ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Pull Out Shootout Win Over Dayton, 5-4

Published on December 22, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals (16-9-2=34, 3rd North Division) of the ECHL were unable to hold a two goal third period lead, but battled back to tie (with 38.6 seconds left) and get to the shootout where they beat the Dayton Bombers, 5-4, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. This marked the third time in four games between the Royals and Bombers that things ended regulation time in a tie, and the Royals have taken the extra point in all three-two in a shootout and the other in overtime. For the Royals this was the third consecutive game in which they have suffered a third period hiccup with varying results. In this one, Reading led 3-1 going into the third, but three consecutive goals by the Bombers put the Royals behind, 4-3; and it took a five-on-three power play goal by defenseman Patrik Hersley at 19:24 to pull out the tie. Goaltender, Jon Quick (8-5-1; 31/35; 5/6 in shootout) took the win in his first game for Reading since November 16; while Dayton's Rejean Beauchemin (7-4-5; 38/42; 4/6 in shootout) suffered his third post-regulation loss to the Royals.

Reading struck first 10:43 into the game while playing with a five-on-three skater advantage. Hersley ripped a shot from the mid-slot that Beauchemin kicked out with the right pad; but the rebound went straight to the stick of Brock Hooton, who settled at the left side of the net and fired for his eighth goal of the year. Reading took a two goal lead at 14:31 of the first period, when Brett Hemingway fed Ned Lukacevic from behind the net. Lukacevic's snap shot was stopped by Beauchemin, but Malcolm MacMillan punched the rebound back for his fifth goal of the season. Dayton got on the board with just 3.9 seconds remaining in the first when Mike Campaner threw a wrister from the left point on goal, which Quick stopped with his left pad. The rebound fell to top of the crease where Chanse Fitspatrick was able to get enough of it to slide the puck under Quick, who fell to his back while trying to cover the puck.

The Royals re-gained the two goal lead 16:53 into the second period, when MacMillan won an offensive zone face-off to the left point just as Dayton was going on the power play (after a sequence of four-on-four). P.J. Atherton controlled the puck and took a high snap shot that Beauchemin appeared poised to catch, but the puck hit the pocket of his catching glove, popped into the air, and fluttered over his left shoulder and into the net for the Royals' eighth short-handed goal of the season.

The Bombers started their come-back at the 11:41 mark of the third, while on the power play. Defenseman Taylor Christie fired a shot from the high slot through a maze of traffic in front of the Royals' goal. Quick made the original stop with his left pad, but the rebound fell to the right side of the goal, where Brad Bonello had an easy put-back to draw the Bombers within one at 3-2. Dayton tied the game fifty seconds later, when a defensive zone miscue allowed Bomber forward Peter Flache to walk in all alone on Quick, and Flache went five hole for his third goal of the season. Dayton took their first (and only) lead of the game, when Quick steered a seemingly harmless shot from the right circle towards the left side of the Royals' goal where a hard charging Mike Berry was able to bat the puck out of mid-air and into the goal to make it 4-3, Dayton with just 2:51 remaining. The Royals got a golden chance to tie-and did not waste it-when they were awarded a five-on-three power play in the waning moments of the game. After a flurry of chances, Atherton set Hersley for a one-timer from the mid-slot. Hersley's rocket found pay-dirt high to the glove side with just 36.8 second remaining to tie the game at four. It appeared that the Royals might have won it in regulation with a shot by Dany Roussin with just 16 seconds remaining, but it was ruled that Roussin's shot hit the cross-bar, despite the fact that the goal line was turned on.

After a scoreless overtime, during which the Bombers outshot the Royals 9-2, the two teams headed to the shootout. The goaltenders were perfect until the third round, when the Royals' Brock Hooton and the Bombers' Chanse Fitspatrick traded goals. The goaltenders then traded stops until the sixth round, when Atherton fired high glove side on Beauchemin for the goal; while Quick rejected the bid of Grant Goeckner-Zoeller to pick up the win.

Reading does not play again until next Wednesday night (December 26) (6:35 pm) when the Elmira Jackals visit the Sovereign Center, and the Royals celebrate Canada's "Boxing Day". The first 2000 fans 21 years of age and older that night will receive a cooler bag courtesy of Molson Canadian and All Star Distributing. The game night broadcast on Wednesday will begin at 6:05 pm with the pre-game warm-up show on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Ephrata, as well as on the internet through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com. Streaming video is available on a pay per view basis through the B2 Networks.

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