ECHL Reading Royals

Reading Royals Weekly

Published on December 22, 2014 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


NOTES OF THE WEEK

1. This past week, the Royals won three consecuAve road games. The week started with the first game in team history at Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, which the Royals won 6-4 over the Indy Fuel. The team then traveled to Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, where the Royals beat the Evansville Icemen in back-to-back one goal decisions on Friday (2-1) and Saturday (4-3).

2. With the Royals three straight wins this week, Reading pushed the team's overall rec- ord to six games over .500 for the first Ame this season (15-9-1-1=32).

3. The thirty-two points in the standings accu- mulated to date by Reading places the team in sole possession of the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. This marks the first Ame since November 1 that Reading has been in sole possession of a playoff posiAon in the East.

4. The Royals currently have a .615 win per- centage, which is third best in the East Divi- sion and fiCh best in the Eastern Conference.

5. The Royals current three game win streak Aes the season long for the team.

In fact, this marks the third Ame the team has won three in a row. The other two were: (i) 11/14 - 11/17/14; and (ii) 12/07 - 12/13/14.

6. All three of the wins of in this most recent win streak for the Royals came on the road. This marks the second Ame that Reading has won three in a row on the road. (The other was November 14 through 17).

7. Reading has compiled a record of 6-1-0-0 in the team's last seven games

8. Saturday's win in Evansville was the 499th regular season victory in the Royals' 962nd game in team histo- ry (499-372-91). That translates into a .566 historical win percentage. (Home: 273-165-45, which is a .612 win percentage; Away: 226-207-46, which is a .520 win per- centage).

9 The Royals will complete this current five game road trip aCer the Holiday Break on Friday, December 26, when the team will travel to First Arena in Elmira, New York, to take on the Elmira Jackals in the first of what will be three straight games against the Jackals. The Royals are 3-1-0-0 so far on this road trip. This is first of what will be four separate five game road trips this year for Reading.

10. Overall, Reading is four games over .500 on the road at 7-3-1-0, which translates into a .682 win percentage.

11. Reading will return to home on Saturday, December 27, 2014 (@ 7:05 pm), when the team will face the Jackals. That night the Royals will honor the team's new affiliaAon relaAonship with the Philadelphia Flyers with a special appearance from Flyer legend, Bob 'The Hound' Kelly. The Royals will also give away the Jack GulaA bobblehead (first 1500 fiCeen years of age and older) as we celebrate 'Are You Happy?' Night.

12. Last Wednesday's game marked the first Ame in team history that the Royals have played in Indiana Farmer's Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. Reading has three more regular season games at Indiana Farmer's Coliseum: (i) Saturday, January 3, 2015; (ii) Friday, January 30, 2015; and (iii) Friday, March 27, 2015.

13. The Royals are currently 3-0-0-0 against the Indy Fuel with five more games to be played between the two teams. Three in Indi- anapolis (listed above), and then the Royals and Fuel will close out their respecAve 2014-15 regular seasons with back-to-back games at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11.

14. The Royals two wins at Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, pushed the Royals historical record over the past three seasons in Ev- ansville to 7-1-0-0. (The only loss came on March 22, 2014). All four games this season between the Royals and Icemen will be played at Ford Center. The final two games in the four-game regular season series between the two teams will be played on: (i) Fri- day, January 2; and (ii) Wednesday, January 28.

15. The Royals came from behind to win two of the three games played this past week. On Wednesday, Reading entered the third period Aed 3-3 with Indy and got a Ae breaking goal (by Sean Wiles) 14:26 into the third period-as well as two empty neQers to win 6-4; on Saturday in Evansville, the two teams also entered the third Aed at three, and Reading notched a late-game third period Ae breaking game winner (by Cam Reid) with just 1:24 leC in regulaAon Ame.

16. The Royals have pulled off seven come-from-behind wins this year, and three of those come-back wins have come in the last five games.

17. Wednesday's come from behind win marked the second Ame this year that Reading has been down by mulAple goals (0-2 and 1-3) against the Indy Fuel only to score four straight goals and win. On November 22 at Santander Arena in Reading, the Royals trailed the Fuel 3-0 entering the third period and scored four straight to pull out the 4-3 win. That is in the only Ame in team history that Reading has been down by three goals in the third period and come back to win in regulaAon.

