ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Come Back for Shootout Win Over Wheeling, 3-2

March 31, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 43-22-2-391), 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 Wheeling Nailers (2nd North Division, 36-29-0-577), 3-2, in a shootout at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The come-from-behind win established a new team record as the eighteenth come-back win of the season for the Royals and also tied the team record for regular season victories (43).

For the second consecutive game (and the fourth time this season), goaltender Matt Dalton (win, 19-11-1-0, 45/47 in 65:00; 4/4 in shootout) made over forty saves to keep the Royals in the game and ultimately give the team a chance to pull out the victory. Dalton also stopped all four shots he faced in the shootout to remain perfect in the shootout this season (3-0). In his three shootouts this year, Dalton has stopped fifteen of the sixteen attempts he has faced. Wheeling's Peter Delmas (sol, 14-8-1-4, 24/26 in 65:00; 2/4 in shootout) sustained the shootout loss. All four goals of the game were scored while the teams were playing with the man advantage. Reading went 2-8 on the power play. Wheeling was 2-10.

Reading struck first on the team's second power play chance of the game, after Jared Ross used his shin-pads to save an attempted clear by the Nailers' penalty killers at the left point. Ross was able to get the puck to Ryan Cruthers who shot one along the ice from the left circle. As the puck was headed towards the right side of the Wheeling net, a Nailer defender deflected the puck back against the grain, sending it by Delmas and into the net for Cruthers' twenty-second of the season.

Wheeling tied the game at the 16:34 mark of the first while playing on a five-on-three power play. Defenseman Kyle Bushee fired from the high slot. A Reading penalty killer blocked the shot, but it ricocheted directly back to Bushee's stick. He quickly fired a pass to low in the right circle, where a waiting Joey Haddad ripped a one-timer on the short-side for the back-door goal.

The Nailers took the lead 15:15 into the second period, after the Royals got themselves deep into penalty trouble with overlapping undisciplined penalties-one of which was a double minor. This gave the Nailers a full two minutes of five-on-three followed by a long sequence of five-on-four. After the Royals killed the five-on-three portion of the power play sequence, the Nailers continued to press hard and created a mad scramble around the Reading net, which ended when Brandon DeFazio slid a cross-crease pass to Tim Crowder who buried a wide open look on the back-door for his fourteenth of the year.

Reading's comeback effort in the third was a slow go. In fact, the team did not register a shot on goal in the final period until the 15:26 mark of the third. However, that shot on goal proved to be the one that tied the game. Again, Ross kept the point-this time on the right side of the ice-while the Royals were on the power play. He fired a snap shot toward the Nailer net, and Olivier Labelle re-directed the puck, which was about three feet off the ice in a downward direction behind Delmas for his nineteenth of the year.

Neither team could find pay-dirt during the time remaining in regulation, and after a scoreless overtime, the two teams went to the shootout. Haddad shot first for Wheeling, and Dalton rejected that bid. Yannick Riendeau went first for the Royals and buried a classic backhand-forehand in the top bunk. Paul Crowder shot second for the Nailers and Dalton rejected that attempt, as well. Shooting second for the Royals, Andrew Sarauer swung wide left and cut to the middle of the ice across the hashmarks and found an opening in Delmas' five-hole to stake Reading to a 2-0 lead. Dalton rejected Mikael Bedard's shot in the third round. And although Chris Blight was unable to end it for the Royals shooting third-Dalton did end it when he made his fourth consecutive stop to pull out Reading's twenty-second home win of the year (22-10-1-2).

The Royals return to action on Friday (April 1 @ 7:00 pm) when the team travels Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey, where they'll face the Trenton Devils. The game night broadcast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by The Works at Wyomissing at 6:30 pm on WRAW 1340 am and on the internet at www.1340wraw.com. 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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ECHL Stories from March 31, 2011


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