ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Lose Wild One In Wheeling, 10-6

December 26, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Wheeling, WV - The Reading Royals (8-21-2= 18; 7th North Division) of the ECHL were unable to climb out of a seven goal hole losing to the Wheeling Nailers, 10-6, in a wild game at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia. The Nailers, playing without four of their six leading scorers (who were all with various teams in the American Hockey League) came out storming-scoring four first period goals and piling on four more in the second. Bu the Royals battled back with five of their own third to make a game of it, until the Nailers tacked on two more to become the third opponent in Royals' history to get to double digits against Reading.

Danny Taylor (no decision, 7/12; 33:24) who started and played the first 13:24 of the game and then returned for the third period, allowed five goals on twelve shots; while Michael Ouzas (loss, 10-7-1; 19/24 26:36), who was assigned to the Royals today from the Toronto Marlies, played the middle 26:36 and allowed what proved to be the game winning goal; Curtis Darling (win, 12-3-3; 38/44) saw a ton of rubber from the Royals and made enough stops to pick up the win. The Royals got two of their goals on the power play (2-10); while the Nailers racked up three power play goals on the night (3-8).

The Nailers jumped on the Royals early and often. Matt Grennier scored his seventh of the season 4:09 into the game when he threw a wrister from the right point that beat Taylor low to the stick side. Just over four minutes later, Wheeling took a 2-0 lead when Jordan Morrison carried deep into the slot and ripped a snap shot by Taylor for his eleventh of the year. Morrison (who would end up with seven points on the night-2g - 5a) then bagged his twelfth of the season with a one-timer off the top of the right circle while the Nailers were on the power play 12:09 into the period. At the 13:24 mark of the first, Reading switched goaltenders, Ouzas taking over from Taylor, when the Royals were awarded their second power play chance of the period. That didn't slow the Wheeling attack, as they bagged their fourth of the night and second power play goal of the game at the 16:02 mark of the first-twenty-five seconds into their third power play chance of the game-when Reid Cashman sent another seeing-eye wrister from the high slot that beat Ouzas low to the stick side.

The Wheeling attack continued 4:25 into the second when Brock Sheahan sent another long shot-this one from the left point that slipped through a maze of traffic out front and into net low to Ouzas' glove side. Wheeling made it 6-0 7:46 into the second on a tic-tac-toe passing play in tight around the Royals' goal between Matt Grennier and Jon Grecu and Andrew Lord, who ended up with a tap-in for his seventh of the season. A turnover at the left side of the Royals' goal, while Reading was on the power play, resulted in a short-handed goal for Bryan Ewing at the 9:08 mark of the second.

Reading finally got on the board 17:02 into the second with a power play goal by Mac Faulkner, when Tim Branham sprang Shawn Snider into the offensive end on the right wing side. Snider took a hard shot that was stopped by Darling; but Faulkner was there for the put-back and his ninth of the year. But Wheeling regained the seven goal lead (8-1) with forty-seconds left in the second with their second power play goal of the night-when Bryan Ewing bagged his second of the game on another rebound chance.

Reading tried to make a game of it in the third, striking 53 seconds into the period, while the teams were playing four-on-four-shortly after Brock Hooton fought Doug Krantz after Hooton had collided with goaltender Curtis Darling, who had come way out of his net to play a puck at the top of the right circle. Krantz picked up the extra minor for instigating, which nullified Nailer power play. During the ensuing four-on-four, Tyler Doig created a turnover in the offensive zone and fed Peder Skinner at the top of the right circle. Skinner's one-timer slid under Darling for his fourth of the season. Reading cut the lead back to five (8-3) at the 5:13 mark of the third, when Mac Faulkner fed Kirk MacDonald, who was planted in the mid-slot, from below the goal line. MacDonald ripped a one-timer high and hard behind Darling for his ninth of the year. MacDonald then bagged his team leading tenth of the season at the 8:03 mark of the third when he corralled a rebound off a Shawn Snider shot. MacDonald ripped it high over a sprawling Darling for his second of the night. The Royals cut the lead to three (8-5) a minute later, when Tyler Doig carried up the right wing side and slid one under Darling for his sixth of the year.

Wheeling regained the four goal advantage (9-5) 10:33 into the third, when Bryan Ewing became the second Nailer this season to register a hattrick against the Royals. Morrison slid a pass right to left across the top of the Royals crease to Ewing who tapped in his twelfth of the season. Thirty-two seconds later, the Nailers hit double digits, when Kelly Miller walked down the left wing and fired one across the body of Taylor into the far right side of the net for his second of the year. David Nimmo added a chip in power play goal for the Royals from in tight with just 38 seconds left in the game to make it 10-6. But time ran out on the Royals' comeback effort to extend the team's road winless streak to five games (0-5-1).

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