18. In Wednesday's win, the Royals and Fuel were Aed at three enter- ing the third period before Sean Wiles scored a late third period (14:26 into the final frame) Ae-breaking goal. That goal did not prove to be the game winner because, aCer Reading tacked on an empty neQer to make it 5-3, Indy scored a pulled goaltender goal to make it 5-4. Reading added a second empty neQer (by Kevin Walrod with 27 seconds leC in regulaAon) to make the final score, 6-4. (The first empty neQer-by Ryan Cruthers-was thus the game winner.) Nonetheless, Wiles' goal is considered a 'Late Game Goal For' (i.e. a goal that breaks a third period Ae and which leads to a Royals' win). Reading has scored seven 'Late Game Goals For' over the course of this season.

19. In Saturday's comeback win over Evansville, the Royals trailed 2-0 in the first period and 3-2 in the second before tying the game at three as the two teams entered the third period. Reading got a late third-period (18:36 into the final frame) game winner from Cam Reid. That marked the fourth third period Ae-breaking game winner (i.e. 'True Game Winner') of the year for Reading.

20. Three of the Royals' four third-period Ae breaking winners have come in the last seven games: (i) 12/07 v South Carolina; (ii) 12/13 v Wheeling; and (iv) 12/20 v Evansville. (Within that same Ame span, the Royals also got the third period Ae-breaker from Wiles that led to the team's victory in Indianapolis on Wednesday, December 17).

21. Thusfar this season, the Royals have compiled a record of 6-1-1-0 when the team has entered the third period Aed with the op- posiAon.

22. Reading's most prolific period has been the third during which the team has scored 35 goals, which is Aed with Idaho and Orlan- do-both of whom have played three more games that Reading-for the most third period goals in the league. (The Royals have also given up thirty goals against An the third period, which is Aed for the fourth most goals against in the final frame in the league. Or- lando 'leads' the league in that category with 35 third period goals against.)

23. Five of the last six games for the Royals have been decided by one goal (and the one game that wasn't decided by one goal-the 6-4 win over Indy last Wednesday-was a two-goal game only because Reading scored two empty neQers). Reading has won four of five of these most recent one-goal decisions. Over the course of the season has compiled a record of 9-4-1-1 in games decided by one goal.

24. Wednesday's win in Indianapolis marked the third Ame this year that Reading has scored six goals in a single game, (hich is the season-high. The Royals are 2-1-0-0 when the offense has bagged six goals.

25. Friday's 2-1 win over the Icemen in Evansville marked the ninth Ame this season that Reading's offense has been held to two goals or less. However, the team has won four of those games (4-4-1-0).

26. Overall, Reading has scored 88 goals in twenty-six games, which translates into a 3.38 goals per game aver- age, which is seventh best when compared with the twen- ty-eight teams in the ECHL.

27. Wednesday's 6-4 win in Indy marked the third Ame this year that Reading has won despite giving up four or more goals (3-6-0-1).

28. Friday's 2-1 win was the seventh Ame this season that Reading's defense has held the opposiAon to one goal or less (7-0-0-0).

29. Reading has allowed 84 total goals against in the twenty-six games played so far. That translates into a 3.23 goals per game aver- age, which is eighteenth in the league.

30. Reading is one of ten teams in the ECHL currently with a posiAve goal differenAal (88 goals for - 84 goals against = +4). The Allen Americans lead the league in this category, playing to plus-45 (+45) (107 gf - 62 ga).

31. The Royals outshot the opposiAon in two of the three games played this past week (and were Aed at 32 shots apiece in Satur- day's 4-3 win over Evansville). Reading averages 32.12 shots per game (sixth best); and gives up on average 31.65 shots per game (twenty-first in the league).

32. Reading's power play has been held off the board in five straight games, going zero for last nineteen power play chances daAng back to a five-on-three PPG by Zach Davies at 16:50 of the second period in the 5-4 win for Reading on Friday, December 12.

33. Reading's PP has been blanked in seven of the last eight games and in nine of the last eleven. During that eleven game span, the power play has gone 3 for 40 (7.5%).

34. The power play chances for the Royals this past week included two separate major power plays-one on Wednesday against Indy and a second on Friday in Evansville. The Royals have had five chances on major plays this season and have scored one goal dur- ing those twenty-minutes of power play Ame (on November 1 against the Wheeling Nailers when Adam Hughesman scored a sixth aQacker power play goal with 1:50 remaining in regulaAon to draw Reading within one of the Nailers in what proved to be a 3-2 loss).

35. Overall, the Royals' power play has scored 20 PPGs in 123 chances with the man advantage, which is 16.3% scoring raAo (eighteenth in the league). Reading is scoring power play goals at a 13.2% clip on the road (22nd) and 18.6% raAo at home (13th).

