Royals Propelled by Three-Goal Third

Published on November 13, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


Reading, PA - The hourglass flipped prematurely Friday in Reading. The Devils controlled the pace and the scoreboard for two periods, even expanding their lead to 2-0 early in Friday's third period. Waging a Trenton-typical defensive battle, the Devils sought to continue their clampdown into the final twenty minutes. But in a blink - six minutes and nine seconds - the insurance, the lead and the game was lost. Three Reading goals in that span turned the game on end, as the surging Royals reversed the strangle hold, ultimately staving off the last 10 minutes of the third period for the come-from-behind, 3-2 win.

The Devils mounted a two goal lead by converting on two of their six power play opportunities. Dan Eves supplied the game's only offense through the first two periods, scoring his third of the season at 10:23 of the first. The Trenton forward parked himself on the weak post, and found the puck in the crease after Brett Wilson centered to Mike Harder from the left wing. Eves' tally was the first of two points for Harder; the Winnipeg native scored his first goal of the season on another Trenton power play chance at 2:41 of the third. Eves and Wilson again were involved in the scoring as Harder roofed the puck over a sprawling Andrew Engelage, the Reading goalie who notched 18 saves in his second ECHL victory.

The inexplicable reversal of momentum occurred less than two minutes after the Harder insurance goal. Gavin Morgan controlled the puck behind the Devils goal and scanned the zone while faking left and right. He found defenseman Scott Fletcher at the bottom right of the slot with a precision pass who quickly shot the puck past Trenton netminder Dave Caruso. Charlie Kronschnabel registered the secondary assist, and the trio also combined for the game tying score at 8:52 of the third. This time Kronschnabel redirected an outside blast from Fletcher after a feed from Morgan.

Ninety seconds later, the Devils still were on their heels and the Royals capitalized. Daniel Steiner came down the left wing and spun toward the slot and got the puck for an open Ryan Cruthers near the right wing circle. Cruthers' goal, his second of the year, came at 10:24 and the Royals had their first lead of the game, 3-2.

The Devils feverish response that ensued was spirited, but ultimately unsuccessful. As time slipped away, a high sticking penalty to Cruthers at 18:46 led to a power play, eventually a six-on-four when Caruso made it to the bench. Rick Kowalsky called a timeout at that juncture, but the offense could not click with the two-man edge and the Royals held on for the 3-2 win.

Trenton drops to third place (5-5-1-1, 12pts) as the Royals take sole possession of second place (6-4-1-1, 14pts) and can move into a first place tie with Elmira if they can manage to defeat Trenton again Saturday. The home-and-home series moves to Trenton for that contest with a 7 p.m. puck drop. The live broadcast is available through TrentonDevils.com

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from November 13, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central