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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Conclude Road Trip with Dramatic OT Win in Florida,

February 4, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Estero, Florida - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (20-20-3-346, 3rd Atlantic 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 Florida Everblades (22-20-2-349, 4th South Division), 5-4, in overtime at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida. The Royals got a late short-handed game-tying goal from defenseman Denny Urban followed in short order by an unassisted overtime game winner by Yannick Tifu to complete a season-long six game road trip with a dramatic, if improbable, victory in Florida. The win was the team's league leading fifteenth road victory of the year (15-8-1-2).

Goaltender Jussi Rynnas (win, 3-2-0-0, 32/36 in 61:03) fought off a strong physical onslaught from the Everblades-particularly around the Royals' crease-to give Reading a chance to pull off the come-from-behind win. The Everblades Shane Owen (otl, 6-7-1-3, 17/22 in 60:26) dropped to 1-1-1-0 in three games with the Everblades-all against Reading. The Royals second goal came two seconds after a five-on-three power play flipped over to a five-on-four mid-way into the first period (1-4). The Everblades capitalized on their first three chances with the man advantage; but were held off the board in their final four opportunities with the man advantage (3-7) and actually gave up a short-handed goal on their final power play chance with time ticking down in regulation.

Reading struck on the team's third shot 1:35 into the game when defenseman Dave Cowan flipped the puck into the offensive end. Florida defender David Fischer reached up to play the puck with his glove, causing the puck to fall to his skates, where Kenny Ryan took control. Ryan cut from left to right across the top of the crease and stuffed it home for his fourth of the year.

Florida tied the game on their first power play chance of the game 6:18 into the first period. Mathieu Roy took control on the goal line at the right side of the Royals' net. He spun to a spot in the crease and attempted to jam the puck through Rynnas. On his third whack, Roy popped the puck out of Rynnas' gear and caused it to flip over his blocker and into the net for his eleventh of the year.

Reading bounced back with a power play goal from Dale Mitchell 11:27 into the first. Overlapping minors gave the Royals 24 seconds of five-on-three. Just as that two-skater advantage was expiring, Mitchell took control in the left circle, turned towards the middle of the ice and ripped a snap shot by Owen for his thirteenth of the year.

15:36 into the first, Florida tied the game at two on their second power play chance of the game. David Rutherford settled and fired low glove out of the right circle for his sixteenth of the year.

3:26 into the second, the Everblades took their first lead of the game on their third power play chance. Defenseman Ryan McGinnis took a snap-wrister from the left point, and Roy re-directed it from the top of the crease behind Rynnas for his second PPG of the night-and twelfth of the season.

Reading re-tied the game at three with 5:34 left in the second. Olivier Labelle dislodged a Florida defender of the puck at the offensive blue line on the left wing side. Labelle fed Dennis McCauley, who carried deep into the left circle, cut to the top of the crease and back-handed the puck between the legs of Owen for his ninth of the year.

Late in the second, however, Florida re-took the lead at 4-3 when Rylan Galiardi charged down the left wing side and slipped a back-door feed to the hard-charging Brayden Irwin, who beat everyone to the right side of the crease and drilled it home for his sixth of the season.

Florida held that one-goal advantage until late in the third period. In fact, it appeared that the Everblades had extended the lead with a power play goal after a big-scrum at the top of the Royals' crease with less than two minutes left in regulation. But that 'goal' was waived off when it was determined that Rynnas had control of the puck before it was dug out and punched under his body into the net. Shortly after that, the Royals tied the game at four with a short-handed goal. Dale Mitchell sprang Denny Urban for a long rush through the neutral zone. When Urban crossed the offensive blue line, he ripped a rocket that beat Owen glove side with just 1:16 left in regulation.

1:03 into the overtime, Yannick Tifu picked off a turnover by a Florida defender, charged into the low slot on the right wing side and fired a bullet low blocker on Owen for Tifu's twelfth of the year and his second game winner as a Royal.

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