ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Blanked In Cincy, 5-0

Published on February 25, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Cincinnati, OH - The Reading Royals (18-34-4= 40; 7th North Division) of the ECHL generated 34 shots and several Grade-A scoring chances but weren't able to bag a goal in a 5-0 loss to the Cincinnati Cyclones at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. This marked the third shutout against this year for the Royals and the first out on the road. Goaltender Michael Ouzas (loss, 16-16-1; 24/28; 1 eng) sustained the loss; while Loic Lacasse (win, 5-3-1; 34/34) did all he needed to do to register his first ECHL shutout. The Royals power play was held off the board in seven power play chances (which included 1:17 of five-on-three in the first period). This marked the twenty-third time this year Reading's power play has been blanked. Cincinnati's first and last goals were scored on the power play (2-7).

The Cyclones broke through 4:38 into the game (with eleven seconds left on their first power play chance of the night) when Mark Van Guilder uncorked a blast off the top of the left circle for his twentieth of the year. The Royals had a chance to answer shortly thereafter when the team was awarded 1:17 worth of five-on-three just 5:26 into the contest. After shutting down the Royals power play, the Cyclones added insult to injury with an even strength goal at the 8:01 mark of the first. Ben McLeod slipped a pass from behind the Royals' net to Mark Van Vliet, who had skated from the point deep into the right circle. Van Vliet got a quick shot off that went across the body of Ouzas and it for his first ECHL goal.

In the second, the Cyclones added extra insurance 3:29 into the period. Ben Gordon carried deep into the offensive end on the right wing side and fired a snap shot that Ouzas stopped. The rebound, however, fluttered off Ouzas, whose momentum took him down and out to the right side of the crease, while the puck bounded towards the center of the crease. Matt Syroczynski batted the bounding puck and hit the goal-post; but the puck ricocheted off the pipe and back out front, where Tom Sawatske stepped up and gunned it in for his third of the year.

The Cyclones added a pair in the third-a 175 foot short-handed empty netter by Dustin Sproat with 2:17 remaining and a rebound power play goal by Syroczynski with just 1:34 remaining-but, by that time, Cincinnati (successfully) centered the team focus on protecting the shutout for Lacasse. Nonetheless, the Royals refused to quit and came hard until the final moment, but couldn't break through to break up the shutout bid.

The Royals return home to take Dayton Bombers on Saturday (February 28 @ 7:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the Royals Radio Network Presented by Transmissions by Arbogast (True Oldies WRAW 1340 am in Reading; and The Ticket WLAN 1390 am in Lancaster), as well as on the internet via webcast hosted by Sportsjuice.com, which can be accessed through the Royals website. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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ECHL Stories from February 25, 2009


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