ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Come Back for Overtime Win In Dayton

Published on December 1, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Dayton, OH - The Reading Royals (10-8-1=21, t-3rd North Division) of the ECHL were credited with 51 shots in a game where it felt like more and hit pay-dirt on five of those shots, including an overtime game winner by Bracken Kearns to win 5-4 at the E.J. Nutter Center in Dayton. Coming into the game with the lowest power play scoring percentage in the league, the Royals struck for three goals with the man advantage (on eleven opportunities), including the game tying goal (also by Kearns) early in the third period. Goaltender Danny Taylor (1-0-0; 29/33) picked up the win in his first game action of the 2007-08 season.

The Royals came out firing with a sustained attack right from the opening face-off; but the Bombers would strike first on the Royals' first power play of the night, when goaltender Taylor misplayed a clearing attempt onto the stick of Dayton's Grant Goeckner-Zoeller, who fired it into an essentially empty net 2:53 into the game. The Royals did not back down and continued to pound the pressure on the Bombers; but, as with last night, Dayton goaltender, Rejean Beauchemin, made a numer of outstanding saves to preserve the 1-0 lead until the final minute of the period. With 59.9 seconds remaining in the first and the Royals on the power play, Patrik Hersley made a brilliant back-door shot-pass to the left side of the net where Joe Zappala re-directed it home for his third goal of the season.

Reading took the team's first lead of the game 29 seconds into the second period, when Marc Cavosie, playing in just his second game with the Royals, took control of the puck behind the Bombers net, walked out front and jammed the it under Beauchemin for his third goal of the season. Dayton tied things again at two 4:46 into the second when Yannick Tifu took a shot off the top of the right circle that deflected off Royals' defenseman Rob LaLonde and fluttered into the upper right corner of the net. The Bombers regained the lead at the 8:39 mark of the second when Tifu became the second player in a week to be awarded-and to score upon-a penalty shot against the Royals. The Bombers extended their lead to 4-2 when Masahito Nishiwaki finished on a brilliant back-door feed from Goeckner-Zoeller at the 10:43 mark of the second, while the Bombers were on the power play. The Royals cut the lead to 4-3 with their second power play goal of the night at the 17:07 mark of the second. Joe Zappala started a tic-tac-toe passing sequence from the left half wall when he fired a cross-ice feed to Kearns, who in turn fired a pass to Chris Blight at the left side of the net. Blight redirected the puck over Beauchemin for his twelfth goal of the season.

Reading tied the game 1:49 into the third with the team's third power play goal of the night. Bracken Kearns took control deep in his defensive zone and basically went end-to-end, piercing through a couple of Dayton defenders as he entered the offensive end and sliding the puck through Beauchemin for his second goal of the year. The Royals continued to come hard in the third creating numerous scoring opportunities down the stretch, but Beauchemin held strong and got his team to overtime. In the OT, the Royals took control right off the opening face-off and got the puck deep on the left wing side. Chris Blight tracked the puck down and slipped a pass to the front of the net where Kearns settled and took two whacks on the backhand to send the puck into the upper left corner for the game winner.

The Royals return to action tomorrow night against the Wheeling Nailers (6:05 pm) in Wheeling, West Virginia. The game night broadcast will begin at 5:35 pm with the pre-game warm-up show on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Ephrata, as well as on the internet through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com. Streaming video is available on a pay per view basis through the B2 Networks.

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ECHL Stories from December 1, 2007


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