36. The Royals penalty killers were perfect in the three games played this past week, killing all twelve PP chances the Royals faced. Reading's PK has held the opposiAon's power play off the board sixteen Ames this season. The Royals have compiled a record of 11-3 -1-1 in those games.

37. Overall, Reading's PK has allowed fiCeen power play goals against in ninety-four chances with the man advantage which is a 84.0% kill raAo (Aed for ninth in the league). The Royals are killing at a 87.8% clip on the road (sixth best) and a 81.1% raAo at home (twenty-second in the league).

38. Reading is the second least penalized team in the league, averaging 11.42 PIMs per game against. (Toledo is the least penalized team in the ECHL averaging just 11.15 PIMs per game against).

39. Adam Hughesman leads the Royals with twenty-four points (9g-15a) in twenty-six games. He also leads the team with seventy- two shots on goal.

40. Pat Mullane is riding a four game point streak (1g-5a=6pts) and has sixteen points (4g-12a) in his last fiCeen games. Mullane, who has played to a plus-6 (+6) collecAvely over the course of those four games, is currently Aed with Olivier Labelle for the team lead in plus-minus, playing plus-9 (+9) in twenty-six games played. Mullane, who is Aed (with Tyler Murovich of Wheeling) for the league lead with four short-handed points (1g-3a), scored his ninth goal of the year (Aed for the team lead with Adam Hughesman and Cam Reid), in Saturday's 4-3 win in Ev- ansville. Mullane's nine goals have come on just 48 shots, which is a team-leading 18.8% shooAng percentage.

41. Cam Reid broke a nine game goal scoring drought with the Royals' first goal of the week-17:56 into the first pe- riod of Wednesday's game in Indianapolis to Ae that game at one. Reid also scored at the other end of the week- with just 1:24 remaining in regulaAon in Evansville on Sat- urday. That third period Ae-breaking game winner for Reid was ninth goal of the season (Aed for the team lead) and his second GWG of the year. Reid also assisted on the Royals' first goal on Saturday in Evansville to record his fourth mulA-point performance of the year.

42. David Marshall is riding a three game point streak (1g-3a=4pts). Marshall picked up a pair of assists in last Wednesday's win in Indy: one on the Royals' first goal and the other on the team's goal that Aed the game at three. (That goal was scored by Ryan Cruthers with just 4.1 seconds leC in the second period). Wednesday's win over the Fuel proved to be Marshall's seventh mulA-point game of the year, which is Aed with Adam Hughesman for the team lead in that category. On Friday in Evansville, Marshall scored what proved to be the game winner in Friday's 2-1 win over the Icemen. For Marshall, that was his fiCh GWG of the year, which is Aed for the league lead in that category. Marshall also recorded the primary assist on the late third-period Ae-breaking game winner by Cam Reid in Saturday's 4-3 win over Evansville.

43. Olivier Labelle is riding a three game point streak (2g-3a=5pts). On Wednesday in Indy, Labelle scored the Royals' second goal to draw the team within one (at 3-2 with 1:27 remaining in the second period). He also scored the team's second goal to Ae Saturday's game at two with just 1:47 leC in the first period. Those two goals give Labelle a career total of seventy-nine goals with the Royals, which is more than any player in team history. Labelle currently has 149 points (79g-70a) (third most) in 182 games as a Royal (also third most). (Yannick Tifu, who is currently second on the team's games-played list played in 184 games with the Royals, is also the second all-Ame leading scorer with 179 points with the team). Labelle, who is currently Aed (with Pat Mulllane) for the team lead in plus-minus at plus-9 (+9), recorded mulA-point games on Wednesday (1g-1a) and Saturday (1g-1a) and now has four mulA-point performances this season.

44. Ryan Cruthers recorded his first mulA-goal (2g-0a) and third mulA- point performance of the year in Wednesday's 6-4 win in Indy. In that game, Cruthers scored the game-tying goal (at 3-3) with just 4.1 sec- onds leC in the second period; and then bagged what proved to be the empty-net game winner with 2:45 remaining in regulaAon. That was Cruthers' second consecuAve game winner for the Royals-and his fourteenth career regular season GWG with the team. (He also has two game winners in playoffs.) (The all-Ame team leader for career regular season GWGs is Olivier Labelle, who has fiCeen regular season GWGs). Cruthers, who is the team's all-Ame leading scorer, has 243 points (77g-166a) in his 237 career games with the team.

