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Reading Royals

Royals Game Day: Reading at Maine

November 28, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Portland, ME - The Reading Royals (7-5-2-4, 20 pts., 4th North), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are 5-0-0-3 on the road this season and head north to take on the Maine Mariners (8-6-0-1, 17 pts., 6th North) at Cross Insurance Arena Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Reading is 2-1-0-0 in the season series vs. Maine and Reading has taken both series matchups in Portland. The squads face off eight times this season, with the next three at Santander Arena. In Reading's last game Saturday at Adirondack, netminder Nick Niedert

Game 19 Preview: Reading at Maine

Royals have had road success in Portland

Portland, ME - The Reading Royals (7-5-2-4, 20 pts., 4th North), proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are 5-0-0-3 on the road this season and head north to take on the Maine Mariners (8-6-0-1, 17 pts., 6th North) at Cross Insurance Arena Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Reading is 2-1-0-0 in the season series vs. Maine and Reading has taken both series matchups in Portland. The squads face off eight times this season, with the next three at Santander Arena.

In Reading's last game Saturday at Adirondack, netminder Nick Niedert blocked 38 shots and allowed one goal to upset the Thunder, 2-1. Steven Swavely registered the tying goal in the first period and Jack Riley pounded the game winner home early in the third.

The Mariners also registered a come-from-behind victory in their last game Saturday vs. Manchester. Down, 4-1, about four minutes into the third, the Mariners scored five goals in the third to earn a 6-4 win. Ty Ronning had a hat trick in the final frame, while former Penn State blue liner Vince Pedrie tallied the game-winning strike with four minutes left.

Reading hosts the Kalamazoo Wings on Fri., Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m., featuring a PA Lottery Voucher Giveaway to fans 18 and older.

Listen to today's game at Mixlr.com/ReadingRoyals, with coverage starting 15 minutes before puck drop.

Goaltending situation update

The Royals have settled a fluctuating goaltending situation with four moves in the last 48 hours. Austin Lotz was released from his PTO with Lehigh Valley and returned to Reading Monday. The Royals then signed Tanner Creel to an ECHL contract.

Nick Niedert was released from his ECHL contract Monday. G Angus Redmond was reassigned to the San Diego Gulls by the Anaheim Ducks Monday.

Loving your barn

Reading has earned come-from-behind victories in each of its first two games at Cross Insurance Arena. In the first meeting, Oct. 19, the Royals erased a two-goal deficit in the second period and scored five straight goals en route to a 6-4 win in Maine's second-ever home game.

Next time the clubs matched, Nov. 2, the Royals earned their only shootout victory of the campaign, 4-3, as Adam Schmidt potted the winner in the third round of the skills competition.

The home team is winless in the first three meetings. The Mariners stung Reading, 4-2, Nov. 7 at Santander Arena. Chris Nell collected his first win of the season with 34 saves. Including that game, the Mariners are 6-1-0-0 in their last seven.

Michael Huntebrinker has two goals and five points to top all skaters in the series. He is the only Reading player with multiple goals. Sean Day (2g, 1a) and Terrance Wallin (2g, 1a) are best for Maine in goals this series. Zach Tolkinen (4a) tops point leaderboard in the series.

We bid you well until spring

Following Wednesday's meeting, Reading next visits Maine Apr. 4, the third-to-last contest of the regular season.

The teams do not play each other again until Jan. 30 at Santander Arena.

The comparisons to the 51-game hiatus between trips to Cross Insurance involve Worcester and Brampton. Worcester played at Santander Arena the opening two games of the season, but does not return to Reading until game #67 on Mar. 24. The Royals first match the Beast, a division foe, on Jan. 18 (game #38).

Swavely's longest streak

Steven Swavely scored his team-leading ninth of the season Saturday at Adirondack, giving him a career-long six game point streak. Over the six games, the Reading native has seven goals and 11 points. The first four games of the streak were multi-point efforts. He started the stretch by scoring two goals at Worcester Nov. 14, then notching his second multi-goal game of the season in the team's next contest vs. Newfoundland Nov. 16. Swavely also tops Reading with 19 points this campaign, ranking in the league's top-20 in points.

Swavely's Saturday goal surpassed his previous career long of points in five straight, which he accomplished as a rookie in 2016-17. That season, Swavely scored points in five straight ECHL games twice.

For his professional career, he has 46 goals and 95 points split between the ECHL (96 GP) and AHL (53 GP).

Wednesday also marks another return to Swavely to his home college state. From 2012-16, Swavely played at the University of Maine, located in Orono about 140 miles northeast of Portland. As a senior, Swavely captained the Black Bears.

Riley's first winner

Royals forward Jack Riley scored his first career game-winning goal Saturday at Adirondack. It was the 26-year-old rookie's fourth of the season, breaking a third period tie and helping the Royals win their third game of the season when tied entering the third period.

It was his first goal in the final frame this season, picking up on a trend built by Riley in his first five professional games with the Royals to complete the 2017-18 regular season. In his first five games, Riley put up five points and scored a pair of goals in the third period to cap wins against Norfolk. Riley signed with Reading in Mar. 2017 after finishing his senior season at Mercyhurst.

Riley's younger brother, Brendan, is a junior forward at Mercyhurst. Jack is the son of Army Men's Hockey Head Coach Brian Riley. Jack's grandfather (also Jack) was the Head Coach of the 1960 USA Men's Olympic Hockey Team.

Santa Sacks and Stocking Stuffers: Get ticket vouchers, autographed mini-sticks, pucks and player pictures

PA Lottery Voucher Giveaway vs. Kalamazoo: Fri., Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m.

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