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ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Pull Out Dramatic Come-Back Win Over Elmira, 4-3

January 16, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (21-14-1-3=46, 1st 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 Elmira Jackals (18-16-2-2=40), 4-3, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Royals trailed by two goals after one period-and 2-1 after forty minutes-but came up with three third period goals, including a dramatic game winner by Bryan Ewing with 4:02 remaining, to win for the fourth time this season over East Division rival Elmira (4-3-0-1). Goaltender Matt Dalton (Win, 12-9-0-2; 36/39) came up huge for the Royals again, which included making a game saving save on a clear cut short-handed breakaway for Elmira's Yanick Tifu in the second period-when the Royals already trailed by two goals. Elmira's Julien Ellis (7-7-0-0; 23/27) was solid for the Jackals, but sustained his second loss of the year to Reading. The Royals' power play finally broke through in the third period after being thwarted time and again this year by the Elmira penalty kill (1-7). Elmira scored a power play goal on their second five-on-three skater advantage in the latter stages of the first (1-5).

The Jackals scored first when Brendan Connolly corralled a loose puck in front of the Royals' net after Dalton kicked out a bid by Mat Robinson from deep on the right wing side. Connolly was able to wheel it in for his fifth of the season 8:53 into the game. Late in the first, Reading got into penalty trouble, when they were already on the penalty kill. A high and dangerous cross-check by Elmira's Olivier Proulx on Rob LaLonde incited Ryan Cruthers to fight Proulx, who responded by covering himself on the ice. Cruthers picked up an instigating minor, a fighting major, and a game misconduct for continuation of the altercation. Proulx got a cross-checking minor. The end result was forty-eight seconds of five on three for the Jackals. The Royals killed that off; but while attempting to knock off the remainder of the five-minute major assessed to Cruthers, Reading's Andrew Sarauer picked up another minor penalty, resulting in a second five-on-three chance for the Jackals. They capitalized this time, as Jarrett Konkle ripped a shot from the right point that was deflected by Proulx into the upper reaches of the net for his fourteenth of the year.

Reading cut the Jackals lead in half (2-1) with 3:38 left in second when Eric Werner fed Ewing down the slot in the offensive end. Despite being well-guarded, Ewing uncorked a perfect snap shot high blocker side on Ellis for his second goal as a Royal-and tenth in the ECHL this season. That goal also extended Ewing's goal scoring streak to five straight games. The Royals tied the game 33 seconds into the third when Jimmy Fraser made a perfect drop pass out of the left wing corner to a trailing Ben Gordon, who ripped it top shelf out of the left circle for his team leading eighteenth goal of the year.

Reading took the team's first lead of the game with a power play goal 4:51 into the third by Ben McLeod. Marc Cavosie and Gordon battled behind the Elmira net to free the puck, and Gordon slid it to the top of the crease, where McLeod was able to find enough time and space to drive it over Ellis for his seventh of the season-and his first goal in eighteen games. Elmira tied the game at three 8:05 into the third-seventeen seconds after the conclusion of a Jackals' power play-when Bear Trapp slid a perfect back-door pass to Wes Cunningham who activated off the left point down to the left pipe where he re-directed it home for his second goal of the year. Reading got what proved to be the game winner, however, with just 4:02 remaining when Dinos Stamoulis fed Jim Gehring for a good scoring chance. Although Gehring's bid missed, Ewing took possession and walked down the slot, where he ripped a perfectly-placed rocket into the upper right corner of the net for his second of the game and eleventh of the year. The Royals held the Jackals off down the stretch, as a couple of penalties to Elmira-including an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Brennan Turner-with 1:11 remaining defused any further attack.

The Royals return to action on Monday-the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday-when Reading will face the Trenton Devils in a Kid's Day Matinee game (January 18, 2010 @ 1:05 pm). The Royals game night broadcast on the Royals Radio Network presented by Transmissions by Arbogast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show at 12:35 pm.

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