ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Drop Gwinnett, 4-3

Published on March 27, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Duluth, GA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 42-22-2-389), 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 Gwinnett Gladiators (4th South Division, 30-32-567), 4-3, at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. Chris Blight racked up three goals to become only the third player in team history to register a second career hattrick with the team and lead the Royals to their team record twenty-first road win of the season.

Goaltender Matt Dalton (win, 18-11-1-0, 41/44) was strong in net, as he held off several sequences of sustained pressure from the Gladiators, particularly in the first period when Gwinnett outshot the Royals to 17-9. Chris Carozzi (loss, 18-19-1-0, 19/23) suffered the loss in his first career game against the Royals. Reading scored the game's first goal on the team's first power play chance of the night (1-4). Gwinnett tied the game for the second time at two-two while playing with the man advantage (1-5).

Reading opened the scoring while on the power play 11:08 into the first when Andrew Sarauer fired from the top of the right circle. The puck deflected off a Gwinnett player causing it to go wide on the short-side. The puck then ricocheted off the end wall and came out on the left side of the net, where Blight was able to settle and fire in one-felled-swoop to bag his twenty-first of the year. The Gladiators tied the game at one 13:24 into the first after a defensive zone turnover gave Matt Francis a chance to force a back-hand on net. Dalton made a stick stave, but before he could cover the puck, Dustin Cameron stepped in and chipped a back-hand that flipped over the right shoulder of Dalton for his eleventh of the year.

The Royals re-took the lead 5:15 into the second off the rush, when Ryan Cruthers dropped to Olivier Labelle who was trailing the play straight down the slot. Labelle's shot deflected off a Gwinnett defender directly to the stick of Yannick Riendeau who was deep on the right side. Riendeau quickly fired from a sharp angle for his seventeenth of the year. The Gladiators tied the game a second time 8:28 into the second on a power play goal by Matt Francis. Dalton made a brilliant right pad stop on a deflected shot from the right point; but a mad scramble ensued that ended when Francis forced it through for his fifth of the year.

Reading re-took the lead at 3-2 12:32 into the second when Andrew Sarauer carried into the offensive zone and dropped to Blight, who trailed him into the zone. Blight cut off the left half-wall to the middle of the ice and drilled a snap shot through Carozzi for his second of the game and twenty-second of the season. Blight completed the hattrick 3:30 into the third with the goal that proved to be the game winner. Jared Ross chipped the puck to end wall. Casey Haines crashed on the forecheck, dug the puck off the wall and fed to the right side of the crease, where Blight was waiting to jam it through, making it 4-2 Reading. 8:56 into the third, Gwinnett clawed back within one on the second of the night by Cameron, who charged into the offensive zone and ripped a perfect shot low stick side for his fourth goal in the last three games against the Royals. But that would be it for the Gladiators, as Dalton locked things down from that point forward to run the team's record to 3-2-0-0 on the late season road trip.

The Royals return home on Wednesday (March 31 @ 7:05 pm) when the team will face the Wheeling Nailers at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. That game is a Berk's Packing Dollar Night with $1.00 hotdogs, nachos, popcorn and soda. It is also a Wet Wednesday with $2.00 select drafts. You can also catch all of the Royals away games this season on Royals TV exclusively on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Season tickets for the Royals' 2010-11 season are currently available. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com .

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