ECHL Reading Royals

Reading Royals Weekly

Published on December 21, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


TOP NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals are currently riding a four game winning streak dating back to a 4-2 victory in Cincinnati on December 13. That ties a season long for the Royals, who have also won three consecutive road games (which also ties a season long). Reading has compiled a record of 7-1-0-1 in the team's last nine games.

2. Last Wednesday's 7-3 win in Johnstown snapped a ten game winless streak for the Royals (0-8-2) at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown dating back to January 27, 2008. This season the Royals have compiled a record of 3-4-0 against the Chiefs with four more games to play between the two teams-but only one of those games is scheduled to be played in Johnstown (on March 12, 2009).

3. The seven goals scored by Reading on Wednesday matched the season high for goals in a single game for the Royals-as did the four goal margin of victory. (The Royals beat the Toledo Walleye on October 23 by an identical 7-3 score). With respect to -˜goals for' and -˜goals against' this year, after playing to a -˜minus' for the first 28 games of the season, the Royals are -˜even' with respect to goals scored and goals allowed after this past week's games, having scored 100 and allowed 100.

4. Reading scored the game's first goal in the 7-3 win in Johnstown and the 4-3 win over the Elmira Jackals in Reading on Friday. Both of those -˜first goals' were scored by Daniel Steiner, who now leads the Royals with four -˜first goals'. Reading has now scored the game's first goal in thirteen of the twenty-nine games played by the team this season and has compiled a record of 10-0-1-2 in those games.

5. The Royals held a lead going into the third period in the first two games played this week, as well. The Royals were able to hold those leads to pick up the regulation wins over Johnstown (7-3) and Elmira (4-3). This season, Reading has compiled a record of 11-0-0-1 when leading after two periods. In Saturday's game, the Royals and Jackals were tied at one after two periods. Reading got a late game goal from Nick St. Pierre to pull out the victory. When the Royals have entered the third period tied with the opposition this year, the team has compiled a record of 5-0-1-1.

6. The two games against the Elmira Jackals this past week were both decided by one goal (4-3 on Friday at the Sovereign Center and 2-1 on Saturday at First Arena in Elmira). In fact all three games played so far between these two teams (and they have eleven more to go against one another) have been one-goal decisions. Over the course of the season, the Royals have compiled a record of 11-1-1-2 in one-goal games.

7. Saturday's 2-1 victory in Elmira marked the first time this year that the Royals have held the opposition to less than two goals. Reading has compiled a record of 7-0-0-0 when holding the opposition to two goals or less.

8. Ben Gordon tied the team record with his five point performance in Johnstown last Wednesday night. He is the fifth player in team history to register five points in a single game-the last to do it was Chris Blight who had four goals and an assist (also in Johnstown) on November 10, 2007. Gordon is the first player in team history to score three goals and pick up two assists in a single game. His hattrick was the nineteenth three-goal game for a Royal in the nine year history of the team.

9. Gordon, who is third overall in ECHL scoring (15g-23a=38pts), is currently riding a four game point streak (4g-7a=11pts), a four goal assist streak (4a), and a 4 game multi-point streak. Gordon, who's registered at least one point in 19 of his last 22 games (13g-23a=36pts), leads the Royals with 15 multi-point performances.

10. Goaltender Matt Dalton is currently riding a four game win streak and a seven game unbeaten streak (6-0-0-1), dating back to December 4. In Wednesday's game, Dalton stopped 42 of the 45 shots he faced from the Chiefs, marking the fifth time this season that he has faced 40 or more shots in a game and still picked up the win.

11. Wednesday's game in Johnstown marked the first time this year that the Royals were not awarded a single power play opportunity during the game. The Royals got what proved to be the game winner (by Danick Bouchard) on the power play in Friday's game (1-6), and then the PP was held off the board for the eleventh time this season on Saturday (0-3). Overall the Royals are 26-161 with the man advantage, which translates into a 16.1% scoring ratio (15th in the league).

12. The Royals PK had killed off 27 consecutive power plays over a span of five-plus games prior to the Elmira Jackals scoring on their fifth power play chance of the night in Saturday's 2-1 win for Reading. Over the last ten games the Royals' PK has killed 47 of the 50 power plays the team has faced (94.0% kill ratio). Overall this year, Read- ing's PK has knocked off 123 of the 146 power plays against, which is a 82.6% kill ratio (tenth in the league).

CLOSING NOTES

1. Daniel Steiner is currently riding a three game goal scoring streak (3g)-and all three of those goals were -˜first goals' in those games. Steiner, who is currently tied for tenth in ECHL scoring with 30 points (11g-19a), was loaned to the Rochester Americans on Saturday; and he promptly scored a goal and picked up an assist in the Americans' 5-4 loss to the Hershey Bears

2. In his first game back with the Royals (after his most recent 8 game stint with the Hershey Bears) Gavin Morgan registered three assists-including one on the short-handed game winner by Marc Cavosie-in Johnstown on Wednesday. Morgan, who is currently tied for the league lead (with Jon Francisco) with three short -handed assists, scored his first goal as a Royal in Friday's 4-3 win over Elmira.

3. Marc Cavosie scored the short-handed game winner in Johnstown on Wednesday. For Cavosie, who also registered an assist in that game to pick up his first multi-point performance as a Royal this season, his SHG-GWG marked his second game winner for Reading-his other one came on January 19, 2008 when he bagged an overtime GWG against the Chiefs at the Sovereign Center.

4. Danick Bouchard scored what proved to be the game winning goal in Reading's 4-3 win over Elmira last Friday. That goal-which was scored while the Royals were playing with the man advantage-marked Bouchard's seventh PPG-tying him for the league lead in that category.

5. Nick St. Pierre scored what proved to be the game winner in Elmira on Saturday night with only 4:16 remaining in regulation. For St. Pierre, who also had a goal and an assist in Wednesday's win in Johnstown, that marked his first GWG as a pro. St. Pierre became the tenth different Royal to bagged a GWG this year.

6. The Royals continue their three game series with the Elmira Jackals on Saturday night at First Arena in Elmira. In fact, three of the next five games are against the Jackals. In between the Royals face the Trenton Devils for the 7th time this year (6-0-0-0) and the Wheeling Nailers for the first time this season.

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