royals' are scoring power play goals at a 13.7% ratio (14 -102), which is seventeenth in the league.

13. The Everblades scored five PP goals against the Royals in twenty chances with the man advantage this past week, which translates into a 75.0% kill ratio for the Royals in those games. Overall, the Royals PK is killing at a 78.6% ratio (66-84), which is seventeenth in the league.

CLOSING NOTES

1. Defenseman Nick St. Pierre scored his first goal as a pro, when he registered the first goal of the game (8:51 into the first period) inWednesday's 5-3 win . For the Royals, that marked the sixth time this season that the Royals have scored the game's first goal. Reading is 4-0-1-1 in those games.

2. Jared Ross registered his third goal of the year-and his first pro short-handed goal, when he bagged the Royals' fifth goal in the 5-3 win lastWednesday. For the Royals that was the team's fourth short-handed goal of the game (all of which have come in the team's last six games), which is fifth best in the league in that category.

3. Stefano Giliati scored his eighth goal of the year at the 17:59 mark of the third period to give the Royals a 4-2 lead in Friday's win. For Giliati, that was his eighth goal of the year, which is tied for the team lead with Ben Gordon. Last season, Giliati scored six goals in fifty-three games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. Giliati also engaged in his first fight as a pro onWednesday night, as he dropped the gloves with Brad Zanon at the 7:47 mark of the third after Zanon had hit the Royals' Nick St. Pierre from behind into the boards.

4. InWednesday's game, Florida's goaltender Barry Brust, who played for the Royals in both the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, became the fifteenth goal- tender in team history to play both for the Royals and against the Royals.

5. The Royals travel to Cambria County Memorial Arena in Johnstown twice this week where the Royals are winless in their last eight games (0-6-2).

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