ECHL Reading Royals

Reading Royals Weekly

Published on December 28, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


TOP NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. The Royals 6-3 loss in Elmira snapped a season long streak of four consecutive regulation wins for Reading (December 13 - 19, 2009). That marked the second four game winning streak of the year for Reading; however, the prior four game win streak included one shootout win in the sequence (November 13 - 20, 2009). The Royals are 8-2-0-1 in the team's last eleven games.

2. Saturday's game marked the first time this season that the Royals scored the game's first goal and ended up losing in regulation. Reading also scored the first goal in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win in Trenton. The Royals, who have scored first in eight of the team's last ten games, has compiled a record of 11-1-1-2 when scoring the game's first goal this season.

3. The six goals allowed by the Royals to Elmira on Saturday matched a season high for goals against this year for Reading. The Royals have allowed six goals against in six separate games this season, and the team has compiled a record of 0-5-0-1 in those games. Overall the Royals have now allowed 109 goals (and scored 107) through thirty-one games. Reading's team goals against average of 3.52 is fourteenth in the league.

4. Ben Gordon scored the game's first goal and picked up an assist in Saturday's 6-3 loss in Elmira to extend his personal point streak to five games (5g-8a=13pts). Gordon, who is currently tied for second in overall scoring in the ECHL with forty points (16g-24a), is also riding a five game assist streak (8a) and a five game multi-point streak. Gordon, who has had thirty-eight points in his last twenty-three games with Reading, leads the team with sixteen multi-point performances. After Saturday's game, Gordon earned his second call up to the AHL of the year, as he was loaned to the Toronto Marlies.

5. Sunday's overtime win for the Royals in Trenton marked the forty-eighth game in the nine year history of the Royals to be resolved in overtime. Reading has compiled a record of 25-23 in regular season overtime games.

6. Marc Cavosie became the third player in Royals' team history-along with John Morlang and Dany Roussin-to score a second overtime game winner for Reading when he bagged the OT GWG 3:07 into the overtime session on Sunday. Cavosie also registered the game winner in overtime on January 19, 2008 in a 5-4 OT win against the Johnstown Chiefs at the Sovereign Center (with Jon Quick in net for Reading). Sunday's goal marked the second GWG of the season for Cavosie, who bagged a short- handed game winner for the Royals on December 16, 2009.

7. Ryan Cruthers factored in all four goals (1g-3a) in the Royals 4-3 overtime win in Trenton on Sunday, marking personal season high for him. That was the third four point performance for Cruthers as a pro. (He had a 2g-2a game in the Mississippi Sea Wolves 4-2 win over the Gwinnett Gladiators on Decmeber 12, 2008; and he fol- lowed that up with a 3g-1a game in the Sea Wolves' 9-5 win over the Florida Everblades on December 16, 2008). Cruthers, who is currently riding a three game point (1g- 6a=7pts) and three game assist streak (6a), has had eight multi-point games for the Royals. He has had at least one point in eighteen of his last twenty-one games (7g- 23a=30pts).

8. Olivier Labelle registered his first multi-goal game for the Royals in Sunday's overtime win in Trenton (2g). Labelle also racked up his first multi-point game of the year (1g-1a) in Saturday's 6-3 loss in Elmira.

9. In his first start for Reading since November 25 (and his fifth of the year for the Royals), goaltender Andrew Engelage stopped 46 of the 49 shots he faced on Sunday to pick up his second overtime win as a pro. (He stopped 42 of the 47 shots he saw in the Toronto Marlies 6-5 overtime win against the Hamilton Bulldogs in the AHL on December 5, 2009). Engelage's save and shot numbers on Sunday against established season highs against a Royals' goaltender. Of the six pro wins that Engelage has registered (4 with the Royals and 2 win the Marlies), four of them have gone beyond regulation time for resolution (two in overtime and two in the shootout).

10. The Royals scored the overtime game winner in Trenton on Sunday while playing with the man advantage. That goal snapped a streak of fourteen consecutive power play opportunities over four games without scoring a goal. The Royals power play has scored 27 times in 170 chances with the man advantage this season, which trans- lates into a 15.9% scoring ratio which is fifteenth in the league.

11. The Royals gave up a pair of power play goals to the Elmira Jackals in Saturday's 6-3 loss. That snapped a span of ten consecutive games in which the Royals had not allowed more than one power play goal against in a single game (and Reading had blanked the opposition's PP seven times during that span). On Sunday, the Devils scored one power play goal in seven chances with the man advantage. Over the past twelve games, the Royals PK has killed 53 of the 60 power plays they have faced, which is an 88.3% kill ratio. Overall, the are killing penalties at a 81.9% ratio (131-160).

CLOSING NOTES

1. Goaltender Matt Dalton had his seven game unbeaten streak snapped on Satur- day night in Elmira (6-0-0-1). The team record for a goaltending unbeaten streak belongs to Barry Brust who went 10-0-2 for the Royals from February 15 through March 25, 2005. Prior to Sunday's game (when Andrew Engelage started in net for Reading). Dalton had started eleven of the Royals prior thirteen games.

2. Sunday's game marked the second consecutive time at Trenton in which the Royals' held a multi-goal lead entering the third period-Reading led 3-1 at the start of the third on Sunday-only to have the Devils come back, earn a tie, and get to overtime where the Royals ended up winning by a score of 4-3. (On December 6-the last time Reading was in Trenton-the Royals led 3-0 entering the third; the Devils came back with two last minute goals to tie at three; but an overtime game winner by Joey Ryan gave Reading a 4-3 win).

3. On Sunday, the Royals entered the third period with a lead and pulled out a one-goal win (4-3) in overtime. When the Royals have entered the third period with a lead this season, the team has compiled a record of 12-0-0-1. The Royals have a record of 12-1-1-2 in games decided by one goal this year.

5. The 49 shots allowed by Reading on Sunday established a new season high in shots against. This season, the Royals were also outshot on Saturday in Elmira, 41 - 32. Reading has allowed forty or more shots against in 12 of the 31 games played so far this season. Reading averages giving up 35.87 shots against, which is nineteenth in the league in that category.

6. This week, the Royals face the Elmira Jackals for the fourth and fifth time over a span of seven games (on Tuesday and Saturday); and Reading faces the Wheeling Nailers for the first time this year on Wednesday at the Sovereign Center.

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