ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Dropped by Bombers, 6-2

Published on January 4, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals (9-23-2= 20; 7th North Division) of the ECHL fell behind early and were never able to mount a credible comeback, losing to the Dayton Bombers, 6-2, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Bombers scored three first period goals and never looked back as they snapped a four game winless streak, while the Royals fell to 1-6-1 over the last eight games. Goaltender James Reimer (loss, 5-4-1; 21/25), who started and played the first two periods, suffered his first loss of the year to Dayton (1-1-0); Michael Ouzas (no decision, 11/13) played the third period for Reading. Dayton's goaltender, Paul Drew, (win 9-3-2; 31/33) won his first career start against the Royals. Reading was blanked in five chances with the man advantage; while the Bombers sixth goal was scored while they were playing with the man advantage (1-7).

The game started with an early hit on a Dayton defender by the Royals' Chris Stevens, which was ruled a boarding penalty, and two fights ensued-one between Reading's Joe Cooper and Dayton's Joe Van Culin; and the other between the Royals' David Nimmo and the Bombers' Christian Gaudet. The end result was a power play 25 seconds into the game for the Bombers; and, although they didn't score with the man advantage, seven seconds after the conclusion of the power play, a cross ice pass by Mike Looby set Les Reaney up on the doorstep. Reimer stoned Reaney, but the rebound fell to Jarrett Lukin who banged it back for his fourteenth of the year 2:32 into the game.

Dayton took a 2-0 lead 6:05 into the first when a sharp angle shot by Justin Bowers from low on the right side slipped through Reimer on the short-side for Bowers' eleventh of the year. The Bombers added a third goal in the first at the 10:14 mark, when Tomas Zaborsky fired a snap shot from the high slot that appeared to dip under the catching glove of Reimer for Zaborsky's fifth of the year.

The Royals had their chances to climb back in-including a penalty shot awarded to Peder Skinner at the 7:57 mark of the second and several point blank shots that struck goal posts-but Reading failed to break through; and the Bombers built their lead to 4-0 at the 15:43 mark of the second when Mike McLean scored his fourteenth of the year. McLean through a blind back-hander off the right half-wall that struck skate of Royals' defenseman Steve Ward and slid through the legs of Reimer. Reading finally got on the board with 34.1 seconds remaining in the second when Mac Faulkner fired a shot out of the right circle that slid between the legs of Drew but stopped before crossing the goal line-at least until Kyle Hagel swept in and punched it in for his first as a Royal-and sixth of the season.

In the third period, the Royals had a brief moment of hope when they cut the lead to 4-2 at the 3:39 mark of the period. Kirk MacDonald dug the puck off the right wall and threw it to the mid slot where Peder Skinner was waiting for the one-timer. Skinner partially fanned on the one-time attempt, but the puck bounced to Steve Ward who stepped deep into the right circle and ripped one behind Drew for his third of the season. However, the Bombers doused any hope that Reading might have had 1:51 later when Reaney walked into the offensive end and fired a hard snap shot that blitzed by Ouzas for his fifth of the year. Reaney added a power play goal at the 16:54 mark of the third when he finished on a tic-tac-toe passing play with Lukin and Riedel to make it 6-2 Dayton.

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