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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Break Through Against Stingrays, 4-2

March 27, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


North Charleston, SC - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (35-27-1-475, 2nd East Division), 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 South Carolina Stingrays (38-19-6-688, 1st South Division), 4-2, at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina. The win, which was the first ever in the nine year history of the Royals at the North Charleston Coliseum (1-5-1), stretched the Royals unbeaten streak to a season long five games (4-0-0-1). The Royals, who have four of their remaining regular season games on the road, have won three consecutive out on the road. Matt Dalton (21-19-0-3; 39/41) earned the number one star of the game. The Stingrays' Shane Connelly (15-14-3-2; 16/19, 1 eng) lost for the first time in three starts against Reading as a member of the Stingray. All of the Royals goals-except for the empty netter with 20.8 seconds left-were scored by the special teams: two on the power play (2-3) and one while playing short-handed. The Stingrays scored a five-on-three power play goal in the second to tie the game at two (1-5).

Reading struck at the 13:30 mark of the first on the team's second power play chance of the night. Marc Cavosie worked the puck below the goal line on the right side to Stefano Giliati, who waited for the perfect moment before slipping one through to the top of the crease, where a crashing Andrew Sarauer quickly redirected the puck behind Connelly for his team leading twenty-fourth of the year. South Carolina tied the game at one 12:43 into the second. A turnover at the defensive blue line led to a battle on the right wing wall in Reading's defensive end. Greg Johnson charged off the wall to the top of the crease, where his shot was rejected by Dalton, but the puck fell to the left side of the crease, where Johann Kroll stepped in, took possession and back-handed it top shelf for his third of the year.

Reading re-gained the lead at 2-1 with a short-handed goal at the 15:40 mark of the second. Aaron Brocklehurst sprung Andrew Sarauer through the neutral zone. Sarauer in turn dished to Jimmy Fraser, who carried deep into the right circle, while Sarauer went to the net. Fraser's shot slid through everything, including the legs of Connelly-who was pre-occupied with the crashing Sarauer, and went in for Fraser's seventh of the season.

South Carolina bounced back to re-tie at two with a five-on-three power play goal at the 5:41 mark of the third. After a sequence of offensive zone pressure, Trent Campbell fired a shot from the deep on the right side that ricocheted off a Reading defender and on goal. Dalton made that stop, but the rebound fell to the left side of the net where Nikita Kashirsky was able to step in and fire the puck into the upper reaches of the net for his eighteenth of the year. Reading got what proved to be the game winner while playing with the man advantage at the 10:47 mark of the third. Cruthers kept the puck alive deep in the offensive zone on the left wing side. Daniel Steiner stepped in, took control in the left circle, and dished a perfect saucer into the high slot where a waiting Aaron Brocklehurst ripped a one-timer high glove side for his fourteenth of the year. South Carolina pressed down the stretch, but Dalton and his teammates held the Stingrays at bay; and with time ticking down, the Royals went Ben Gordon to Cruthers to Steiner for an empty netter to ice things with 20.8 seconds left.

The Royals southern road swing continues with a pair in Charlotte starting tomorrow night (Saturday, March 27, 2010 @ 7:05pm) at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will begin at 6:35 pm.

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