ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Drop Chiefs, 6-4

Published on March 6, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (29-25-1-3=64, 2nd East 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 Johnstown Chiefs (15-35-6-4=40, 4th North Division), 6-4, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. With this win, the Royals took over sole possession of the eighth and final playoff spot in the American Conference. Although the Royals scored early-and never trailed in the game-the Chiefs clawed back from two separate two-goal deficits before the Royals were able to bag an empty-netter to ice it. Goaltender Andrew Engelage (win, 5-1-0-0; 28/32) picked up the win in his first full game for Reading since late December. Kris Mayotte (loss, 7-12-2-3; 27/32; 1 eng) lost for the first time this year against Reading (3-1-0-0). Reading took the team's early lead on their first power play chance of the game (1-3). The Royals' penalty kill was perfect on the night-including three big kills in the third period (0-5).

Reading struck 1:42 into the game on the team's first power play chance of the night. Stefano Giliati, who had a four point night (2g-2a), threaded a perfect diagonal down pass from high on the left side to low in the right circle where a waiting Andrew Sarauer ripped a one-timer high short side on Mayotte for his seventeenth of the year. It only took 1:25 later for the Chiefs to tie the game, when Chanse Fitzpatrick slipped a saucer to Matthew Kang low in the left circle. Kang's shot slithered through Engelage's legs and trickled across the goal line for his sixth of the year.

The Royals re-took the lead at the 5:31 mark of the first, when Sarauer fed Scott Langdon from behind the net to a spot low in the slot. Langdon's backhand was stopped by Mayotte, but the rebound fell to the top of the crease, where it was struck by the skate of Olivier Labelle as he was dumped to the ice. Labelle got enough of the puck to slip it under Mayotte and into the net for his nineteenth of the year. Reading took the team's first two goal lead of the night, when Kyle Laughlin broke with speed down the right wing side into the offensive end. Laughlin slipped a hip-check attempt by a Johnstown defender, cut towards the center of the ice, stopped up short, and ripped a snap shot high short side on Mayotte for his first goal as a pro at the 17:20 mark of the first. Johnstown bounced back to draw within one with just 42 seconds left in the first period. Jeff Martens fed Sean Berkstresser low in the left circle, where he took a wrist shot that went across the body of Engelage and into the upper right corner of the net for his seventeenth goal of the year.

Berkstresser tied the game at three 2:51 into the second period when he got enough of a loose puck out in front of the Royals' net to cause it to flutter up and over Engelage-and into the net for his second of the game and eighteenth of the season. Reading re-gained the lead with Labelle's second of the night and twentieth of the year 5:05 into the second. Giliati walked out of the right corner to a perfect spot just below the hash marks directly in front of the Johnstown net. Giliati's shot was rejected by Mayotte, but the rebound fell to the right side of the crease, where Labelle jammed it in.

Reading re-gained a two goal lead (5-3) twenty-two seconds into the third period with Giliati's fourteenth of the season, when he took control in the high slot and uncorked a blast that appeared to be headed wide of the net until it hit a Johnstown defender and ricocheted into the net. Johnstown would not go away quietly, however, as they cut the lead to just one (again) 1:21 later. Directly after an offensive zone face-off, Jim McKenzie fired a shot off the left half-wall that Martens was able to deflect under Engelage's right armpit and into the net for his fourth of the season. The two teams traded chances down the stretch with both goaltenders making a couple of quality stops. The Royals penalty kill also had to knock off three consecutive power play chances as the third period ticked down, but Reading held on and iced it with an empty netter with just 13.7 seconds left. After a defensive zone face-off win, Langdon rimmed it behind the net and up the wall, where Rob Slaney took control and chipped the it all the way to other end of the ice. A race ensued, which was won by Giliati, who was able to roof a shot from the left side of the net for his fifteenth of the year.

Reading returns to action tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, March 7, 2010 @ 5:05) when the Kalamazoo Wings return to the Sovereign Center. The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will begin at 6:35 pm.

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