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ECHL Reading Royals

Reading Stumbles Down the Stretch to Wheeling, 7-5

February 12, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Johnstown, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (21-21-3-348, 3rd Atlantic Division), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, were defeated by the Wheeling Nailers (28-16-2-260, 1st Atlantic Division), 7-5, at Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In this one, the Royals held three separate two goal leads, but were unable to hold on in the third as the Nailers rang off four in the final frame-including three in a span of 1:08-to pull off the come-from-behind win. For the Nailers, this marked the first time that they were able to protect 'home' ice against the Royals, who are now 4-1-0-0 on the road against Wheeling.

Goaltender Karel St. Laurent (no decision, 29/34 in 45:12) started for the first time in eleven games, but was pulled after the fifth Wheeling goal early in the third period. Jussi Rynnas (loss, 4-4-0-0, 5/7 in 13:15) came on in substitution and gave up the game winner on the first shot he faced. Wheeling's Patrick Killeen (win, 16-10-2-2, 27/32) survived the early onslaught from the Royals long enough to pull out his fourth win of the year against Reading. The Royals struck on three of the team's first four power play chances (3-6), but couldn't find pay-dirt in the third when a power play goal (or two) would have helped fuel the come-back effort. The Nailers got what proved to be the game winner (1-5), on the power play that was awarded when Dale Mitchell took a slashing penalty after Wheeling's fifth goal.

The Royals struck on the team's second power play of the night 5:42 into the game. Mikael Bedard, playing in his first game against the Nailers after being traded by Wheeling to Reading on February 4, jammed one between Killeen's legs at the right pipe for his eleventh of the year. Bedar scored a second power play goal 1:59 after that when he finished a perfect cross-ice pass from Ryan Cruthers with a tap-in on the weak side.

Wheeling cut the Royals lead to 2-1 13:22 into the first with a goal by Matt Schepke, who was playing in his first games against the Royals since being traded for Bedar last week. Schepke got a clean look from deep in the left circle and blew it by St. Laurent's left shoulder for his tenth of the year.

The Royals took their second two-goal lead (3-1) with the team's third straight power play goal 18:48 into the first. Reading attacked the net and after a multi-whack opportunity, Olivier Labelle batted it in for his nineteenth of the year and tenth power play goal of the season.

1:32 into the second, the Nailers drew within one again, when defenseman Andrew Hotham sprang Peter Lenes with a long pass out of the defensive zone. Lenes blew behind the Royals defense went forehand-backhand for his twenty-first of the year.

Reading took the team's third two-goal lead of the game (4-2) 4:55 into the second period, when Marc Cantin fired from the left point. Killeen made the save, but the rebound fell to the top of the crease where Kenny Ryan was able to calmly control and bury the puck up and over Killeen for his sixth of the season.

The next four goals would go to the Nailers, however. The first came 7:43 into the second, when Wheeling worked a perfect tic-tac-toe passing play between Cody Chupp, Schepke and Chris Barton, who slipped up on the back-door and finished Schepke's feed out of the right circle for Barton's twenty-third of the year.

The next three for Wheeling came in a span of 1:08 early in the third, starting at the 4:21 mark of the third, when Zach Torquato took control behind the Royals' net and fed Ben Farrer, who found a soft seam low in the slot on the left side. Farrer snuck it through for his eighth of the year. Fifty-one seconds later, Olivier Dame-Malka fired a seemingly harmless shot from the high slot that bounced off St. Laurent's left pad and trickled across the goal line for his thirteenth of the season.

After that goal was scored, Mitchell was assessed with a slashing penalty after he put the stick to Dalme-Malka. The Royals also pulled St. Laurent in favor of Rynnas, who was greeted rather rudely on the first shot he faced-a seeing-eye high wrister from the right point by Denver Manderson that snuck through to make it 6-4, Wheeling.

The Royals regrouped and got within one 12:56 into the third, when Mitchell made amends with a rocket from the mid-slot that blew by Killeen for his fourteenth of the year.

Reading continued to press but with time ticking down, a pass by Ryan Cruthers from just inside the offensive blue-line on the left side of the ice was knocked away by Chupp, who outraced everyone for the loose puck, charged in and beat Rynnas to make it 7-5 Wheeling with2:37 remaining.

The Royals pulled Rynnas with just over two minutes left, but couldn't muster the necessary chances to get back into this one, as for the seventeenth game this season the Royals failed to secure the two points after holding a lead at some point in the game and for the fifth time the team failed to protect a two-goal lead. The Royals three game road trip continues on Wednesday morning (February 15, 2012 @ 11:00 am) when the team will face the Trenton Titans at Sun National Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. The game day broadcast on Wednesday will start at 10:30 am with the Red Robin Gourmet Burger Pre-Game Warm-up Show on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Reading. Streaming audio is available free of charge courtesy of America One through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com. As with all Royals' road games this season, Sunday's game will be televised locally in Berks County on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel and the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

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