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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Pull Off Second Consecutive Against Wheeling, 6-3

December 17, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (10-12-3-2=25, 3rd Atlantic 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 Wheeling Nailers (14-9-0-0=28, 2nd Atlantic Division), 6-3, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Royals scored early, but fell behind 2-1 with back-to-back first period goals by the Nailers, only to bounce back with four straight and build what proved to be an insurmountable lead. The come-from-behind win, which snapped a six game home winless streak for Reading, marked the first time since November 4 and 5 that the Royals have won back-to-back games.

Goaltender Mark Owuya (win, 3-1-2-0, 34/37) was solid all night long and kept the Royals afloat in several difficult moments including a long sequence of five-on-three against in the first period. Wheeling's Patrick Killeen (loss, 8-6-0-0, 18/24) dropped to 2-3-0-0 in five games played against Reading this season. Reading bagged a first period power play goal (1-7) to re-tie the game at two after falling behind mid-way into the opening frame. Reading's penalty killers were touched up for two goals (5-7) for the first time since the team gave up three straight to the Elmira Jackals on November 9.

Fans didn't have to wait long on this Teddy Bear Toss night to throw their stuffed animals on the ice, as 3:13 into the game, Ray Macias sprang Dale Mitchell for a break up the left wing side. Mitchell carried deep in the circle and ripped a bullet over Killeen's left arm to make the stuffed animals rain from on-high.

Wheeling bounced back with back-to-back goals separated by only 18 seconds mid-way into the first. 8:14 into the game, while the Nailers were playing with the man advantage, Paul Thompson, playing in his first game for Wheeling, cut to the middle of the ice from wide in the left circle. The right-hand shot got a great look from the interior portion of that circle and didn't waste it, drilling the puck bar and in for his first in the ECHL. Eighteen seconds later, the Royals coughed one up in the neutral zone, allowing Wheeling to take off on a quick transition rush. Mikael Bedard found Matt Lombardi, who carried deep into Reading's end and fired a perfect snap shot by Owuya for his fifth of the year.

Reading shook that quick-strike onslaught off and counter-punched to tie the game with a power play goal with 5:05 left in the first. Denny Urban fired from the high slot. Killeen made the save, but seemed distracted by the net presence of Todd Griffith, and the puck bounded to the left side of the crease, where a waiting Yannick Tifu batted the loose puck home for his third in two games and sixth of the season.

The Royals caught a break early in the second, when a Nailer with possession of the puck got entangled with the referee in the neutral zone, allowing the Royals to steal, transition and score. The end product was the result of a perfect pass from Andrew Favot deep on the left side diagonal down to a waiting Todd Griffith at the right side of the net. Griffith sniped from there for his third of the year 3:10 into the period.

Mitchell bagged what proved to be the game winner 7:47 into the second when he worked a perfect tic-tac-toe passing play with Yannick Riendeau, which Mitchell finished for his second of the night and eighth in ten games with the Royals this year. Tifu bagged his second of the night, as well, 13:46 into the second when it was his turn to work a multi-pass sequence with Riendeau and Olivier Labelle, which ended when Tifu outwaited Killeen with a stick-handling clinic at the top of the crease and then buried it top shelf to make it 5-2, Reading.

Wheeling cut the lead to two with a power play goal with just 53.9 seconds left in the second. Denver Manderson fired a shot from the right point that was slowed by the stick of Royals' defender but only enough to allow it to slide to the stick of a waiting Paul Crowder who easily tapped it in at the left side of the net for his eighth of the year.

The Royals played a solid, steady third and picked up some insurance mid-way into the final period at the end of a penalty killing sequence, when Andrew Favot, won a battle on the wall and passed to himself through the neutral zone. Favot carried deep into the right circle and slipped one through on the short-side for his first as a Royal (and his second of the season) in his second game with the team. Reading held on down the stretch for what proved to be the team's seventh come-from-behind win of the year.

Reading is off until next Thursday (December 22, 2011 @ 7:35 pm) when the team will travel to the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina, to take on the Greenville Road Warriors. The game night broadcast on Saturday will start at 7:05 pm with the Red Robin Gourmet Burger Pre-Game Warm-up Show on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Reading. Streaming audio is available free of charge courtesy of America One through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com. As with all Royals' road games, next Thursday's contest in Greenville will be televised locally in Berks County on BCTV courtesy of Boscov's Travel and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

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