ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Fall In Overtime To Wheeling, 3-2

April 14, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals scored first and held two separate leads in Game One of the North Division Semi-Final, but the Wheeling Nailers battled back to get to overtime, where the Nailers scored a four-on-four goal 3:02 into the extra period to take the victory, 3-2. The series now shifts to the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia, for Games Two (Sunday at 6:35 pm) and Three (Tuesday at 7:35 pm). Game Four, if necessary, will be back at the Sovereign Center in Reading on Wednesday, April 19, at 7:08 pm. If Game Five is needed, it will be held at WesBanco Arena on Friday, April 21 (7:35 pm).

Reading jumped on the board first when they capitalized on the third of what would be twelve power play chances over the course of the game. After Chris Bala controlled the puck in the offensive zone and fed Eric Werner at the right wing point, Werner went point-to-point to Reagan Rome, who quickly sent a diagonal feed to Larry Courville, who was planted in the right circle. Courville finished the tic-tac-toe passing play with a a hard snap shot that beat Wheeling goaltender, Andy Franck, at the 13:02 mark of the first to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Wheeling tied things at the 1:41 mark of the second period, when Bo Cheesman was able to score from in tight on a delayed penalty. The Nailers' Tim Verbeek had been knocked down in front of the Royals' net, and Reading was going to be penalized; but Verbeek got up, dug the puck out from behind the Royals' goal and fed to Cheesman out front, who buried it under the bar behind Yutaka Fukufuji (0-1-0, 13/16), who came into the game at the 5:08 mark of the first period after goaltender Cody Rudkowsky left with an apparent injury. The Royals took the lead back at the 5:25 mark of the second when Werner fired a wrister from the right point that beat a screened Franck high to the glove side. But with just 51 seconds left in the second, Wheeling tied things again when Sean Collins sprinted into the Royals' offensive zone and fired a hard snap shot between the legs of a Royals' defender that beat Fukufuji high to the glove side.

After a scoreless third, the Royals generated the first scoring opportunity of the overtime when Leon Hayward fed the puck from behind the net to the top of the crease where Larry Courville redirected it on net; but Franck got a piece of the puck and kept it out. With the Royals swarming shortly thereafter, penalties were assessed against Brendon Hodge of the Nailers and Shay Stephenson of Reading, creating a four-on-four situation. After a neutral zone face-off in which a Royals' defender was knocked to the ice, the Nailers' Kurtis McLean sprang Collins on another break, and he did not waste the chance, beating Fukufuji to the stick side to give the Nailers the 3-2 win at the 3:02 mark of the first overtime period.

As noted, Games Two and Three of this series will be at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia on Sunday (6:35 pm) and Tuesday (7:35 pm), respectively. Game Four, if necessary, will be back at the Sovereign Center on Wednesday, April 19, at 7:08 pm. If Game Five is needed, the series will return to Wheeling on Friday, April 21, at 7:35 pm. Royals' game day broadcasts can be heard on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Ephrata and on the internet at www.royalshockey.com with pre-game beginning 30 minutes before the opening face-off. Streaming video is also available through the Royals' website on a pay per view basis provided by B2 Networks.

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