ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Pull Together To Pull Away From Chiefs, 7-2

Published on December 10, 2005 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Johnstown, PA - The Reading Royals (13-3-1=27) continued a season-long trend of spreading the scoring around, getting goals from seven different players in a 7-2 win over the Johnstown Chiefs. Reading got on the board first and was able to stay ahead of the Chiefs through the early stages thanks in large part to the solid goaltending of Barry Brust, and then pulled away from the Chiefs by scoring the game's last four goals, including three in the final period.

The Royals scored first when Greg Hogeboom extended his personal point streak to nine games 3:28 into the first period on a second effort, put back behind Johnstown goaltender, Morgan Cey. Over the course of the season, the Royals have had good results when scoring first, running the team's record now to 9-0-1 when getting the game's first goal. Reading took a 2-0 lead at the 15:16 mark of the first when T.J. Kemp extended his personal point streak to ten games with a power play goal on a snap shot from the point. A minute and six seconds later, Johnstown got a power play goal of their own when J.B. Bittner re-directed a Brady Greco shot from the point to make it 2-1.

Reading made it a two goal game again 25 seconds into the second period, when Malcolm MacMillan stole the puck off the fore-check and fed Grant Jacobsen next to the Johnstown net. Jacobsen was able to slip one in for what would turn out to be the game winning goal, as Jacobsen became the twelfth Royal this season (in thirteen wins) to score a game winner. The Chiefs made it a one-goal game again, when Dmitri Tarabin finished a Justin Kelly feed on a two-on-one break 5:04 into the period. The Royals regained the two goal buffer 1:01 later, when Jacobsen sent an aerial saucer to a breaking Shay Stephenson who redirected it into the net to make it 4-2. Reading rang off three more goals by three more players in the third-Mike Pandolfo, Jon Francisco, and Eric Werner-to mark the sixth time this season that the Royals have scored five or more goals in a single game with each goal being scored by a different player.

Reading returns home to take on the Long Beach Ice Dogs this Saturday night (7:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center. The first fifteen hundred fans through the doors will receive a Royals' car magnet, courtesy of Capital Blue Cross. Saturday's game is also the first Faith & Family night of the season, sponsored by Chick-fil-A and the Auto Spa of Wyomissing, and features a live post-game performance by Paul Good. In addition, fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals to the game for the annual Teddy Bear Toss. After the Royals score the team's first goal, fans can throw the teddy bears on the ice - all bears will be collected and donated to Toys for Tots and other underprivileged children in the community. The Royals will face the Long Beach Ice Dogs again on Sunday afternoon (1:05 pm). The first one thousand fans will receive Couch Potatoes, courtesy of Van Bennett Foods, and the first two thousand fans will receive Comcast Thundersticks.

The Royals are back in action this Tuesday night as they face off against the Wheeling Nailers at 7:05 p.m. The first two thousand fans through the doors will receive the second trading card set in a series of five commemorating the Royals fifth anniversary season, courtesy of Rieck's Printing. In addition, the US Women's National Team, which will be playing Finland in the Sovereign Center on Wednesday, December 14th, will be available between the first and second intermissions of Tuesday's Royals game to sign autographs and meet the fans. Tickets for the Team USA hockey game are available at the Sovereign Center Box Office.

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