45. Defenseman Mike Marcou snapped a five game point-drought with his first mulA-point performance as a Royal (0g-2a) in Wednesday's win in Indy. His assists that game included a helper on Sean Wiles' late third-period Ae-breaking goal and Cruthers' game winner. Marcou's sixteen points (3g-13a) places him Aed fourteenth in the ECHL scoring race amongst defensemen.

46. Defenseman Zach Davies recorded his third mulA-point game of the year (0g-2a) in Saturday's 4-3 win over Evansville. He assist- ed on both of the Royals' first two goals in that game to go from a 2-0 deficit to a 2-2 Ae with 1:47 leC in the first period. Davies, who also recorded an assist on the Royals' first goal (by Cam Reid) against the Fuel last Wednesday, has fourteen points (3g-11a) (Aed nineteenth amongst defensemen in the league) in twenty-six games with the Royals.

47. Defenseman Adam Comrie broke a five game goal scoring drought when he bagged the Royals' first goal (6:10 into the first period) in Friday's 2-1 win over Evans- ville. Comrie's seven total goals is currently Aed for second amongst defensemen in the ECHL. On Wednesday, Comrie recorded his second fight of the season when he took on Klarc Wilson of Indy aCer what proved to be a major elbowing penalty, game misconduct, and suspension when Klarc hit Olivier Labelle in the second period of Wednesday's win. Comrie has played even or beQer in each of the seven games he's played in December, playing to a collecAve plus-six (+6) during that Ame span. Com- rie's sixty-five shots leads all defensemen on the Royals.

48. Sean Wiles is riding a four game point streak (3g-2a=5pts). Wiles scored the late third-period Ae breaker on Wednesday in Indy and also recorded an assist on the in- surance empty-neQer by Kevin Walrod with just 23 seconds leC in regulaAon to record his second mulA-point performance of the season. Wiles then picked up an assist on the game winner by David Marshall on Friday in Evansville; and followed that up by scoring the Royals' first goal against the Icemen on Saturday. Wiles played to a personal season-best plus-3 (+3) in Wednesday's win in Indy and is playing to a collecAve plus-5 (+5) in the eight games that he has played in the month of December.

49. Willie Coetzee picked up the primary assist on Ryan Cruthers' game tying goal with just 4.1 seconds leC in the second period of Wednesday's win in Indy. For Coetzee that was his eighth point in his last six games (1g-7a) with the Royals. Coetzee, who was loaned to the Worcester Sharks of the AHL aCer Wednesday's game, has twelve points (2g-10a) in nine games with Reading.

50. Brandon Alderson, who recorded the secondary assist on Cam Reid's late third period Ae-breaking game winner on Saturday in Evansville, has seven points (3g-4a) in eleven games with the Royals.

51; Ian WaQers picked up an assist in each of the two wins in Evansville. He picked up a helper on the team's first goal (by Adam Comrie) in Friday's 2-1 win and also assisted on the team's late second period game tying goal (at three) (by Pat Mullane) on Saturday.

WaQers has three points in his last four games played for the Royals (1g-2a).

52. Defenseman Maxim Lamarche, who has played even or beQer in nineteen of his twen- ty-two games for Reading, leads all defensemen in plus-minus at plus-8 (+8).

53. Defenseman Michael Caruso generated a personal season-best five shots on goal in Friday's 2-1 win over Evansville. Caruso has played to a plus in seven of the nine games the Royals have played in the month of December, playing to a collecAve plus-6 (+6) in that Ame span.

54. Kevin Walrod scored the team's insurance empty-neQer with twenty-seven seconds leC in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Fuel.

55. Goaltender MarAn OuelleQe stretched his personal win streak to a team season-long five straight with a pair of wins this week, including a 28-save performance in Wednesday's 6-4 win over Indy and a 27-save 2-1 win in Evansville on Friday. ACer that game, he was recalled to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. OuelleQe is 8-1-1-1 in his last eleven games with Reading. Friday's game marked the fiCh Ame this season that OuelleQe has held the opposiAon to one goal or less. In sixteen appearances with the Royals this year, OuelleQe has compiled a record of 9-4-1-1 with a 2.73 goals against average, a .907 save percentage, and one shutout.

56. Goaltender Connor Knapp snapped a personal three game losing streak with a 29-save performance in Saturday's 4-3 win over Evansville on Saturday. In thirteen appearances for Reading this year, Knapp has compiled a record of 6-5-0-0 with a 3.43 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.

Check out the Reading Royals Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from December 22, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central