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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Hold Off Bombers In Dayton, 4-3

March 17, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Dayton, OH - The Reading Royals (29 - 28 - 6 = 62; 5th North Division), jumped out to an early lead, held three separate two goal leads, and were ultimately able to hold off the Dayton Bombers' late comeback attempt, winning 4-3. Jon Zappala extended his personal goal scoring streak to four games by scoring the game's first goal, and Brett Smith scored his second game winner for the Royals this year with a third period power play goal. Goaltender Jeff Pietrasiak (14 - 15 - 2; 25/28), playing in his first game for the Royals since February 17 due to a call up to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, picked up the win for Reading.

Reading struck first 3:53 into the game when Smith began a transition rush by feeding Zappala at the offensive blue line. Zappala carried to the mid-slot and then worked a give and go with Michael Cohen, who had joined the rush on the right side. Upon receipt of the return feed from Cohen, Zappala tapped the puck behind Dayton goaltender Terry Denike (7 - 2 - 2; 15/19) for his twentieth goal of the season. The Royals took the team's first two goal lead at the 10:47 mark of the first with Reading's first power play goal of the night. Malcolm MacMillan slid the puck deep left circle in the offensive end. As a Dayton defender back-tracked to pick up the loose puck, Jon Francisco burst around the defender, took control of the puck and cut hard left to right to the top of the crease, where he beat Denike for his seventh of the year. Dayton cut Reading's lead in half at the 17:16 mark with a power play goal of their own. Defenseman Lane Manson took a slap shot from the left point that Pietrasiak stopped. The rebound, however, fell to the top of the crease, where Brent Walton banged it home for his twentieth of the season.

Early in the second, Reading re-gained the two goal lead, when Charlie Kronschnabel, playing in his first game for the Royals, took a snap shot out of the left circle. Denike made the stop but left a rebound on the right side of the crease, where Chris Bala took control and back-handed the puck into the net at the 3:14 mark of the second for his eighteenth goal of the year. Once again, Dayton responded to cut the Royals' lead to one, when Yannick Tifu's extra effort earned him the puck deep in the offensive zone to the right of Reading's goal. Tifu slipped a pass to Petr Pohl who was planted low in the slot. Pohl ripped a one-time snap shot behind Pietrasiak at the 12:34 mark of the second.

Reading got what proved to be the game winner on the power play at the 5:19 mark of the third period, when Bala sent a feed from behind the Dayton net that pinballed off a body and fluttered into the air. When the puck landed at the right side of the Bomber goal, Smith was waiting to pull the trigger, which he quickly did, racking up his twenty-second goal of the season and making it 4-2. As has been their want, the Bombers refused to go quietly into the night, pressing offensively as time ticked down. It paid off with 25 seconds left, when Justin Maiser was able to one-time a puck from low in the slot behind Pietrasiak for his sixteenth goal of the season. Reading was able to hold off the Bombers for the final ticks of the clock to take the team's twenty-ninth win of the year.

The Royals return home to the Sovereign Center tonight (7:05 pm) against the Johnstown Chiefs. The first 2000 fans will receive a green puck to celebrate St. Patrick's Day courtesy of Jazz Fest. Royals' game night broadcasts can be heard live on ESPN Radio 1240 am (and on the internet through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com), beginning thirty minutes before the opening face-off. Streaming video is also available for $6.00 per game through the B2 Networks, which can be accessed through the Royals' website.

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