Sports stats



ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Complete Sweep of Five Game Road Trip with Win

February 1, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Cincinnati, OH - The Reading Royals (win, 27-14-1-156) 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 Cincinnati Cyclones (loss, 14-22-4-335), 3-2, at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In the first match-up of the season between the Royals and Cyclones, Reading fell behind in the first period; but bounced back with five straight goals to pull out the team's twelfth come-from-behind win of the season. Reading got a second period power play goal from Sean Wiles to tie the game at one-and 1:28 later took a lead the team would never relinquish on a goal by Matt Hatch. The Royals added three in the third, including a mid-period breakaway by David Marshall to quiet a strong push by the Cyclones in the third period. With the win, the Royals completed a five-game sweep of the team's late-January road trip and pushed the team's overall win streak to a season-long seven games. Goaltender Martin Ouellette made thirty saves to mark the eleventh time this season that Reading has held the opposition to one goal or less.

First Period (1-0, Cincinnati) 14:49 (1-0, Cincinnati) Cincinnati Goal Gaudreau (4); Pendenza and Noonan (snap shot from the right circle) Cincinnati came out storming in the early going had the better of the early chances-despite the fact that the Royals appeared to score a goal on the team's second shot of the night 2:09 into the game; but unfortunately that one, which came on deflection of a Michael Caruso shot by Olivier Labelle, was waived off because it was purportedly redirected with a high stick. Nonetheless, Cincinnati broke a string of four straight games in which Reading had scored the game's first goal, when a give-and-go through the neutral zone between Joe Pendenza and Frederick Gaudreau, sprang Gaudreau for a clean look out of the right circle. Gaudreau ripped a low bullet that slipped through the five-hole of goaltender Martin Ouellette for Gaudreau's first of the year.

Second Period (2-1, Reading) 7:07 (1-1, Tie) Reading Goal (Power Play) Wiles (13); Mullane and Marcou (rebound of shot from right circle) Reading broke through on the team's second power play of the night when Pat Mullane set up at the top of the right circle and faked as if he intended to shoot through traffic a couple of times before he was able to finally pull the trigger. When he finally did shoot, the puck threaded through several players, forcing goaltender Sam Brittain to make a left pad save. The rebound fell to the top of the crease where Sean Wiles had the inside track. However, Wiles' back was to the net; so he had to turn, wheel, and whack the puck behind Brittain for his thirteenth of the year.

8:35 (2-1, Reading) Reading Goal Hatch (7); Marshall and Mullane (shot off the rush creates rebound opportunity in the slot) 1:28 later, Reading got what would ultimately prove to be the game winner when Pat Mullane and Matt Hatch charged through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. Mullane fired a shot from the low slot, which Brittain rejected. With defenseman Maxim Lamrche crashing the front of the net, the rebound fell to the low slot where Hatch chipped it through the pile for his seventh of the year.

Third Period (5-1, Reading) 10:40 (3-1, Reading) Reading Goal Marshall (12); Mullane and Lamarche (breakaway bullet off the rush) The Cyclones turned up the heat in the early stages of the third and created a number of quality scoring chances, including several point blank looks and at least two free-bouncing pucks in the low slat with Ouellette scrambling outside of the crease. On the second of those wild sequences with Ouellette momentarily trapped outside the cage, Bryant Molle and Maxim Lamarche thwarted the Cyclones' efforts to reach the loose puck out in front of Reading's net and freed it to Pat Mullane, who rifled a 70-foot pass to a breaking David Marshall, who was off to the races. Marshall carried deep into the offensive zone and ripped a bullet over the blocker of Brittain for his twelfth of the year.

13:47 (4-1, Reading) Reading Goal (Power Play) Davies (5); Cruthers and Marcou (snap shot from the high slot) Reading stretched the lead to three on the team's third power play chance of the net. Mike Marcou settled off the right point to Zach Davies who took control in the middle of the ice just inside the blue line. Just as Davies was releasing his shot, Pat Mullane was hacked in the mid slot by a Cyclone with a stick, dropping Mullane, which perhaps served to distract and/or screen Brittain because Davies' snapper (which may have been deflected on the way in) buzzed by low on the blocker side for his fifth of the season and second in two games.

19:30 (5-1, Reading) Reading Goal Watters (4); Davies and Lamarche (wrist shot from top of the left circle) Reading tacked one on with less than thirty seconds left when Ian Watters throw one at the net from the of the left circle that dipped under Brittain's catching glove, but this one was long resolved before that one hit the back of the net.

Check out the Reading Royals Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from February 1, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central