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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Pull Away for Win over Walleye, 5-2

March 12, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 38-18-2-3=81), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, defeated the Toledo Walleye (4th North Division, 28-28-3-1=61), 5-2, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Although no Reading player registered a hattrick-which would have won a fan $10,000 in the team's St. Hattrick's Day Celebration-the Royals scored first and led the whole way in the team's twentieth home victory of the season (20-8-1-2), which was also the 350th win in the ten year history of the Royals organization (350-289-70).

Reading's Matt Dalton (win, 17-10-1-0, 31/33) avenged a 4-1 loss to the Walleye in Toledo on March 3 with his team leading seventeenth win of the year. Toledo's Thomas McCollum (loss, 7-6-0-1, 42/47) sustained his first career loss to the Royals (1-1-0-0). Reading broke through for a third period power play goal (1-5) to stretch the team's lead to three at 4-1. Both of the Walleye goals came while they were playing with the man advantage (2-2).

Reading broke through 5:58 into the first when Denny Urban fired from the right point. McCollum made the save, but the rebound fell above the top of the crease, where Casey Haines slid it back through for his fourteenth of the season. The Royals stretched the lead to 2-0 with 4:01 remaining in the first period, when Dalton started a rush with a pass to Todd Perry, who would end up with three assists on the night. Perry sprang Eric Castonguay on a long break through the neutral zone and into the offensive end. Castonguay carried deep into the left circle and ripped a shot across the body of McCollum for his tenth of the year.

Toledo broke through with a power play goal 8:19 into the second period, when Mike Hedden fired from deep on the right side, slipping it through from a sharp angle along the ice at the right pipe for his twenty-eighth of the year. Reading bounced back 1:44 later when Yannick Riendeau sent Urban charging through the neutral zone and into the offensive end. Urban carried deep into the right circle when he uncorked a bullet high, short-side on McCollum for his first goal as a pro, making it 3-1, Reading.

The Royals stretched the team's lead to three 9:55 into the third with a power play goal. Again, Urban fired from the high slot. McCollum made the save, but the rebound fell to the right side of the net, where Chris Blight tried to punch it back through. The puck slid under McCollum and went through to the left side of the crease where a wide open and waiting Andrew Sarauer tapped it home for his seventeenth of the year. Thirty-four seconds later, Reading took a 5-1 lead, when Vladimir Nikiforov carried into the offensive end and dropped the puck into the right circle to a trailing John Scrymgeour, who lit up a rocket across the body of McCullough high into the left corner for his ninth of the year. Toledo added a late game power play goal after Tyler Doig finished a wild scramble around the Royals' net with a hard snap shot out of the left circle with 4:35 remaining in the game. However, Reading held the Walleye off down the stretch for what would prove to be Larry Courville's 90th regular season win as the head coach of the Royals (90-66-8-7).

The Royals take on the Walleye again tomorrow (Sunday, March 13 @ 5:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center. Youngsters at Sunday's game will receive a drawstring back-pack from Capital Blue Cross. The Royals game day broadcast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by The Works at Wyomissing on the Royals Broadcast Network (WRAW 1340 am in Reading, www.1340wraw.com) at 4:35 pm. You can also catch all of the Royals away games this season on Royals TV exclusively on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Season tickets for the Royals' 2010-11 season are currently available. To become a part of Royals hockey, call 610-898-PUCK or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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