ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Fall In Shootout In Charlotte, 2-1

Published on March 29, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Charlotte, NC - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (35-28-1-576, 2nd East Division), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, were defeated by the Charlotte Checkers (41-21-4-389, 1st South Division), 2-1, in a shootout at the Time Warner Cable Arena, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The SOL in Charlotte concludes the Royals late season four game southern road swing during which Reading took five of the available eight points. This game, which also concluded the four game regular season series between the Royals and Checkers, marked the second shootout loss for Reading to Charlotte in the last two weeks (1-1-0-2). Despite sustaining the shootout loss, goaltender Matt Dalton (SOL, 21-19-0-4; 32/33; 2/5 in shootout) extended his personal unbeaten streak to five games (3-0-0-2). The Checkers' Grant Zemlak (win, 2-0-0-0, 3/5 in shootout) picked up his second pro win in two starts-both against the Royals and both in the shootout. Neither the Royals (0-7) nor the Checkers (0-8) capitalized on the power play-although Charlotte's lone goal came directly on the conclusion of power play chance.

After two scoreless periods in which the teams' Sunday legs were fully in evidence, Charlotte began the third period with fifty-one seconds of five-on-three after defenseman Rob LaLonde picked up a roughing minor while the Royals were already killing off a penalty at the conclusion of time in the second period. After the Royals killed off the front end of that sequence, Charlotte pressed hard and created a flurry of opportunities just as time on the power play was winding down. Matt Dalton made a number of difficult stops in succession, but couldn't keep it out when Aaron Slattengren corralled a rebound at the right pipe and stuffed it in for his sixteenth of the season at the 2:00 mark of the third.

The Royals bounced right back fifty-two seconds later when Ben Gordon took carried deep into the right corner and slid a pass to the top of the crease, where a waiting Bryan Ewing settled on the back-hand, floated towards the left side of the net and roofed a back-hand for his sixteenth of the season. The teams then returned to "simple, stupid" hockey, although both teams got a couple of golden chances to win down the stretch. The goaltenders kept it knotted at one through regulation; and despite a power play for the Checkers to start the overtime, that's the way it ended after the OT, as well. In the shootout, Reading shot first and took a 1-0 lead through two rounds after Stefano Giliati, shooting second for Reading bagged his shot and Dalton rejected Brock Bradford's bid. But the Checkers scored on their next two attempts (Michelle Leveille, David Marshall) to take a 2-1 lead after four rounds. Ben Gordon, shooting fifth for the Royals, kept the team's hope alive when he scored on his attempt; but Andrew Carroll doused those hopes when he answered in the final round to give the Checkers the two points.

The Royals continue their efforts to earn a playoff spot in the American Conference on Wednesday (March 31, 2010 @ 7:05 pm) when the team travels to First Arena in Elmira, New York to face the Jackals. The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will begin at 1:35 pm.

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ECHL Stories from March 29, 2010


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