ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Game Day: Newfoundland at Reading

Published on October 24, 2018 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals (2-0-2-0, 6 pts., T-1st North), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, host the Newfoundland Growlers (3-3-0-0, 6 pts., T-1st North) for the first time Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Santander Arena. Wednesday's action features a postgame player autograph session with four players. Reading hosts three home games this week, with Wheeling coming to town this Saturday and Sunday.

The Royals and Growlers play 11 times this season and Wednesday marks the first of seven games at Santander Arena. Newfoundland is in its inaugural ECHL season.

Last time out, the Royals forced a shootout with Manchester and lost in the skills competition, 4-3. Defensive partners Dan Milan and Nick Luukko each scored.

Additionally, the Royals have traded defenseman Anthony Cortese to Newfoundland for future considerations.

Reading is at home Sat., Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Wheeling for Star Wars Night, featuring specialty jerseys and a four-for-48 family pack. Get four tickets, four burgers and four sodas for $48.

On Sun., Oct. 28 at 4:00 p.m., check out concourse trick-or-treating and the team's popular Halloween jerseys vs. the Nailers. There is also a postgame skate following Sunday's game, pres. by Body Zone.

Listen to tonight's game at Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals, with coverage starting at 5:45 p.m.

In first and don't forget it

The Royals' shootout loss Saturday earned them a point and Reading is tied for first place with Newfoundland and Adirondack entering the week. Reading is also tied for first in the conference. Under Kirk MacDonald, the Royals have been in first place after games three times; this week and Dec. 6 and Dec. 8 last season.

Reading finished last season with 87 points (3rd in North), two back of first-place Adirondack. The Royals were at third in the North after 36 games last season.

Luukko at it again

Defenseman Nick Luukko scored a go-ahead goal in the second period of Saturday's game at Manchester, giving the Captain goals in consecutive games for the third time in his career.

Prior to this, Luukko last scored in back-to-back games Nov. 27, 2016 and Nov. 30, 2016. As a rookie, the West Chester, PA native tallied on consecutive days Feb. 13-14, 2016 vs. Adirondack.

Luukko has tallied 17 goals in 3+ seasons with the Royals. He ranks fourth in team history with 206 GP.

Start history

The Royals are off to their third-best start through four games at 2-0-2-0 (six points). Last season, Reading started 4-0-0-0 for the first time ever. The 2005-06 team started 3-0-1-0 (7 points).

Five are familiar

Five Royals forwards skated against the St. John's IceCaps, the last minor professional team to play in Newfoundland prior to the Growlers (Tyler Brown, Alex Krushelnyski, Chris McCarthy, Steven Swavely and Adam Schmidt).

McCarthy (8 GP) and Swavely (3 GP) are the only players to score goals against the IceCaps. Alex Krushelnyski (2 GP) registered a pair of assists in a back-to-back with St. John's when he skated for Binghamton in the AHL during the 2016-17 campaign. Tyler Brown played parts of five professional seasons in the AHL and met up with the IceCaps six times. After finishing his NCAA career at Holy Cross, Adam Schmidt skated in 11 AHL games with the Worcester Sharks and played in one game vs. the IceCaps.

St. John's hockey history

While the Growlers are in their first ECHL season, the city of St. John's, NL has been home to four major junior and professional franchises since 1991. The St. John's Maple Leafs (AHL), now the Toronto Marlies, played at Memorial Stadium from 1991-2001 and the Mile One Centre from 2001-05.

From 2005-08, the St. John's Fog Devils were in the QMJHL. The IceCaps (AHL) skated at Mile One Centre from 2011-17. The IceCaps moved to Laval, QC for the start of the 2017-18 season.

The ECHL approved St. John's into the league in March 2018.

Scouting the Growlers

The Growlers won their first-ever game Oct. 12 vs. Florida, 3-2, at Mile One Centre. Kristians Rubins scored the team's first goal and Eamon MacAdam made 21 saves (2 GA). Since then, Newfoundland has gone 2-3-0-0.

In the team's most-recent game on Sun., Oct. 21, Newfoundland allowed three goals in the third period to Maine and lost, 3-2.

Forward Giorgio Estephan is second in the league with four goals and tied for fourth in the league with six points. Teammates Zach O'Brien, Ryan Moore and Scott Pooley also all have six points.

In cage, netminder Michael Gartieg is 2-3-0-0 with a 3.04 goals against average and .911 save percentage.

#HometownPride

The Royals' 2018-19 team hashtag is #HometownPride in part because the team has four players on the squad from Pennsylvania. Chris McCarthy (Collegeville), Nick Luukko (West Chester) and Adam Schmidt (Warrington) all grew up in the Keystone State, while Reading native Steven Swavely is in his third season with the club and a 2010 graduate of Muhlenberg High School.

Similarly to the Royals, the Growlers have a number of "hometown" players; four are St. John's, NL natives and blueliner Adam Pardy grew up in Bonavista, NL. The four St. John's natives are F Scott Power, F Zach O'Brien, F Scott Trask and D James Melindy.

Star Wars Night vs. Wheeling: Oct. 27, 7:00 p.m.

Specialty Star Wars jerseys | dress as your favorite Star Wars character | first matchup against Wheeling

Halloween Night vs. Wheeling: Oct. 28, 7:00 p.m.

Specialty Halloween jerseys | concourse trick-or-treat

Check out the Reading Royals Statistics

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