ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Explode for Win Over Wheeling, 7-2

Published on March 5, 2011 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 36-17-2-3=77), 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 Wheeling Nailers (2nd North Division, 30-26-0-3=63), 7-2, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Royals, who fell behind on the game's first goal, scored five straight to pull off the team's seventeenth come-from-behind win of the year and snap a four game losing streak.

Reading's Matt Dalton (win, 15-9-1-0, 35//37) snapped a personal three game losing streak with a solid thirty-five save performance. Wheeling's Patrick Killeen (loss, 18-15-2-0, 6/9 in 23:44) was chased after the third Royals' goal early in the second period. Peter Delmas (no decision, 8/12 in 34:28, 1 eng) came on in substitution and was greeted with a goal against on the first shot he faced. Reading scored on the team's final power play chance of the night with 6 seconds left in regulation. Reading's penalty killers bounced back after giving up a pair of power play goals in the team's last game to blank the Nailers' power play (0-6).

Wheeling struck first 13:28 into the game when defenseman Alex Grant ripped a fifty-five footer from wide on the wall deep at the right point that went through a dense stand of traffic in front of the Royals' goal and beat Dalton across the body for Grant's second of the season. Reading bounced back to tie forty-five seconds later, when Rob Slaney fired off the rush on the right wing side. The puck appeared to deflect off the stick of a Wheeling defender and flutter over the glove hand of Killeen for Slaney's sixth of the year. Reading took a lead they would never relinquish with 13.6 seconds left in the first period. Slaney won an offensive face-off in the left circle to a waiting Rob Kwiet at the left point. Kwiet sent the water bottle flying with a rocket that proved his sixth of the year.

Reading got what would prove to be the game winner 3:44 into the second period when Ryan Cruthers landed a perfect lead-out saucer to a hard-charging Olivier Labelle, who took possession on the fly in the right circle and fired a quick snap shot low blocker on Killeen to bag his fifteenth of the year and chase Killeen from the game. That goal extended Labelle's goal scoring streak to three games and his point streak to seven. Thirty-eight seconds later, the Royals went up 4-1 on the team's first shot on Delmas. Chris Blight controlled on the left half wall and flew a perfect cross-ice pass to Andrew Sarauer, who was waiting deep in the right circle for a one-time blast that went off the upper body of Delmas and in for Sarauer's fifteenth of the year.

2:56 into the third, Reading went up 5-1 when Casey Haines came hard on the back-check and laid out the Nailers Mikael Bedard with a hard shoulder check that dislodged Bedard from the puck and sent him tumbling to the ice high in the slot in the Royals' defensive zone. Chris Blight then took the loose puck and sprang Haines into the offensive end. Haines drilled one from the low slot that blew by Delmas for his thirteenth of the year. 13:01 into the third, the Nailers made it 5-2 five seconds after a Royals' power play expired on a rush that started while Wheeling was playing short-handed. Doug Rogers blew behind the Royals' defense, carried into the offensive end and shot as he charged in on the Royals' goal. Dalton rejected Rogers' bid, but the rebound fell to the top of the crease, where the trailer, Christian Minella, punched it in for his eleventh of the year.

With just under three minutes left and the two team's playing four-on-four, the Nailers pulled their goaltender to gain a five-on-four skating advantage. Wheeling's penalty then expired, giving them a six-on-four skater advantage; but the Royals ended up taking advantage of the situation, when Kwiet fired one off the glass in the defensive zone that ricocheted to the stick of Slaney, who in turn sprang Chris Blight for a short-handed empty netter. The Royals closed out the scoring with a power play goal with just six seconds left when Ryan Cruthers used his glove hand to settle the rebound of a Ben Gordon shot and fired from a sharp angle deep on the left side for his nineteenth of the year.

The Royals and the Nailers go at it again tomorrow (Sunday March 6 @ 5:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center. The first 2000 fans will receive a collector's edition series of Royals player trading cards courtesy of Rieck's Printing. The Royals game day broadcast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by The Works at Wyomissing on the Royals Broadcast Network (WRAW 1340 am in Reading, www.1340wraw.com) at 4:35 pm. 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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