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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Beat Jackals 2-1 In Pre-Season Match-Up

October 9, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Elmira, NY - The Reading Royals of the ECHL won their first game of the pre-season, 2-1, over the Elmira Jackals at First Arena in Elmira, New York. In a re-match of last season's North Division Semi-Final playoff series (which was won by the Royals), Reading fell behind in the first, but was able to come back with a power play goal in the second (by Shawn Snider) and a four-on-four goal in the third (by Mark O'Leary) to pull out the win. Goaltenders Michael Ouzas (no decision, 21/22; 29:15) and Danny Taylor (win, 1-0-0, 8/8; 30:45) split the work for the Royals, and both of them were exceptional. Rob McVicar (loss, 0-1-0, 12/14) went the whole way in sustaining the loss for Elmira.

Things started pretty much as one might expect in a match-up between the Jackals and Royals as two seconds into the game, Reading's Jason McCrimmon and Elmira's Chase Tippin dropped the gloves and exchanged punches. Despite the pugilistic start, things were relatively mild in comparison to several of the other knock-down drag-out affairs these two teams have had in the past. The only other tilt of note was a solid square-up between the Royals' Kevin Harvey and Elmira's Kaleb Betts. But that doesn't mean there weren't plenty of penalties, mostly resulting from the somewhat disjointed play in the first live game action for both teams. In fact, in the first period, the Royals gave up six consecutive power plays to the Jackals several of them overlapping, which resulted in 3:20 of five-on-three for the Jackals in the first frame alone.

Elmira made the Royals pay on the fourth of those power plays after a sustained period of puck control and several outstanding saves by Ouzas, Steve Yetman fed Brett Pilkington in the right wing corner. Pilkington slid the puck to the side of the Royals goal where a sprawled Ouzas could not prevent Benoit Doucet from slipping it in. Elmira continued to pound the pressure, out-shooting the Royals 22 - 5 through the first 29:15 of the game, when Taylor came on in substitution; but Ouzas fought off the heavy pressure and kept it a one-goal game.

Despite getting just three total shots in the entire second period, the Royals scored on one of them, when Shawn Snider scored the first goal of the pre-season for Reading at the 11:49 mark of the second, while the Royals were on the power play. Snider was the beneficiary of a tic-tac-toe passing play started by Patrick Wellar at the left point. Wellar's diagonal feed found Tyler Doig wide on the right circle, and Doig in turn found Snider planted at the left side of the net. Snider jammed the puck in despite having his stick snap in half in the process.

Reading got what proved to be the game winner at the 13:06 mark of the third period while the two teams were playing four-on-four. Mike Lombardi took control of a loose puck in his own end off the back-check and quickly transitioned up ice on a two-on-one with teammate Mark O'Leary. As Lombardi and O'Leary converged on the Elmira net, Lombardi dished to O'Leary who was able to force it through McVicar as players went tumbling through the crease to make it 2-1, Reading. The Royals held on down the stretch despite giving (and getting) several power play chances down the stretch, as things got a bit chippie as time ticked down.

These two teams meet up again for the Royals second (and final) game of the pre-season on Monday (7:05 pm) at the Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

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ECHL Stories from October 9, 2008


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