ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Bounce Back to Beat Trenton, 5-2

February 13, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 31-13-2-367), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, defeated the Trenton Devils (3rd North Division, 18-27-1-340), 5-2, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Reading and Trenton entered the third tied at two, but Reading rang off three unanswered goals in the final period to pull out the team's league leading thirty-first win of the year. The Royals are 8-1-1-0 this season when entering the third period tied with the opposition. This win, which ran the Royals record this season to 7-4-0-1 against the Devils, also marked Reading's sixteenth come from behind win of the season.

Goaltender Michael Hutchinson (loss, 9-4-1-3, 38/40) was solid, particularly down the stretch in the third, and picked up his first point as a Royal when he assisted on Ben Gordon's empty netter with 1:11 left in regulation. Trenton's Shane Connelly (loss, 6-13-2-1, 25/28 in 56:29) started but had to come out of the game for a short period when he took a shot to the head only 1:10 into the game. The Devils Emergency Back-Up Goaltender, Anthony Felice, (no decision 2/3 in 2:14) came on for a stint while Connelly had a cut bandaged and allowed the first goal of the game-a five-on-three power play goal by Olivier Labelle. Both teams were one-for-five on the power play, as the Royals and Devils each scored a five-on-three power play goal early in the game.

Reading was a awarded a five-on-three power play twenty-six seconds into the game, when Trenton's Trevor Kell was assessed with a high sticking minor on the first whistle of the game-and simultaneously the Devils were assessed with a bench minor for starting a player who was not listed as a starter on the line-up card. Forty-four seconds into the five on three, the Royals Jared Ross uncorked a blast from the top of the left circle that hit Connelly directly between the eyes, sending him tumbling to the ice. He had to come out of the game to have a cut bandaged, and the EBG Felice took the net. Fifty-four seconds after that, Reading capitalized on the two man advantage when Rob Kwiet slipped a pass to Olivier Labelle at the top of the crease for an easy tap in to pick up his ninth of the season.

Less than three minutes later, it was Trenton's turn to capitalize on the two-skater advantage. With two Royals' in the box, Brad Miller fired from the high slot, sending the puck through a mob of traffic in front of the Royals net. Hutchinson got a piece of the puck, but not enough to keep it out, as Miller got his seventh of the year. Trenton took the lead with 1:01 left in the first, when Darcy Zajac slipped feed to Matt Lombardi who found a seam in the right circle and ripped the puck over the catching hand of Hutchinson for Lombardi's thirteenth of the year.

Reading re-tied the game at two 11:03 into the second when Jared Ross fired a wrist-pass off the right point that pin-pointed Ryan Cruthers waiting at the right side of the crease. Cruthers angled it in for his seventeenth of the season.

Reading struck early in the third on an odd-man rush. Thirty-seven seconds in, Tyler Murovich broke hard down the right wing side into the offensive zone, while Andrew Sarauer slipped down the slot. Murovich landed a perfect saucer to Sarauer, who took it on the fly and went forehand-backhand to slip the puck under Connelly for his twelfth of the year-and what would prove to be his second game winner of the season. Reading added some insurance with a short-handed goal at the 8:07 mark of the third. Ryan Donald threw a wrister from the left point that appeared to be an easy play for Connelly; however, the puck trickled off the upper body of Connelly and fell to the top of the crease, where Casey Haines poked it through to John Scrymgeour, who in turn stuffed it in for his third goal in three games-and his first pro SHG.

Trenton attacked down the stretch, firing sixteen third period shots on Hutchinson. The Devils pulled their goaltender for the sixth attacker with 2:45 left in regulation, and Hutchinson attempted a couple of bids towards the empty net; but misfired twice. On his second effort, Crurthers bailed him out of what looked to be a bad turnover, as Cruthers was able to gain possession of the loose puck and feed Ben Gordon, who bagged his twenty-first of the season into an empty net with just 1:11 left in regulation to ice the win.

The Royals are off until Friday (February 18, 2011 @ 7:35) when they will travel to Cambria County War Memorial Arena for the second time this season to face the Wheeling Nailers. 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 7:05 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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