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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Fall to Late Game Charge by Jackals, 5-4

February 26, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Elmira, NY - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 35-14-2-3=75), 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 Elmira Jackals (2nd Atlantic Division, 24-23-6-1=55), 5-4, at First Arena in Elmira, New York. Reading held three different leads, including a two-goal lead early in the third, but was unable to hold on down the stretch. The loss, which dropped the Royals' record to 19-5-5 in one-goal games, snapped Reading's five game winning streak. The Royals are now 7-5-0-0 this season against Elmira.

Reading's Matt Dalton (loss, 14-7-1-0, 36/41) had his seven game unbeaten streak fall in the late game three-goal press of the Jackals. Marco Cousineau (win, 15-11-4-0, 27/31) was able to withstand a number of aggressive attacks from the Royals around the Elmira net to register the win. The Royals broke through for a power play goal early in the third (1-7) to build a two goal lead at 4-2. Although Elmira scored directly at the conclusion of a power play chance, Reading was credited with blanking the Jackals in five chances with the man advantage (0-5).

Reading struck with a short-handed goal on Elmira's first power play chance of the night 6:02 into the game, when Ryan Donald carried through the neutral zone, cut right to left into the left circle and fired. The puck went in-and-out of Cousineau's glove and fell behind him, where Andrew Sarauer stepped in for the tap-in to register his third short-handed goal of the year-and fourteenth of the season. 9:25 into the first, Elmira tied the game at one just as a long power play sequence that included 21 seconds of five-on-three expired. R.J. Anderson shot from the high slot, Dalton made the save with his upper body, and the puck fluttered into the air. Michael Dubuc batted the puck out of mid-air and in for his nineteenth of the year.

Reading re-took the lead at 2-1 fifty-eight seconds into the second period on a beautiful off-the-rush tic-tac-toe passing play between Andrew Sarauer, Matt Caruana and Chris Blight, which concluded when Blight took the pass on the back-door at the left side of the net and slammed it home for his thirteenth of the year. 1:49 later, Elmira re-tied the game at two when Dale Mahovsky hammered one from along the goal line deep on the left wing side that some how trickled through Dalton who had pinched off on the left pipe. That was good for Mahovsky's second of the year. Reading re-took the lead 5:29 into the second, when Dale Mitchell fired a perfect diagonal-down pass from the top of the right circle to a waiting Olivier Labelle who had charged to the left pipe for the easy tap in and his twelfth of the year.

Reading took the team's first (and only) two goal lead 49 seconds into the third, while playing with the man advantage. Matt Cauana took a perfect lead feed from Andrew Sarauer into the offensive zone and carried deep into the left circle. Caruana then unleashed a laser across the body and high on Cousineau for his eighteenth of the year. Elmira began their comeback effort 2:43 into the third, when Justin Donati pounded one from the right circle through the body of Dalton and in for his seventeenth of the season. 1:30 after that, Donati tied the game at four, when he finished a perfect right-to-left back-door pass from Eric Lampe. The Jackals got what proved to be the game winner with just 1:54 left in regulation when it was Yannick Tifu's turn to finish a back-door feed from Lampe. The Royals pushed hard down the stretch and had several good chances to tie-including a snap shot from the top of the left circle by Rob Kwiet that just went wide on the buzzer-but were unable to bag the equalizer, as Reading dropped to 18-8-2 on the road this year.

The Royals return to the Sovereign Center tomorrow (Sunday, February 27, 2011 @ 4:05 pm) where the team will face the Gwinnett Gladiators. The Royals also host the annual Battle of the Badges hockey game between the hockey teams from the Reading Police and Fire Departments starting at 1:00 pm tomorrow. One ticket gets you into both games. 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 3:35 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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