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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Extend Win Streak with Shutout Win Over Wheeling

March 28, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (35-28-3-477, 3rd Atlantic 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 Wheeling Nailers (35-26-4-579, 2nd Atlantic Division), 3-0, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Goaltender Mark Owuya had a career game with any number of highlight reel saves and in the process set a team record with fifty-five saves in his second shutout in three games for Reading. The Royals got a power play goal in the second and a couple of 'empty netters' late in the third to extend the team's win streak to four straight and push the team's record to seven games over .500 for the first time this year. The win also put the Royals in a three-way tie (with the South Carolina Stingrays and Chicago Express) for the seventh (and eighth-and final playoff spot) in the ECHL's Eastern Conference.

Owuya (win, 16-5-1-2, 55/55) was nothing short of spectacular with three periods packed full of mind-blowing saves to run his season record to against the Nailers to 6-1-0-0. Wheeling's Patrick Killeen (loss, 17-12-2-2, 16/18, 1 eng) made a couple highlight reel saves of his own, but proved the hard-luck loser. Reading got the game winner while playing with the man advantage (1-4). Wheeling was unable to break through on the power play (0-2).

After a scoreless first in which the Royals had three abbreviated back-to-back power plays, but only mustered three total shots on goal, Reading broke through 7:51 into the second while on the power play. Shortly after Owuya made a tremendous stop on a 95 foot short-handed breakaway for Wheeling's Paul Crowder, the Royals got the puck into the offensive zone. Casey Haines kept the play alive on the end wall, forcing the puck to Yannick Riendeau who was stationed behind the Nailer net. Riendeau found Denny Urban coming straight down the slot with a perfect pass. Urban drilled a bullet off the right pipe and in for his eleventh of the season-and what proved to be his third game winner of the season (and his second in the last three games).

Reading added a pair late in the third, but not before Owuya made over twenty saves to keep it a 1-0 game all the way to the waning moments. The Royals finally got some insurance with 1:20 left in regulation, when Killeen began skating towards the Wheeling bench to make an exchange for a sixth-attacker. The Royals gained possession of the puck, causing Killeen to try and make a bee-line back to the net. But Yannick Tifu gained center red-line and drilled one right in the middle of the net before Killeen, who threw his stick in attempt to stop Tifu's long shot, could get back to the net. For Tifu that goal-his twenty-second of the year-extended his point streak to six games (4g-4a8pts).

Yannick Riendeau added a true 'empty netter' with 1.3 seconds left to extend his personal point streak to six games (4g-9a13a)-and ice the Royals' third consecutive home victory for the first time this year.

The Royals return to action on Friday (March 30, 2012 @ 7:35 pm) when the team travels to First Arena in Elmira, New York, to face the Elmira Jackals in the final road game of the regular season. Friday's game night broadcast will start at 7:05 pm with the Red Robin Gourmet Burger Pre-Game Warm-up Show on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Reading. Streaming audio is available free of charge courtesy of America One through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com. As with all Royals' road games this season, Friday's game will be televised locally in Berks County on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

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