Sports stats



ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Blank Titans, 5-0

April 6, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Trenton, NJ - The Reading Royals (31 - 32 - 7 = 69; 6th North Division) jumped out to an early three goal lead and got shutout goaltending from Yutaka Fukufuji in a 5-0 win over the Trenton Titans. In this win, the Royals broke out of the scoring doldrums with five goals from five different players-each of whom recently arrived in Reading from the American Hockey League-and four of those goals came from the special teams, as Reading ended up three for ten on the power play. Fukufuji (12 - 9 - 0; 28/28) stopped all twenty-eight shots he faced several in spectacular fashion, particularly in a back-and-forth third period.

Reading struck first 6:10 into the hockey game when Chris Bala took control of the puck in the defensive zone, and as he carried across the defensive blue line was hit with a high stick. As the delayed penalty was signaled, Bala was able to get the puck to defenseman Lee Green who carried through the neutral zone and fed Kevin Saurette at the offensive blue line. Saurette, who just returned to the Royals from the Binghamton Senators of the AHL and was playing in his first game for the Royals since late February, carried low in the right circle and ripped a snap shot that beat Trenton goaltender Gregg Naumenko (23 - 14 - 3; 31/36) low to the stick side for his tenth goal of the season. The Royals took a 2-0 lead at the 11:53 mark of the first with the team's sixteenth short-handed goal of the season. Green chipped the puck into the neutral zone where Greg Hogeboom took off on a two-on-one break with Shawn Collymore. Hogeboom carried deep into the offensive zone on the right side and slipped a cross-ice pass to Collymore, who was also playing in his first game for the Royals since being loaned to the AHL's Senators in late February. Collymore settled in the left circle and fired a shot that beat Naumenko for his fourteenth goal of the season. The Royals' power play struck on the team's first opportunity with the man advantage at the 15:04 mark of the first. Again, Hogeboom took control in the mid-slot and fed defenseman Bryan Schmidt, who joined the Royals today from the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, in the left circle. Schmidt took control and buried it for his second goal for Reading in only his fourth game with the team.

After a scoreless second, the Royals extended the lead to four with the team's second power play goal of the game at the 2:50 mark of the third. On this one, the Royals worked the perimeter, and Jon Francisco fed Eric Werner, who came to the Royals from the Monarchs three games ago, in the high slot. Werner uncorked a rocket that beat Naumenko high glove side for his third goal in as many games. Reading capped the scoring with the team's third power play goal of the game, when Malcolm MacMillan fed Dany Roussin (who also re-joined the Royals from the Monarchs three games ago) at the top of the crease from the behind the net. Roussin struck the puck off the heel of his stick but it ricocheted off the interior portion of the right pipe and ended up in the net to give the Royals a 5-0 lead. Fukufuji was solid down the stretch and picked up his first shutout of the season, as the Royals kept the team's playoff hopes alive with two games to go in the regular season.

Reading next travels to the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where the team will take on the Johnstown Chiefs on Friday night (7:00 pm). Royals' game night broadcasts can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1240 am (and on the internet through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com, beginning thirty minutes before the opening face-off. Streaming video is also available for $6.00 per game through the B2 Networks, which can be accessed through the Royals' website.

Check out the Reading Royals Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from April 6, 2007


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