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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Dodge Multiple Bullets in 5-4 Win over Florida

February 6, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals (win, 30-13-1-162) 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 Florida Everblades (loss, 29-8-2-363), 5-4, at Santander Arena in Reading, PA.

In the opening game of a three-game-in-three day series between the Royals and Everblades, Reading took the opening salvo, despite being outshot 49-25 by the high-flying 'Blades. Florida scored 52 seconds into the game on their second shot, but the Royals bounced back to ring off four straight and build a three goal advantage. But the Everblades went away anything but lightly, charging down the stretch to draw within one early in the third period. The Royals' leading scorer, Pat Mullane, bagged his second of the game-and fifth for the team-midway into the third. And that goal proved critical for Reading because the never-say-dead Everblades bagged another one with just 11.9 seconds left-and the net empty and the sixth attacker on the ice-to make it a one goal decision. The win for Reading pushed the team's season-long win streak to nine, as the Royals pulled within one point of the top slot in the East Division.

First Period (1-1, Tie) 0:52 (1-0, Florida) Florida Goal Wahl (11); Harris (pass of pad bar-down finish from the left circle) Florida took what would prove to be their only lead of the game on their second shot of the contest, when Brant Harris carried deep into the right circle and chipped a back-hand across the body of goaltender Martin Ouellette, who made the right pad stop. But the puck kicked off Ouellette's pad into the left circle where Mitch Wahl stepped in for a one-time bar-down bullet for his eleventh of the year.

7:53 (1-1, Tie) Reading Goal (Four on Four) Marshall (13); Wiles (puck carried into the net by a sliding back-checker for Florida) Reading tied the game at one while playing four-on-four when Sean Wiles carried into the offensive end down the left side and slid a seam pass towards the low right side of the slot where a charging David Marshall forced the bouncing puck back towards the crease, where Florida's Brant Harris, who was coming hard on the back-check, appeared to slide into the puck taking it across the goal line-and the goal itself well off the moorings. Although the Everblades disputed the play, the goal was allowed, giving Marshall his thirteenth of the season.

Second Period (4-2, Reading) 8:27 (2-1, Reading) Reading Goal Mullane (15); Johnston and Marshall (back-hand five-hole tap in) The Royals took a lead that the team will hold to the conclusion of the game mid-way into the second when a strong fore-check resulted in the Everblades coughing one up into the left circle. Andrew Johnston, who was closest to the loose puck, set up for a shot, and although he misfired on his attempt, the puck slid to Pat Mullane who quickly cut out of the left circle and around a Florida defender, making his way unmolested to the top of the crease where he deftly slid a soft back-hand through the legs of goaltender Andy Isles for his sixteenth of the year.

10:21 (3-1, Reading) Reading goal Reid (18); unassisted (bar-down blast from the right circle) 1:54 later Reading stretched the lead to two, when Cam Reid picked off a break-out pass by a Florida defender in the right circle. Reid wasted no time settling the puck and uncorking a bomb that blew over the left shoulder of Isles for his team leading eighteenth of the season.

12:35 (4-1, Reading) Reading Goal Lamarche (5); Labelle and Hughesman (slap shot from deep in the right circle) The Royals pushed the lead to three when Olivier Labelle dug the puck off the end wall in the right wing corner and slid a perfect blind, behind the back pass to the low right circle, where defenseman Maxim Lamarche stepped up for a hard one-time slap shot that slipped between the legs of Isles for his fifth of the year.

15:26 (4-2, Reading) Florida Goal Harris (10); Lavoie and Little (back-door tap in from the left side of the crease) The Everblades drew back within two when Alex Lavoie threaded a beautiful diagonal-down seam pass from the right circle to Brant Harris who stepped up for an easy weak-side tap in and his tenth of the year.

Third Period (5-4, Reading) 0:54 (4-3, Reading) Florida Goal Florentino (3); Marquardt and Brace (snap shot from just inside the offensive blue line) Florida made it a one-goal game early in the third when former Royal Rob Florentino snapped one off from just inside the offensive blue line that slipped through heavy traffic in front of Reading's net and between the legs of goaltender Ouellette for his third of the year-two of which have been against the Royals.

8:14 (5-3, Reading) Reading Goal Mullane (17); Davies and Marshall (breakaway backhand-forehand stuff) Reading regained the two-goal advantage when defenseman Zach Davies sprang Pat Mullane into the offensive zone. Mullane charged to the Florida net and cut right to left and forced the puck across the goal line just inside the left pipe as Isles was sprawled out on his belly. Although Isles was able to kick the puck back above the goal line and David Marshall, who was trailing the play banged it in a second time, the original shot by Mullane was in and proved to be his seventeenth goal of the season-and would also turn out to be his first game winner of the year.

19:48 (5-4, Reading) Florida Goal Marquardt (3); Brace and Burt (rebound tap in from the top of the crease) Undeterred, Florida continued to push hard down the stretch, creating any number of quality scoring chances that were rejected by Martin Ouellette and the Royals' skaters, who blocked an impressive array of shots, The continuing effort paid off, as the Everblades drew within one again with just 11.9 seconds left in regulation when defenseman Cameron Burt set Adam Brace for a one-timer from deep in the right circle. Ouellette rejected Brace's bid, but the puck fell to the top of the crease, where Matt Marquardt had the inside track for a back-hand stuff-back and his third of the year.

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