ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Jump Out Quickly and Hold On For Win, 5-4

December 11, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Dayton, OH - For the third game in a row, the Reading Royals (7-17-1= 15; t-6th North Division) of the ECHL jumped out to an early big lead-this time 4-0 in the first period-and for the second game in a row held on for a win, 5-4, over the Dayton Bombers at the E.J. Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. Reading exploded for the four goal lead in a 3:12 span in the first period; but the Bombers bounced back and made a game of it with three power play goals, including one early in the third period that made the final fifteen minutes of the game a nail biter. James Reimer (win, 4-2-0; 35/39) won his second game in a row; while the Royals beat Tyler Plante (loss; 4-6-1; 24/29) and the Bombers for the first time this year. Reading, who bagged back-to-back power play goals in the first period, went two for eight with the man advantage; Dayton, whose last three goals of the game came while on the power play, went three for eight on the power play.

Reading struck 11:13 into the first when Rob LaLonde fired a wrister from the left point that hit Plante in the left shoulder and rebounded deep into the right circle where defenseman Steve Ward stepped up and chipped the loose puck over the sprawling Plante for his second goal of the year. Thirty-three seconds later Shawn Snider picked off an errant Bomber pass at the defensive blue line and made a bee-line to the Dayton goal. Snider broke off a beautiful move and buried a back-hand on Plante to register his sixth of the season and give Reading a 2-0 lead. Fifty-eight seconds after that, with the Royals playing with the man advantage, Peder Skinner took control at the left side of the Bomber net and slipped out to the top of the crease, where he maintained poise under pressure and picked the top corner with a back-hander for his first goal as a Royal-and his second of the season. The Royals took a 4-0 lead 1:41 later-on Reading's next power play chance-when Tyler Doig slid a perfect pass off the right half-wall to Max Taylor who, playing in his first game for the Royals, settled in the high slot and ripped a slapper that beat Plante to the blocker side.

The Bombers began to climb back in 2:49 into the second period when a space opened on the left wing side as Dayton's Justin Bowers carried into Reading's end. When Bowers arrived deep in the left circle, he threw a solid cross-ice pass to a charging Mike McLean, who ripped a quick shot by Reimer for his sixth of the year. Dayton cut the lead to 4-2 with a power play goal at the 10:48 mark of the second. The Bombers power play unit maintained a long sequence of consistent possession and pressure in the offensive zone, which ultimately resulted in a mad scramble around the Royals goal that ended when Jarret Lukin put back the rebound of a Brock Wilson slap shot.

1:16 after that, Reading got what proved to be the game winning goal when David Nimmo forced a turnover with an aggressive fore-check and fed Kevin Harvey at the top of the Bomber crease. Harvey won the battle for the puck and bagged the chance for his third of the year to give the Royals a 5-2 lead. Dayton closed out the second period with their second power play goal of the night, when Greg Labenksi launched a rocket from the high slot that slipped through to make it 5-3.with just 11.7 seconds left in the period. Dayton got a third power play goal 4:20 into the third when MacLean took a shot out of the right circle that went wide of the net, but somehow ricocheted off the end wall and came back to the right side of the net where it hit Reimer and went in. The Bombers pressed down the stretch, but the Royals and Reimer held strong to close things out and pick up the team's fourth regulation win of the year.

The Royals return to action on Friday night (December 12 @ 7:05 pm) when the team faces off against the Elmira Jackals at the Sovereign Center in Reading. Friday's game will be broadcast live on the Royals Radio Network Presented by Transmissions by Arbogast (True Oldies WRAW 1340 am in Reading; and The Ticket WLAN 1390 am in Lancaster), as well as on the internet via webcast hosted by Sportsjuice.com, which can be accessed through the Royals website. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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ECHL Stories from December 11, 2008


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