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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Drop OT Thriller to Dayton, 4-3

April 4, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals (24-42-6= 54; 7th North Division) of the ECHL fell behind early, but battled back to get to overtime, where the Dayton Bombers scored with just 18 seconds left to take the two points, 4-3, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. This was the first home game of the year to be resolved in OT for the Royals, who ended the season 13-22-1 at home. Beau Erickson (OTL, 1-1-2; 34/38) was rock solid down the stretch to give the Royals a chance to mount the comeback; while Dayton's Paul Drew (win, 15-13-3; 41/44) made his own clutch stops to give his team a chance to win. Two of Reading's goals-including the game tying goal with just 2:39 remaining in regulation-were scored on the power play (2-7). The Bombers went 1-6 with the man advantage.

The Bombers rang off three early goals, starting 1:55 into the first period when Ryan Smyth banged in a rebound after a scrum around the Royals' goal. Smyth got his second of the night (and twentieth of the year) 6:24 into the first on another rebound put-back while the Bombers were on the power play. Les Reaney made it 3-0 8:56 into the game when he threw one from behind the Royals' net that hit Erickson in the behind and ended up in the net.

Reading started the comeback effort 7:02 into the second with a power play goal by Ben McLeod, who took control along the goal line at the right side of the net and roofed a perfect shot short-side on Drew. Reading cut the lead to one (3-2) 28 seconds into the third, when Ben Gordon picked off a clearing attempt by the Bombers, turned and wheeled out of the right circle to beat Drew for his twenty-first of the year. Reading tied the game with just 2:39 remaining while playing with the man advantage. Gordon fired a beautiful cross-ice back door pass out of the right circle that Tyler Doig redirected into an essentially empty net for his eighteenth of the year.

In overtime, the Royals created a number of solid scoring chances, but it was the Bombers who broke through. Greg Labenski led a rush up ice and as he crashed the net, he was able to slip the puck into the crease, where it pinballed off a couple of Royals and into the goal for Labenksi's fifteenth of the year.

Season tickets for the Reading Royals' 2009-10 season are available now. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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