ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Come Back to Stretch Road Win Streak to Five

Published on January 2, 2015 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Evansville, IN - The Reading Royals (win, 18-10-1-138) of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, defeated the Evansville Icemen (loss, 9-17-2-222), 3-1, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

In the first game played after the Royals' first coach in team history, Al Sims (who led Reading in the organization's 2001-02 inaugural year), was hired to take over the helm of the Icemen, Evansville came out with considerable jam and scored an early power play goal to put Reading back on their heels. However, the Royals answered with pair of goals within a forty-five second span 1:39 into the second period to bounce back and take a lead that they would never relinquish in the team's third win in three tries at Evansville's Ford Center this season. The Royals then rode the steady net-minding of Connor Knapp, who made several big stops, to hold off the Icemen long enough to bag an insurance goal in the third. With the win, the Royals pushed the team's record back to a season-best eight games over .500, as Reading jumped into sole possession of third place in the East Division.

First Period (1-0, Evansville) 6:50 (1-0, Evansville) Evansville Goal (Power Play Goal) Rutkowski (2); McKenzie and Kerbashian (back-door tap in of below the goal line pass) Evansville, who were dead last in the league in home power play scoring percentage (5.6%) coming into tonight's contest, only needed seven seconds of the their first power play chance of the night to strike pay-dirt. Directly off the face-off to restart play, Kale Kerbashian fed Jim McKenzie below the goal line in the left wing corner. McKenzie wasted no time ripping a perfect seam pass across the top of the crease where defenseman Troy Rutkowski stepped off the right point to meet the pass for an easy back-door tap in and his second of the season.

Second Period (2-1, Reading) 0:54 (1-1, Tie) Reading Goal Hughesman (6); Davies and Reid (deflection of shot from left point) Reading broke a streak of 86:06 without a goal, when Zach Davies fired a low shot from the left point that was deftly deflected by Adam Hughesman up an over the outstretched blocker of goaltender Chris Dreidger for Hughesman's tenth of the season.

1:39 (2-1, Reading) Reading Goal Marshall (10); Reid and Davies (multiple rebound put back) Forty-five seconds later, the Royals got what would prove to be the game winner when Davies fired another shot from the left point that went in and out of Dreidger's catching glove. The puck fell to the top of the crease, where Cam Reid had the first chance at the rebound. Dreidger rejected that one, but the second rebound fell to the right side of the crease, where David Marshall settled, carried around the goaltender and stuffed it in for his tenth of the season-and what would prove to be his sixth game winner of the year.

Third Period (3-1, Reading) 12:56 (3-1, Reading) Reading Goal Labelle (10); Mullane and Marcou (multiple rebound put back) The Royals tacked on an insurance goal mid-way into the third-that was basically a carbon copy (or mirror image) of the team's second goal. This time it was Mike Marcou's shot from the right point that was rejected by Dreidger. On this one, the rebound fell five feet off the top of the crease to Pat Mullane, whose quick shot was rejected by the Evansville goalie. But, once again, Reading did not give up on the puck, and Olivier Labelle slammed it home for his tenth of the year.

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