ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Pull out Dramatic Comeback OT Win, 3-2

November 21, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (2nd Atlantic Division, 9-6-0-018), 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 (1st Atlantic Division, 9-2-4-022), 3-2 in overtime, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. For the second time this week, the Royals came back from a two goal deficit to pull out the two points. This game marked the first overtime win of the year for the Royals, who are 8-2-0-0 in the team's last ten games. Goaltender Matt Dalton (win, 5-3-0-0, 39/41) made any number of spectacular stops to keep the Royals alive during several dismal stretches, particularly during the second and early third periods. Marco Cousineau (OTL, 5-1-4-0, 32/35) was also good, keeping the Royals off the board until 9:06 into the third period. Reading had over eleven minutes of power play time, including one segment of seven straight minutes with the man advantage and over a minute of five-on-three, but the Royals were unable to break through with the man advantage (0-7). Elmira was also unsuccessful on the power play (0-4), and gave up a pair of short-handed goals, including the game winner on a four-on-three power play early in OT.

The Jackals struck first 5:31 into the game after an extended flurry of offensive opportunity. Defenseman Eric Regan ended up with the puck at the right point and took advantage of a screened Dalton, as he slipped a wrist shot through for his fourth of the season. Shortly after killing off seven minutes of power play for Reading late in the first and early in the second, Elmira extended their lead to 2-0 6:53 into the second after another sustained offensive attack. Patrick Coloumbe slid a perfect pass from deep in the left circle to Justin Donati, who was floating through the mid-slot and re-directed the puck into the net for his eight of the year.

Reading continued to search for offensive success well into the third period but were unable to solve Cousineau until playing short-handed mid-way into the final frame. Matt Generous chipped the puck from the defensive zone and an energized Casey Haines picked it up on the fly and charged into the offensive end. Haines original shot hit an Elmira defender and bounded out in front of the Jackals' net. Haines continued to drive towards the goal and batted the bouncing puck out of mid-air for his third of the year 9:06 into the third. 2:10 after that, the Royals tied the game at two on a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play from Matt Caruana to Ben Gordon to Eric Castonguay, who came right down the gut and ripped a snap shot behind Coursineau for his third of the year.

Reading had a chance to close things out in regulation when the team was awarded a late power play chance, but the Royals were unable to break through and actually picked up a too many men on the ice bench minor of their own with 39 seconds left in the power play and only 36 seconds left in regulation-sending the two teams to four-on-four for the conclusion of regulation. Early in the overtime, the Jackals went to work on a four-on-three power play, and gained offensive zone possession. But defenseman Ryan Donald stole in the right corner and tried to go up off the glass and out. Instead, the puck took a fortuitous bounce off a support in the glass directly onto the stick of the breaking Caruana, who pushed the puck out in front of him a couple of times and, ultimately, way out into the mid-slot in Elmira's end of the ice. Cousineau came charging out at the loose puck, and he and Caruana arrived at it almost simultaneously; and as Caruana jumped over Cousineau to avoid running into him, so did the puck, bouncing into the essentially empty net for his team leading twelfth goal of the year-and sending the home crowd into utter frenzy.

The Royals return to action on Wednesday (November 24 @ 7:05) when they'll face the hottest team in the ECHL, the Cincinnati Cyclones, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Royals game night broadcast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by The Works at Wyomissing will kick off on the Royals Broadcast Network (WRAW 1340 am in Reading, www.1340wraw.com) at 6:35 pm. You can also catch all of the Royals away games 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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ECHL Stories from November 21, 2010


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