ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Battle Back but Falter in Loss to Trenton, 5-2

Published on February 12, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 30-13-2-3=65), 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 Trenton Devils (3rd North Division, 18-26-1-3=40), 5-2, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Royals battled back from a two goal third period deficit to earn a 2-2 tie, but the Devils took over the game down the stretch to beat the Royals for the fifth time this season (6-4-0-1). The two teams face-off for the twelfth time of the season tomorrow in Reading. The loss snapped a ten game unbeaten streak for the Royals at the Sovereign Center.

Goaltender Michael Hutchinson (loss, 8-4-1-3, 31/35, 1 eng) made a number of big stops, but dropped to 0-2-0-1 this season against the Devils. Trenton's Shane Connelly (win, 6-12-2-1, 29/31) was solid in net, running his record this season to 3-1-0-0 as a Devil against the Royals. Reading scored the game tying goal in the third period while playing with the man advantage (1-5). The Royals PK held the Devils power play off the board (0-3), marking the twenty-third time this season that Reading has held the opposition's PP off the board.

After a scoreless first, the Devils broke through 11:09 into the second when Darcy Zajac tipped a Taylor Vichorek shot from the right point, sending the puck tumbling over the glove had of Hutchinson for his fifth of the year. The Royals made a bounce back bid immediately after the face-off to restart play, but an Olivier Labelle backhand during a scramble at the top of the crease hit the right pipe and stayed out. The Devils quickly counter-punched, and at the 12:05 mark of the second went up 2-0, when Zajac slipped a pass from low in the left circle across the top of the crease to the waiting Ryan Ginand who was wide open at the right side of the crease for the back-door tap in and his nineteenth of the year.

1:02 into the third, the Royals got on the board, when Dallas Jackson tried to wrap one around from behind the Devils goal. The puck slid to Andrew Sarauer low on the left side. Sarauer shot the puck through the crease to the right side of the net, where John Scrymgeour had the inside track and the slam dunked his seventh of the year. Reading tied the game on the team's fifth power play chance of the night, when Ryan Cruthers threaded a perfect seeing-eye pass from the left circle through several penalty killing sticks to Rob Kwiet who was set up in the right circle for the one-time short-side rocket to bag his fourth of the season.

The Devils got what proved to be the game winner at the 8:20 mark of the third, when Ryan Hayes carried across the offensive blue-line, faked a shot, and toe-dragged a Reading defender to the middle of the ice, where he snapped one over the catching hand of Hutchinson for his seventeenth of the year. Trenton got a bit of insurance when Kory Nagy fired a pass from the top of the right circle to a wide-open Zajac, who was planted on the right pipe for the easy tap in that stuck the proverbial dagger in the Royals' heart at the 14:23 mark of the third. Trevor Kell added an empty netter with 1:10 left, but by that time the damage had been done as the Royals dropped to 13-6-1-2 at home this season.

The Royals and Devils go at it again tomorrow (Sunday, February 13, 2011 @ 5:05 pm). The Royals game day broadcast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by The Works at Wyomissing on the Royals Broadcast Network (WRAW 1340 am in Reading, www.1340wraw.com) at 4:35 pm. You can also catch all of the Royals away games this season on Royals TV exclusively on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Season tickets for the Royals' 2010-11 season are currently available. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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