ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Pull Off Come Back Win Over Trenton, 6-4

Published on March 2, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Trenton, NJ - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (28-24-1-360, 2nd East Division), 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 Trenton Devils (24-24-4-557, 3rd East Division), 4-3, at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey. The win, which snapped a team record seven game road losing streak for Reading, jumped the Royals into the eighth and final playoff spot in the ECHL's American Conference. The Royals, who played with only 14 skaters, had to come back from two separate two-goal deficits to win this game, which featured the first pro goals for two Royals (Matt Ward and Rob Slaney) and the first ECHL goal for another (Ryan-James Hand). Goaltender Matt Dalton (win, 17-18-0-2; 41/45) picked up right where he left off after being called up to the Boston Bruins last week-facing over 40 shots in the win. The Devils' Dave Caruso (loss, 14-15-1-1; 36/41, 1 eng) sustained the loss. Reading's power play was kept off the board for the third straight game (0-5) and is now scoreless in the last twenty consecutive opportunities. However, Reading's penalty kill blanked the Devils, too (0-6).

Trenton scored on their first shot of the game, when a defensive blue-line turn-over gave the puck to Jack Combs, who fired a perfect pass low in the slot to Brett Wilson, who went five-hole on Dalton for his tenth of the year 1:50 in. The Devils took their first two goal lead 8:27 into the first, when Tony Zancanaro charged down the right wing side. After a Reading defender lost an edge, Zancanaro gained a spot deep in the right circle and ripped one across the body of Dalton, who kicked out the right pad, but kicked the rebound right back up the gut to the hard-charging Jeff Prough, who blasted it home for his twenty-first of the year.

Thirty-six seconds later, the Royals got on the board, when Scott Langdon threw one off the left point that appeared to hit someone or something on the way in and end up in the upper right corner of the net for his fourth of the season. But the Devils bounced right back to regain the two goal advantage (3-1) 1:38 later when Chris Poli went end-to-end, charged deep into the right circle and slipped a back-hand from a sharp angle under the paddle of Dalton's goal stick for his eighth of the year.

Thirty-four seconds after that, however, Reading bounced back again. This time it was Andrew Sarauer who bagged his fourteenth of the year on a brilliant cross crease pass by Matt Ward, after fore-check pressure from Olivier Labelle had created a turnover in the offensive end. The Royals then tied the game at three with Ward's first goal as a pro. Chase Watson stepped up in the high slot and fired a shot that appeared headed wide until Ward re-directed inside the left pipe at the 15:16 mark of the first.

The Royals took their first lead late in the second when Ryan-James Hand scored his first ECHL goal with a seeing-eye wrister from the left point that beat Caruso to the glove side with 2:26 left in the period. Reading stretched that lead to two late in the third period with another 'first goal'. This one went to Rob Slaney, who took a brilliant pass from below the goal line from Stefano Giliati (who would end up with a goal and three assists on the night) to a spot low on the right side. Slaney quickly fired stick side on Caruso for his first as a pro with 5:18 remaining in regulation. Trenton made a game of it with 1:28 left on a sixth-attacker goal. Tim Kunes forced a pass from the neutral zone through the stick of a Reading defender into the right circle, where Matt Vokes stepped in and ripped a perfectly placed snap shot low stick side to close within one (5-4, Reading). But an empty netter by Stefano Giliati, who had to power his way coast-to-coast to get the chance, with 58 seconds left gave the Royals a bit of breathing room in the waning moments.

The Royals return to the Sovereign Center on Thursday night (March 4, 2010 @ 7:05) when the Kalamazoo Wings return to Reading. That night is a Thirsty Thursday ($2.00 select beer), a WAWA Weekday (special $5.00 off ticket coupons available at WAWA), and a Dollar Menu Night (Hot Dogs, Nachos, Popcorn, and Soda just $1.00). The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will begin at 6:35 pm.

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