ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Run Over by Road Warriors, 5-2

March 24, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Greenville, SC - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (1st Atlantic Division, 40-22-2-385), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, were defeated by the Greenville Road Warriors (4th North Division, 42-22-3-188), 5-2, at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Reading scored on an early power play chance, but the Road Warriors rang off three straight and Reading was unable to catch them from there. With this win, the Road Warriors stretched their lead in the standings for the top spot in the Eastern Conference to three points over the Royals.

Daren Machesney (loss, 4-15-0-0, 40/44, 1 eng) made a number of exceptional stops-particularly in the first period when Reading was outshot 18-9-but sustained the hard-luck loss. Greenville's Chris Beckford-Tseu (win, 4-6-0-0), who was awarded the game's first star, picked up his third win in four games for the Road Warriors. Reading's first goal was scored while playing with the man advantage (1-4). Greenville also scored their first goal while playing on the power play (1-6).

Reading broke through 1:35 into the game on the team's first power play chance. Ryan Cruthers gained the high slot off the left half-wall and fired a snap shot that slipped through heavy traffic in front for his twenty-first of the season. Greenville bounced back to tie 12:01 into the first while on their second power play chance of the night. Matt Schepke charged into the offensive zone and powered his way to the top of the crease where he took a back-hand from in tight. Machesney made the save, but he was run into by several players on the net drive, causing the puck to pop free. Jimmy Kilpatrick, trailing the play, punched the loose puck in to tie the game at one. Greenville took the lead for good 1:15 later, when a strong forecheck by Schepke created a turnover in Reading's defensive zone. He then fed to Justin Bowers at the left side of the net. Bowers chipped one to a seam in the low slot, where Marc-Olivier Vallerand stepped up and gunned it home for his twenty-sixth of the season.

Early in the second, Greenville stretched their lead to two when a failed clear by the Royals' defense was kept at the left point by defenseman Wes Cunningahm, who promptly found Chris Chappell below the hashmarks in front of Reading's net. Chappell drilled one through to make it 3-1 2:25 into the second. Reading had all sorts of trouble creating scoring chances through most of the second, but late in the period, the Royals surged in a wild flurry around the net with Rob Slaney getting several whacks at the loose puck. The Road Warriors gained possession, but were unable to clear. The puck slid to the top of the right circle, where Mike Little, playing in his second game as a Royal, stepped up and lit one up into a pile of bodies in front of the net. The puck hit the pile and ricocheted to a spot where Slaney was able to find it and fire it home for his seventh of the year with 2:16 remaining in the second.

The Road Warriors responded with a dagger in the Royals' heart 1:47 into the final period, when another failed clear resulted in an opportunity below the goal line. Shane Harper ended up with the puck at the left side of the net, and slipped one to the seam in the low left slot where Brendan Connelly found enough space to rip a one-timer behind Machesney and give the Road Warriors another two-goal lead. From that point forward, Greenville played a text-book shut-down style that precluded the Royals from generating the number and type of chances that would be required to pull off a third period two-goal comeback. Sean Berkstresser added an empty netter with 1:07 left in regulation, but it was more than the Road Warriors needed to pad their lead in the race for the Eastern Conference regular season title.

The Royals continue the team's five game road trip on Saturday (March 26 @ 7:05 pm) when the team will return to The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia, where they will face the Gwinnett Gladiators. The Royals game day broadcast will kick off with the pre-game warm-up show presented by The Works at Wyomissing 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 this 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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